scholarly journals Drivers of household food availability in sub-Saharan Africa based on big data from small farms

2015 ◽  
Vol 113 (2) ◽  
pp. 458-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romain Frelat ◽  
Santiago Lopez-Ridaura ◽  
Ken E. Giller ◽  
Mario Herrero ◽  
Sabine Douxchamps ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Market Access ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Farm Households ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Smallholder Farm ◽  
Sub Saharan

We calculated a simple indicator of food availability using data from 93 sites in 17 countries across contrasted agroecologies in sub-Saharan Africa (>13,000 farm households) and analyzed the drivers of variations in food availability. Crop production was the major source of energy, contributing 60% of food availability. The off-farm income contribution to food availability ranged from 12% for households without enough food available (18% of the total sample) to 27% for the 58% of households with sufficient food available. Using only three explanatory variables (household size, number of livestock, and land area), we were able to predict correctly the agricultural determined status of food availability for 72% of the households, but the relationships were strongly influenced by the degree of market access. Our analyses suggest that targeting poverty through improving market access and off-farm opportunities is a better strategy to increase food security than focusing on agricultural production and closing yield gaps. This calls for multisectoral policy harmonization, incentives, and diversification of employment sources rather than a singular focus on agricultural development. Recognizing and understanding diversity among smallholder farm households in sub-Saharan Africa is key for the design of policies that aim to improve food security.

scholarly journals Climate Smart Agriculture as Final Goal: Use of Improved Cereals Varieties in Cinzana, Mali.

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Kalifa TRAORE ◽  
Daouda SIDIBE ◽  
Harouna COULIBALY
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Improved Varieties ◽  
Farmer Organizations ◽  
Conservation Technology ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Smart Agriculture

Climate variability and change are recognized as the greatest challenge to crop production and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. This work assesses farmers’ perception on the contribution of improved varieties of sorghum and millet in the search for food security in Cinzana rural commune of Mali in the current context of climate change.The methodology was based on focus group surveys with both, the decentralized technical services, administrative and municipal authorities, NGOs, farmer organizations and producers but also farmer exchanges visits on improved varieties tested in farmer’s field.The result shows that climate change is described by the majority of farmers (87%) as decrease in rainfall amount and length of rainy seasons, high increases in temperature and high deforestation and water scarcity. Unpredictability of climate, (80%), drought (70%) and heavy rain (65%) occurrence were identified as major perception of farmers on risks in climate for crop production and soil degradation. After farmers’ study tour, 80% of the participants mentioned a better growth of plants and increase of soil moisture with the use of contour ridges tillage as a water conservation technology. Adapted cycle (55%) and higher yield (37%) of improved varieties were farmer’s main drivers for adoption of improved millet and sorghum varieties.The study revealed that local farmers have substantial knowledge on climate variabilities and risks and also are aware of some adaptation strategies. However, for wide scale adoption of effective strategies, capacity strengthening appeared a prerequisite.

scholarly journals Food security impacts of industrial crop production in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of the impact mechanisms

Food Security ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Pawel Jarzebski ◽  
Abubakari Ahmed ◽  
Yaw Agyeman Boafo ◽  
Boubacar Siddighi Balde ◽  
Linda Chinangwa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Industrial Crop ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals The Impact of Climate Variability and Change on Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: Perspective from Panel Data Analysis

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 759
Author(s):  
Raïfatou Affoh ◽  
Haixia Zheng ◽  
Kokou Dangui ◽  
Badoubatoba Mathieu Dissani
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Least Squares ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Co2 Emission ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Food Utilization ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

This study investigates the relationship between climate variables such as rainfall amount, temperature, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and the triple dimension of food security (availability, accessibility, and utilization) in a panel of 25 sub-Saharan African countries from 1985 to 2018. After testing for cross-sectional dependence, unit root and cointegration, the study estimated the pool mean group (PMG) panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL). The empirical outcome revealed that rainfall had a significantly positive effect on food availability, accessibility, and utilization in the long run. In contrast, temperature was harmful to food availability and accessibility and had no impact on food utilization. Lastly, CO2 emission positively impacted food availability and accessibility but did not affect food utilization. The study took a step further by integrating some additional variables and performed the panel fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) regression to ensure the robustness of the preceding PMG results. The control variables yielded meaningful results in most cases, so did the FMOLS and DOLS regression. The Granger causality test was conducted to determine the causal link, if any, among the variables. There was evidence of a short-run causal relationship between food availability and CO2 emission. Food accessibility exhibited a causal association with temperature, whereas food utilization was strongly connected with temperature. CO2 emission was linked to rainfall. Lastly, a bidirectional causal link was found between rainfall and temperature. Recommendations to the national, sub-regional, and regional policymakers are addressed and discussed.

scholarly journals Sustainable genomic research for food security in sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sethlina Naa Dodua Aryee ◽  
Dennis Owusu-Adjei ◽  
Richard Osei-Amponsah ◽  
Benjamin Skinner ◽  
Emmanuel Sowatey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Genomic Research ◽  
Laboratory Research ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Sub Saharan

AbstractAlthough traditional selective breeding has had a tremendous impact on both livestock and crop production in Africa, this has not kept pace with the high demand for animal and plant products on account of increasing urbanization, improved livelihoods and a rapidly growing human population. These challenges justify the need for more innovative and sustainable ways of improving animal and crop production to meet this demand. Over the last two decades the potential of genomics as a key tool to achieve improvement in desirable phenotypic traits has revolutionized the field of applied animal and plant biology. However, well informed use of such techniques has yet to be fully exploited within the context of local resources and capacity-building. The objective of this review is to highlight the rich agricultural biodiversity of sub-Saharan Africa, the potential of genomics in their sustainable use for food security, the challenges of genomic research and the strategies that can be adopted to overcome them in the implementation of agricultural genomic research in Africa. The lack of state-of-the-art laboratory research facilities, skilled human resources, poor funding and non-availability of scientific research resources, paucity of collaborative links between African researchers and a lack of engagement between key stakeholders in the agricultural value chain were identified as major barriers that affect agricultural genomic research in Africa. Finally, the recommended strategies to overcome these challenges will guide policy-makers, researchers, development partners and key stakeholders in the smooth advancement of sustainable agricultural genomic research for improved food security in Africa.

scholarly journals Impact of transnational land acquisitions on local food security and dietary diversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. e2020535118
Author(s):  
Marc F. Müller ◽  
Gopal Penny ◽  
Meredith T. Niles ◽  
Vincent Ricciardi ◽  
Davide Danilo Chiarelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Land Acquisitions ◽  
Sub Saharan

Foreign investors have acquired approximately 90 million hectares of land for agriculture over the past two decades. The effects of these investments on local food security remain unknown. While additional cropland and intensified agriculture could potentially increase crop production, preferential targeting of prime agricultural land and transitions toward export-bound crops might affect local access to nutritious foods. We test these hypotheses in a global systematic analysis of the food security implications of existing land concessions. We combine agricultural, remote sensing, and household survey data (available in 11 sub-Saharan African countries) with georeferenced information on 160 land acquisitions in 39 countries. We find that the intended changes in cultivated crop types generally imply transitions toward energy-rich, but nutrient-poor, crops that are predominantly destined for export markets. Specific impacts on food production and access vary substantially across regions. Deals likely have little effect on food security in eastern Europe and Latin America, where they predominantly occur within agricultural areas with current export-oriented crops, and where agriculture would have both expanded and intensified regardless of the land deals. This contrasts with Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where deals are associated with both an expansion and intensification (in Asia) of crop production. Deals in these regions also shift production away from local staples and coincide with a gradually decreasing dietary diversity among the surveyed households in sub-Saharan Africa. Together, these findings point to a paradox, where land deals can simultaneously increase crop production and threaten local food security.

scholarly journals Effects of Cultivated Area on Smallholder Farm Profits and Food Security in Rural Communities of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nyarai M. Mujuru ◽  
Ajuruchukwu Obi
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Market Access ◽  
Rural Poverty ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Seemingly Unrelated Regression ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Farm Type ◽  
Smallholder Farm

As rural poverty deepens over much of Sub-Saharan Africa, smallholder transformation has become more urgent than ever before. A majority of rural people derive their livelihoods from agriculture, hence the urgent need for transforming the sector. The South African government launched a comprehensive land reform programme at the dawn of democracy in the country on the assumption that constraints on land size would be eliminated to make room for a more inclusive agricultural economy. The present study sought to assess how cultivated area affects food security and the profits of maize and cabbage farmers. The purposive sampling technique was used for the selection of study sites, from which 158 irrigators and homestead gardeners were selected. The data were then subjected to analysis by defining a maximum likelihood estimator that combines the seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) and one-way error correction model, to determine the factors influencing food security and farm profits. The model revealed diverse relationships, suggesting that location, farm type and income were important variables in explaining food security. The area under cultivation was found to influence profits for both crops. Policies in favour of technology adoption, market access and input use would greatly incentivize farmers to cultivate larger plots of land.

scholarly journals Spatial frameworks for prioritization of agricultural research and development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Rattalino Edreira ◽  
Jose Andrade ◽  
Kenneth Cassman ◽  
Martin van Ittersum ◽  
Marloes van Loon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Current Production ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract Food security interventions and policies need reliable estimates of actual crop production and the scope to enhance production on existing cropland. We assess the performance of two widely used “top-down” gridded frameworks (GAEZ and AgMIP) versus an alternative “bottom-up” approach that estimates extra production potential locally, for a number of representative sites, and then upscales the results to larger spatial scales (GYGA). Our results show that estimates from top-down frameworks are alarmingly unlikely, with estimated potential production being lower than current production at some locations. The consequences of using these coarse estimates to predict food security are illustrated by an example from sub-Saharan Africa. Our study shows that current foresights on food security, land use, and climate change and associate priority setting on AR&D based on yield potential and yield gaps derived from top-down approaches are subject to a high degree of uncertainty and would benefit from incorporating estimates from bottom-up approaches.

scholarly journals Agricultural Expenditures and Food Security: Evidence from Sub Saharan African Countries

2020 ◽  
pp. 11-23
Author(s):  
Felix Dabit Atabukum ◽  
Nembot Ndeffo Luc ◽  
Christophe Kuipou Toukam
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Foreign Aid ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Food Utilization ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan

This paper sets out to investigate the effects of agricultural expenditures on two dimensions of food security in Sub Saharan Africa from 2000-2016. The Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) econometric technique was applied on data from World Development Indicator, Regional Strategic Alliance and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS), the World Governing Indicator, the African Development Indicators, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) data bases. Our results depicted that public agricultural expenditure has negative and significant effects on food availability and utilization while domestic private agricultural expenditure and human capital foster both dimensions of food security. Foreign aid for agriculture has no effects on food availability but promotes food utilization while economic infrastructure promotes food availability but the effects on food utilization are positive and not significant. On the basis of the results, we recommend that SSA African government should increase the size of public agricultural expenditure, increase the level of economic infrastructures so as to crowd in private agricultural investment, lobby for more foreign aid for agriculture, improve the quality of institutions and design different policies to target different dimensions of food security.

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