authored by Esther Njuguna-Mungai This op-ed was first published by AllAfrica.com on March 8, 2021. It has become received wisdom that young Africans are turning away from agriculture, but in reality, this only tells half of the story. Food security across the continent may well be under threat because growing numbers of young people are leaving rural areas, but it
This blogpost highlights 2020 research outputs of the WorldFish gender theme as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH). Here, we focus on research examining gender in aquaculture, in particular gender-based market constraints in Egypt, and barriers and opportunities for women’s empowerment in aquaculture in Bangladesh. Gender barriers limit returns of women retailers in Egypt In
Vihiga, Kenya: researchers and farmers have established a community seedbank to cultivate traditional crops that can improve both health and livelihoods.
New crop varieties can help farmers thrive in difficult agricultural conditions, feed families and create livelihoods when sold or processed into other products. This creates a design challenge for breeders, who must anticipate which traits are needed for a variety to be adopted and have a positive impact for smallholder farmers and consumers. Hale Ann Tufan (Cornell University) is one
The economics of hunger and agriculture in Africa. According to the United Nations, the Covid-19 pandemic has the potential to double (to an estimated 265 million) the number of people without access to nutritious food, heightening the risk of malnutrition, hunger and social unrest in the near future. But the deeper truth of the matter is that Covid-19 only acts
In a new paper in the journal Sustainability, ICRISAT researchers analyzed the double burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on farmers in a leading groundnut producing state in South India. Results showed that farm production and marketing disruptions led to an average 50% drop in household incomes, an added average 23% rise in farm input costs and increased food prices drove
In a remarkable turnaround, farmers in Northern Nigeria organized themselves into innovation platforms, and with support from the Tropical Legumes (TL) project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, turned into successful groundnut seed producers in 2011. The impacts of those actions are felt even today, with farmers continuing to adopt improved variety seeds and good agronomic practices to
In a new paper in the journal Sustainability, ICRISAT researchers analyzed the double burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on farmers in a leading groundnut producing state in South India. Results showed that farm production and marketing disruptions led to an average 50% drop in household incomes, an added average 23% rise in farm input costs and increased food prices drove farmers into debt and contributed to poor