UN Agency Opens up Access to Largest Database of hunger statistics

FAO announced comprehensive database on food, agriculture and hunger is now open to the public, free of charges. The database contains over one million data points covering more than 200 countries. FAOSTAT designed to support monitoring, analysis and informed, evidence-based policy-making specifically related to rural and agricultural development and hunger reduction. Read more here.

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Nigeria: Gearing up to fight food shortages

State authorities and aid agencies in northern Nigeria are scaling up their food security and nutrition responses in the light of coming food shortages. Seven Nigerian states along with the neighboring countries of Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon received poor rain in 2009 and early 2010. Nigeria Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has alerted state authorities [...]

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Agriculture incentives face fresh scrutiny as farmers cry foul

The recent protests by large-scale wheat farmers in Narok, Kenya, against the government’s move to reduce import duty on wheat to 10 per cent (down from 25) brought into sharp focus past policy moves by the State to incentivize agricultural production. The decision was partly meant to cushion consumers against escalating cost of wheat and [...]

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Detroit gets growing

Detroit, former capital of America’s car industry and now a by word for calamitous urban decline, is being turned over to agriculture. Like in no other city in the world, urban farming has taken root in Detroit city. For instance, Hantz Farms, are backed by millions of dollars and aim to build the world’s biggest [...]

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Understanding gender differences in agricultural productivity in Uganda and Nigeria

Results indicate that lower productivity is persistent from female-owned plots and female-headed household, accounting for a range of socioeconomic variables, agricultural inputs, and crop choices. Productivity differences depend on the type of gender indicator used, crop specific samples, agro-ecological region, and inclusion of biophysical characteristics. This paper investigates gender differences in agricultural productivity using data [...]

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Protecting Africa’s Future: Livelihood-Based Socia; Protection for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in East and Southern Africa

A policy brief presents a series of Regional Inter-Agency Task Team for Children (RIATT) and FAO recommendations on drafting stand-alone social protection policies to fill gaps in protection of children and strengthening existing policy frameworks. There are four types of social protection, these are: protective social assistance for the poor such as disability, preventive measures [...]

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Do Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) Processes Make a Difference to Country Commitments to Develop Agriculture? The Case of Ghana

The CAADP is a commitment of Africa countries to pursue economic growth through agriculture-led development to reduce poverty and hunger on the continent. It is expected to serve as a framework that adds value to national and regional strategies for the development of agriculture. This paper tries to understand how continental initiatives such as CAADP [...]

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Africa: The Donor View on Development

While the Green Revolution led to dramatic changes in Asia and Latin America, agricultural productivity in Africa continues to lag, nearly a half century later. Africa must act now, and act decisively, to create its own Green Revolution; one that addresses the continent’s unique circumstances through different strategy and targets, such as Feed the Future. [...]

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NEPAD, AGRA to assist African farmers

The New Partnership for African Development Agency, the NEPAD Agency has received a boost of US$ 500,000 from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). AGRA is a dynamic partnership working across the African continent to help small-scale farmers. The money will be used to support the work of smallholder farmers on the [...]

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UN agency chief pledges support for Africa’s efforts to boost food security

The United Nations is committed to helping African nations combat hunger and malnutrition. This was addressed as the Executive Director of World Food Programme (WFP) of UN stressed the benefits offered by food-based social protection programmes for African leaders gathered in Uganda, for the African Union summit. Food-based social protection programmes, which are being implemented [...]

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