Land Grabbing Or Rice Sector Development Opportunity?

       Context and backgroundWith many physical and human potentials, the Bamun country in the western highlands of Cameroon, which is an agricultural area excellence is today experiencing serious socio-economic and spatial transformations. The coffee crises, growth in cash crop production and demographic pressure within the former agricultural spaces has favored the movement of producers towards pioneer fronts. The availability of land capital in these new agricultural spaces attracts migrants from other horizons.

This article highlights evidence and lessons learned from the InnovAfrica project conducted by the Agricultural Research Council in collaboration with other international organizations between 2017 and 2021. This project aimed to test and upscale best-bet Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (SAI) practices through Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs) and improved dissemination strategies across six African countries (viz. Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania). The goal of the project was to improve the food and nutritional security of smallholder farmers in Africa.

Field tested practices, methodologies and approaches to regenerating agriculture and associated ecosystems are featured in this compilation . Mostly experiences from across Asia are included , the compilation is based on publications generated through participatory writeshops, organised over thirty years featuring a wide range of stakeholders, disciplines and donors. Participatory approaches in resource management and farmer-centered approaches are prominently featured .

‘‘End hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote agriculture” is one of the stated goals of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. A major obstacle to achieving this goal is the growing incidence of armed conflict, terrorism and state fragility in the developing world. This obstacle deserves to be understood in particular its relation with food insecurity. In this perspective, availability of data in conflict regions has allowed the economic literature to provide a better understanding of the relationship between conflict and food security.

Food systems that support healthy diets in sustainable, resilient, just, and equitable ways can engender progress in eradicating poverty and malnutrition; protecting human rights; and restoring natural resources. Food system activities have contributed to great gains for humanity but have also led to significant challenges, including hunger, poor diet quality, inequity, and threats to nature.

Chapter provides an overview to the school food procurement pilot study in Busia County, Kenya aimed at providing African leafy vegetables for diversification of school meals.

This study assesses the impact of a participatory development program called Seeds For Needs, carried out in Ethiopia to support smallholders in addressing climate change and its consequences through the introduction, selection, use, and management of suitable crop varieties. A doubly robust estimator was employed to properly estimate the impact of Seeds For Needs interventions. The results show that program activities have significantly enhanced wheat crop productivity and smallholders’ food security by increasing wheat varietal diversification.