Mechanization
Targeting Small-Scale Irrigation Investments Using Agent-Based Modeling: Case Studies In Mali And Niger
MaliOLAWALE E. OLAYIDE, SAADATOU A. SANGARE, JAWOO KOO...
All

Small-scale irrigation has been identified as a potential adaptation strategy for climate change and boosting food security and livelihoods in dry regions. This study presents the analysis of the potential adoption of small-scale irrigation in two We...

Research and Development
Contract Farming, Contract Design and Smallholder Livelihoods
GhanaANETTE RUML, CATHERINE RAGASA AND MATIN QAIM
Rice

Contract farming has gained in importance in many developing countries. Previous studies analysed effects of contracts on smallholder farmers’ welfare, yet mostly without considering that different types of contractual relationships exist. Here, we e...

IFPRI Key Facts Series: Key Facts Sheet on Agricultural Commercialization
MalawiINTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE (IFPR...

Four out of five Malawian households engage in some crop production. Rural households are most likely to farm – nine out of ten do so. However, even in towns and cities, almost one-third of urban households engage in some farming. However, only 60 pe...

Mechanization
Smallholder Irrigation Technology Diffusion In Ghana: Insights From Stakeholder Mapping
GhanaAFUA ATUOBI-YEBOAH, NOORA-LISA ABERMAN AND CLAUDIA...
All

Irrigated agriculture can support food and nutrition security, increase rural employment and incomes and can act as a buffer against growing climate variability and change. However, irrigation development has been slow in Africa south of the Sahara a...

Research and Development
Solar or Diesel: A Comparison of Costs for Groundwater‐Fed Irrigation in Sub‐Saharan Africa Under Two Energy Solutions
Republic of the CongoHUA XIE, CLAUDIA RINGLER AND MD. ALAM HOSSAIN MOND...
All

Sub‐Saharan Africa has long been beset with food insecurity and energy poverty. Expanding irrigated agriculture can help boost food production in the region, but this requires energy for accessing water, especially in groundwater‐fed irrigation. This...

On-Farm Production (crops, livestock)
Efficiency And Profits Of Emerging Medium-Scale Farms In Africa: Evidence From Ethiopia’s Commercial Horticultural Sector
EthiopiaFANTU NISRANE BACHEWE AND BART MINTEN
Horticulture

We study production practices of larger and more capital-intensive farmers (“horti-preneurs”) in horticultural commercial clusters in the central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Attracted by profitable vegetable markets, more educated farmers rent in land f...

Policy and Advocacy
Revisiting Land Policy Reforms in Developing Countries with a Focus on Sub-Saharan Africa
DjiboutiHOSAENA GHEBRU
All

The impact of land tenure systems in developing countries on agricultural investment and productivity continues to be the subject of intense scrutiny. This paper looks at land policy reforms with emphasis on lessons from Africa south of the Sahara (S...

Others
Adoption of Multiple Sustainable Land Management Practices among Irrigator Rural Farm Households of Ethiopia
EthiopiaRAHEL DERIBE BEKELE, ALISHER MIRZABAEV AND DAWIT K...
Others

Using a household and plot-level survey conducted in Ethiopia, this study analyzes the difference in farmers’ adoption of sustainable land management (SLM) practices between their rainfed and irrigated plots. The paper also investigates the varying i...

Others
Smart subsidies for Sustainable Soils: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Southern Malawi
MalawiPATRICK S. WARD, LAWRENCE MAPEMBA AND ANDREW R. BE...
All

Conventional agricultural practices – especially conventional tillage – are a major driver of soil erosion globally. While soil may not frequently considered a vulnerable natural resource, the erosion and degradation of soils poses a serious threat t...

Nutrition
Enabling Environments For Nutrition Advocacy: A Comparison Of Infant And Young Child Feeding And Food Fortification In Nigeria
NigeriaDANIELLE RESNICK, KOLA ANIGO AND OLUFOLAKEMI MERCY...
All

The importance of an enabling environment for effective nutrition advocacy is well-recognized, and several key elements of such an environment have been well-established in existing research. However, nutrition policies are multi-faceted, and advocat...

Others
Sustainable Land Management, Gender, And Agricultural Productivity: Evidence From Ethiopia's Fragile Watershed Observatory
EthiopiaEDWARD KATO, DAWIT KELEMEWORK MEKONNEN, SOLOMON TI...
All

Land degradation is a pressing global challenge, with three billion people residing in degraded landscapes. The global cost of land degradation is estimated to be about $300 billion per year, with Africa south of the Sahara accounting for 26 percent...

Others
Rethinking The Role Of Social Protection In African Food Systems Post-COVID-19
NigeriaOMAR BENAMMOUR, BENJAMIN DAVIS, MARCO KNOWLES, NOE...
All

Efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 have further exacerbated long-standing challenges within African food systems and exposed new sources of vulnerability in people’s livelihoods. Emerging evidence demonstrates that the impacts of the COVID-1...