scholarly journals Food Security and Nutrition in Mozambique: Comparative Study with Bean Species Commercialised in Informal Markets

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8839
Author(s):  
Alberto B. Charrua ◽  
Philip J. Havik ◽  
Salomão Bandeira ◽  
Luís Catarino ◽  
Ana Ribeiro-Barros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Phaseolus Vulgaris ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Informal Markets ◽  
Vigna Species

In Mozambique (South-eastern Africa), Phaseolus vulgaris and Vigna spp. are important staple foods and a major source of dietary protein for local populations, particularly for people living in rural areas who lack the financial capacity to include meat in their daily dietary options. This study focuses on the potential for improving diets with locally produced nutritious legumes whilst increasing food security and income generation among smallholder farmers. Using bean species and varieties commercialised as dry legumes in the country, it sets out to characterize and compare the chemical properties of Phaseolus vulgaris and Vigna spp. among the most commercialised dry legume groups in Mozambique. The principal component analysis showed a clear separation between Phaseolus and Vigna species in terms of proximate composition, whereas protein content was quite uniform in both groups. It concludes that the introduction of improved cultivars of Phaseolus vulgaris and Vigna species maize–legume intercropping benefits yield, diets and increases household income with limited and low-cost inputs while enhancing the resilience of smallholder farmers in vulnerable production systems affected by recurrent drought and the supply of legumes to urban informal markets.

scholarly journals Rethinking Eucalyptus globulus Labill. Based Land Use Systems in Smallholder Farmers Livelihoods: A Case of Kolobo Watershed, West Shewa, Ethiopia

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dadi Feyisa ◽  
Endalkachew Kissi ◽  
Zerihun Kebebew
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Eucalyptus Globulus ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Central Highland ◽  
Land Use System ◽  
Physical And Chemical

AbstractDespite their restriction, smallholder farmers have been continuing growing Eucalyptus globulus in the cultivated land in the central highland of Ethiopia. Literature has shown controversial issues against E. globulus. Therefore, the objective of the study was to investigate the compatibility of E. globulus in the smallholder farmers’ land use system. Soil samples were collected from five different land uses and analysed for selected physical and chemical properties. The socioeconomic contribution of E. globulus was collected through household surveys from 110 households. Analysis of soil showed that organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were significantly higher (P<0.05) under E. globulus compared to the cultivated land. The survey results also showed that the largest proportion (58%) of households was interested in growing E. globulus because of its multiple uses. About 83% of households responded that E. globulus help them to attain food security through increasing the purchasing power of smallholder farmers to buy agricultural inputs and food. This study has substantiated the role of E. globulus in the land use system of smallholder farmers. Most of the soil fertility indicators were better under E. globulus. The present finding reveals that E. globulus degrade the soil seemingly difficult to generalise. Growing E. globulus must be promoted under appealing land use to enhance smallholder farmers’ livelihoods. Removing E. globulus from the land use system may jeopardise the food security situation of many households.

scholarly journals The contribution of small-scale rural irrigation schemes towards food security of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Smart Mhembwe ◽  
Newman Chiunya ◽  
Ernest Dube
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Security Challenges ◽  
The Status ◽  
Midlands Province ◽  
Observation Method ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Small Scale Irrigation

Smallholder farmers across Zimbabwe have been facing a problem of food insecurity because of climate-induced droughts and lack of effective use of irrigation schemes. Rainfall patterns in the country have become more unpredictable and inconsistent with the traditional farming seasons. Faced with such challenges, many smallholder farmers in Shurugwi district in the Midlands province of Zimbabwe adopted small-scale irrigation schemes to improve food security. The principal objectives of this study were to examine the status of the irrigation schemes in the district; analyse the need to rehabilitate small-scale irrigation schemes; assess the initiatives towards the revival of irrigation schemes; establish the benefits that can accrue to smallholder farmers from small-scale irrigation schemes and discuss challenges faced by smallholder farmers in the running of small-scale irrigation schemes in rural areas. This qualitative study employed literature and interviews to obtain data from 40 purposively selected participants. The direct observation method was used to compliment the interviews. The findings of the study were that small-scale rural irrigation schemes have the capacity to significantly transform the lives of rural farmers through earning increased reliable income from farming if institutional and capacity issues of the farmers are addressed. Furthermore, the study found that small-scale irrigation schemes can also be a panacea to food security challenges mainly faced by rural households. As such, the article concluded that irrigation schemes are fortress and antidote to the effects of climate change. The study calls for capacity promotion on technical skills for the farmers, the establishment of many new irrigation schemes and the rehabilitation of the existing small-scale irrigation schemes in the country as well as calling on the farmers to adopt climate-smart irrigation.

scholarly journals Agrometeorological Forecast for Smallholder Farmers: A Powerful Tool for Weather-Informed Crops Management in the Sahel

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3246
Author(s):  
Maurizio Bacci ◽  
Youchaou Ousman Baoua ◽  
Vieri Tarchiani
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Crop Management ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas ◽  
Environmental Prediction

Agriculture production in Nigerien rural areas mainly depends on weather variability. Weather forecasts produced by national or international bodies have very limited dissemination in rural areas and even if broadcast by local radio, they remain generic and limited to short-term information. According to several experiences in West Africa, weather and climate services (WCSs) have great potential to support farmers’ decision making. The challenge is to reach local communities with tailored information about the future weather to support strategic and tactical crop management decisions. WCSs, in West Africa, are mainly based on short-range weather forecasts and seasonal climate forecasts, while medium-range weather forecasts, even if potentially very useful for crop management, are rarely produced. This paper presents the results of a pilot initiative in Niger to reach farming communities with 10-day forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—Global Forecast System (NOAA-GFS) produced by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). After the implementation of the download and treatment chain, the Niger National Meteorological Directorate can provide 10-day agrometeorological forecasts to the agricultural extension services in eight rural municipalities. Exploiting the users’ evaluation of the forecasts, an analysis of usability and overall performance of the service is described. The results demonstrate that, even in rural and remote areas, agrometeorological forecasts are valued as powerful and useful information for decision-making processes. The service can be implemented at low cost with effective technologies making it affordable and sustainable even in developing countries. Nonetheless, the service’s effectiveness depends on several aspects mainly related to the way information is communicated to the public.

Commodity Storage, Post-Harvest Losses, and Food Security: Panel Data Evidence from Ethiopia

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zenebe Gebreegziabher ◽  
G. Cornelis van Kooten
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Household Food Security ◽  
Post Harvest ◽  
Smallholder Farm ◽  
Commodity Storage ◽  
Storage Facilities

Abstract In Ethiopia, 95 % of total agricultural output comes from some 11 million smallholder farmers. A relatively significant proportion of the food grown in the country is stored at the household level by smallholder farm households, mainly for own consumption. Storage losses, generally perceived to be high, have significant implications for household food security. This study provides a microeconomic perspective of commodity storage, post-harvest losses (PHL), and food security in Ethiopia. It relies on a large-scale household panel dataset, the Ethiopia Socioeconomic Survey (ESS), which comprises 4,000 households in rural areas and small towns that are representative of the most populous regions of Ethiopia. The data were collected as part of the World Bank’s LSMS-ISA project; it involved three “waves” or collection periods: 2011/12, 2013/14, and 2015/16. Data from only the second and third waves were used to estimate a random-effects probit model. Findings show that the magnitude of PHL is substantial: damage is due to rodents and rotting related to traditional storage facilities, poor ventilation, humidity/temperature, and undesirable post-harvest handling. Findings also show that PHL decreases with better market access and improved storage practices. Mitigation measures that improve and promote modern grain storage facilities appear to provide a double dividend – reducing PHL while addressing food insecurity.

scholarly journals Usefulness of seed systems for reviving smallholder agriculture: a South African perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (02) ◽  
pp. 17581-17603
Author(s):  
SI Hlatshwayo ◽  
◽  
AT Modi ◽  
S Hlahla ◽  
M Ngidi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Food Security ◽  
South African ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Seed Quality ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
Government Grants ◽  
Seed System ◽  
The Government

South Africa is considered a food-secure nation; however, food insecurity is still a major challenge for many poor rural households that rely on cash incomes and government grants for survival. Furthermore, these grants are not always adequate to meet households’ basic needs and fail to provide them with the food required for food and nutrition security. Some of these households rely on agriculture to supplement their food needs, and an important aspect of this agricultural production is the seed system. Smallholder farmers in rural areas rely on informal seed systems, and use traditional knowledge and methods to produce, harvest, store, and sell their produce. This research combined quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the role of informal seed systems in promoting food production in rural smallholder agricultural households in South Africa. The narrative review showed reword that while smallholder farmers acquire seed from informal seed systems, they face numerous challenges that affect their production activities. These challenges include poor seed quality and assessment, poor storage and harvesting facilities, which limit proper seed production and affect crop yield and marketing. Due to these challenges, the ability of rural smallholder farmers to access mainstream markets is limited and as a result, they are confined to local markets that offer lower prices. Moreover, South African policies do not recognize the informal seed system as one of the contributors to food security. This is a major limitation as farmers may not receive the support and assistance they require. Formal recognition and support for informal seed systems would go a long way in improving smallholder farmers’ access to quality seed. This would have ripple effects on their yields and productivity. When properly implemented and given recognition by the government, informal seed systems have the potential to contribute to rural food security and livelihoods.

Hunger and Malnutrition

2019 ◽  
pp. 32-60
Author(s):  
Gordon Conway ◽  
Ousmane Badiane ◽  
Katrin Glatzel
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Middle Class ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Child Malnutrition ◽  
Value Capture ◽  
Hidden Hunger ◽  
Working Together

This chapter looks at the challenges presented by hunger and malnutrition. After all, despite significant advances, severe hunger and malnutrition are all too common. Hence, the chapter explains that detailed nutrition and food security surveys can provide valuable information on how to reduce vulnerability and food insecurity. Undoubtedly the most shocking statistic of all is the incidence of child malnutrition, often referred to as “hidden hunger,” which measures the lack of essential micronutrients. This complex challenge involves distinct disciplines and agencies, but in recent years there have been successes by experts in health, nutrition, and agriculture working together over the life of the child to intervene in various ways and at different stages in the child's life. At the same time, Africa is urbanizing rapidly. A steep surge in the growth of the African middle class has taken place, especially in the 2000s. The effect of such an increase is rising urban demand for more and better food, which provides opportunities to increase and diversify food production in rural areas, resulting in greater value capture and rising incomes for smallholder farmers.

scholarly journals Robotics and AI in Food Security and Innovation: Why They Matter and How to Harness Their Power

2021 ◽  
pp. 99-107
Author(s):  
Maximo Torero
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Remote Sensing And Gis ◽  
Service Jobs ◽  
Digital Agriculture

AbstractFrom strawberry-picking robots to satellite remote sensing and GIS techniques that forecast crop yields, the integration of robotics and AI in agriculture will play a key role in sustainably meeting the growing food demand of the future. But it also carries the risk of alienating a certain population, such as smallholder farmers and rural households, as digital technologies tend to be biased toward those with higher-level skills. To ensure that digital technologies are inclusive and become a driver for development, countries should make technology affordable and invest in institutions and human capital, so that everyone can participate in the new digital economy. Digital agriculture also represents an opportunity for young people as agriculture value chains can be developed to create new service jobs in rural areas, making agriculture an attractive sector for youth.

scholarly journals Transforming Extension and Service Delivery through Bottom-Up Climate Resilient Farmer Field School Approach to Agribusiness in Eastern Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joab Osumba ◽  
John Recha ◽  
George Oroma
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Training Models ◽  
Field School ◽  
Delivery Options ◽  
Farmers Field School ◽  
Participatory Extension

There is consensus that climate variability and change is impacting food security in Eastern Africa, and that conventional extension approaches, based on top-down model of information dissemination and technology transfer, are too inadequate to help smallholder farmers tackle increasingly complex agro-climatic adversities. Innovative service delivery options exist but are mostly operated in silos with little effort to explore and blend them. There are efforts to develop a blended Climate-Resilient Farmers Field School methodology to address the gaps, with objective to improve participants’ knowledge, skills and attitude to apply the blended approach and to sensitize actors on what needs to be advocated at the policy level. Some 661 local trainers/facilitators (ToT/ToFs), 32% of them women and 54% youth, were trained across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, with additional 76 Master Trainers (MToTs) trained to backstop the ToT/ToFs. Through the implementation, the process reached 36 agribusinesses covering some 237,250 smallholder farmers trained across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda on CSA technologies, practices, and innovations by the end of 2020. The blended approach offers lessons to transform extension to help farmers improve food security and resilience. Preliminary findings indicate that the process is rapidly shaping individual adaptive behavior and group adaptive thinking. Lessons also show a strong need for agronomists to work more closely with agro-meteorologists to ensure that farmers are properly guided to participate appropriately in the co-generation and application of climate information and agro-weather advisories, which they can interpret easily and utilize for their agricultural production purposes. Experience from this initiative can be leveraged to develop scalable participatory extension and training models

scholarly journals Keragaan Adopsi Teknologi Inseminasi Buatan (IB) Kambing di Kecamatan Andoolo Kabupaten Konawe Selatan

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Julian Witjaksono
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Genetic Improvement ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Frozen Semen ◽  
Livestock Productivity ◽  
Meat Productivity ◽  
The Village ◽  
Farmer Assessment

Goat farming system has long been carried out by farmers in Indonesia, is the essential farm for smallholder farmers, especially in rural areas as the cash money for income generation. However, farmers have been facing reproductive inefficiency and low meat productivity. Therefore, Artificial Insemination technology has been implemented for genetic improvement of goats in order to increase the sale value of livestock, increasing livestock productivity, and to accelerate genetic gain in local goat. This study was conducted to find the performance of the implementation of AI technology using Boer frozen semen. This study was carried out in Bina Marwa Village and Mata Up Village Andoolo Sub District, South Konawe District of Southeast Sulawesi Province in 2018. Study findings show that the farmer assessment of implementing AI technological innovation based on these innovations in terms of profits, compatibility, easily implementing, triability, and observability indicated a good percentage (59.87%), quite good (11.87%) and not good (28.26%). In addition, this technology has been deployed across the village and rapidly adopted among the farmers due to the low-cost of introducing AI technology, and the better physical appearance of genetic improvement (100%), respectively. Another driving factor was favorable AI technology (80%) and that is easily applied (60%).

scholarly journals 180 How dual-purpose chickens can help African smallholder farmers

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 182-182
Author(s):  
Naomi Duijvesteijn ◽  
Louis Perrault
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Rural Families ◽  
Poultry Production ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
Dual Purpose ◽  
Parent Stock ◽  
Gates Foundation

Abstract Poultry constitutes an important economic activity for the rural poor in many African countries. Additionally in many rural families, poultry provides the family with a low cost, highly efficient and nutritious protein. Unfortunately, the smallholder farmers in rural areas often do not have access to these improved genetics. The access to an improved low-input and dual-purpose chicken to supplement the local indigenous breeds could transform the rural poultry enterprise. In some countries, investments are made to support the African Poultry Multiplication Initiative (APMI) or other comparable structures. The APMI generally operates through capable local private companies to establish a parent stock (PS) and hatchery operation for the supply of improved dual purpose chicken breeds to farmers in their communities. The day-old-chicks from the PS farm are transported to so called “Brooder Units” who will specialize in the brooding, feeding, and proper vaccination process for the first 30–40 days of the chicks life. Through this system, local smallholder farmers have access to improved genetics and the chickens have a high chance to survive due to their good start. Recently Hendrix Genetics received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to further enhance the use of improved poultry genetics in rural Africa. The program named “Sustainable Access to Poultry Parent Stock for Africa (SAPPSA)” aims to 1) secure access of poultry parent stock, 2) grow the APMI-like initiatives within and across countries and 3) improve the dual purpose better breeds for African smallholder farmers. By securing access to high quality PS and improving the breeding program of dual-purpose breeds under African conditions, the APMI can be better implemented in African countries. It will result in 1) increase poultry production and productivity, 2) increase rural household income 3) improved household nutrition and 4) empowerment of women.

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