The climate-smart agriculture (CSA) concept reflects
an ambition to improve the integration of agriculture
development and climate responsiveness. It aims to
achieve food security and broader development goals
under a changing climate and increasing food demand.
CSA initiatives sustainably increase productivity, enhance
resilience, and reduce/remove greenhouse gases (GHGs),
and require planning to address tradeoffs and synergies
between these three pillars: productivity, adaptation, and

There are 85 irrigation schemes in Niger that cover around 16,000 ha and are cultivated by 40,000 farmers. The informal status of these irrigation schemes, and their occupants, has created problems due to population growth and the increasing scarcity of natural resources. Holders of traditional land rights have challenged government decisions concerning land attributions and property rights within the schemes, and have occasionally prevented construction from proceeding.

Le Niger compte aujourd’hui 85 aménagements hydro-agricoles (AHA), qui s’étendent sur environ 16 000 hectares et font travailler plus de 40 000 exploitants.  Avec la pression démographique et la raréfaction des ressources naturelles disponibles pour l’activité agricole, l’informalité de la gestion du foncier des AHA et du statut des personnes qui les exploitent est devenue problématique.

Construction of the Kandadji dam in Niger will involve, among other consequences, the appropriation of agricultural land owned by customary holders but also in many cases sub-holdings of other non-landowners. The government offered a long lease of 50 years for owners in compensation for their expropriated property rights.

How should the State compensate for the loss of the right of use by non-landowners farming land expropriated for the development of the Kandadji dam? This study aims to answer this question and proposes the use of a 'contract of occupation'.

Le développement de l’irrigation fait partie des stratégies prioritaires dans les pays du Sahel pour lutter contre la pauvreté et l’insécurité alimentaire. À l’heure où les gouvernements s’engagent, une fois de plus, à augmenter les superficies irrigables, il a semblé pertinent d’analyser, conformément aux lignes directrices de la CEDEAO, les résultats obtenus sur des grands périmètres aménagés dans les années 80 et 90 afin d’en tirer les leçons pour les aménagements futurs.

The development of irrigation is one of the priority strategies in the Sahel countries to tackle poverty and food insecurity. At a time when governments are once again committing to increase irrigable areas, it seemed relevant to analyze, in line with the ECOWAS guidelines, the results achieved in large irrigated schemes developed in the 1980s and 1990s to draw lessons for future developments.

This course has been developed in response to the concerns about increasing large-scale land acquisitions and the need to increase investment in agriculture. The objective is to provide guidance to government authorities engaged in investment promotion, approval, and monitoring activities at all stages of the investment cycle.

With international food price shocks in 2008 and 2011, food security became a political priority in many countries. In addition, some politicians have recently adopted a more nationalistic stance. Against that background, this paper critically investigates the prospects of increased food production within a national context. We use a small, high-income country, Norway, as an empirical case. In 2012, the government set a goal of increasing agricultural food production by 20% by 2030. We ask: 1) How has food production in Norway developed before and after the goal was set?