Suchergebnisse

There is an urgent need to increase agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa in a sustainable and economically-viable manner. Transforming risk-averse smallholders into business-oriented producers that invest in producing surplus food for sale provides a formidable challenge, both from a technological and socio-political perspective. This book addresses the issue of agricultural intensification in the humid highland areas of Africa - regions with relatively good agricultural potential, but where the scarce land resources are increasingly under pressure from the growing population and f

AbstractAlthough the political context in Uganda exhibits democratic deficit and patronage, research and development actors have given little attention to the possible negative impact these may have on agricultural policymaking and implementation processes. This article examines the influence of power in perpetuating prevailing narratives around public participation in agricultural policymaking processes. The analysis is based on qualitative data collected between September 2014 and May 2015 using 86 in‐depth interviews, 18 focus group discussions, and recorded observations in stakeholder consultations. Results indicate that while the political setting provides space for uncensored debates, the policymaking process remains under close control of political leaders, technical personnel, and high‐level officers in the government. Policy negotiation remains limited to actors who are knowledgeable about the technical issues and those who have the financial resources and political power to influence decisions, such as international donors. There is limited space for negotiation of competing claims and interests in the processes by public and private actors actively engaged in agricultural development, production, processing, and trade. Thus, efforts to achieve good governance in policy processes fall short due to lack of approaches that promote co‐design and co‐ownership of the policies.

Multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) are seen as a promising vehicle to achieve agricultural development impacts. By increasing collaboration, exchange of knowledge and influence mediation among farmers, researchers and other stakeholders, MSPs supposedly enhance their 'capacity to innovate' and contribute to the 'scaling of innovations'. The objective of this paper is to explore the capacity to innovate and scaling potential of three MSPs in Burundi, Rwanda and the South Kivu province located in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In order to do this, we apply Social Network Analysis and Exponential Random Graph Modelling (ERGM) to investigate the structural properties of the collaborative, knowledge exchange and influence networks of these MSPs and compared them against value propositions derived from the innovation network literature. Results demonstrate a number of mismatches between collaboration, knowledge exchange and influence networks for effective innovation and scaling processes in all three countries: NGOs and private sector are respectively over- and under-represented in the MSP networks. Linkages between local and higher levels are weak, and influential organisations (e.g., high-level government actors) are often not part of the MSP or are not actively linked to by other organisations. Organisations with a central position in the knowledge network are more sought out for collaboration. The scaling of innovations is primarily between the same type of organisations across different administrative levels, but not between different types of organisations. The results illustrate the potential of Social Network Analysis and ERGMs to identify the strengths and limitations of MSPs in terms of achieving development impacts.

This study identifies entry points for innovation for sustainable intensification of agricultural systems. An agricultural innovation systems approach is used to provide a holistic image of (relations between) constraints faced by different stakeholder groups, the dimensions and causes of these constraints, and intervention levels, timeframes and types of innovations needed. Our data shows that constraints for sustainable intensification of agricultural systems are mainly of economic and institutional nature. Constraints are caused by the absence, or poor functioning of institutions such as policies and markets, limited capabilities and financial resources, and ineffective interaction and collaboration between stakeholders. Addressing these constraints would mainly require short- and middle-term productivity and institutional innovations, combined with middle- to long-term NRM innovations across farm and national levels. Institutional innovation (e.g. better access to credit, services, inputs and markets) is required to address 69% of the constraints for sustainable intensification in the Central Africa Highlands. This needs to go hand in hand with productivity innovation (e.g. improved knowhow of agricultural production techniques, and effective use of inputs) and NRM innovation (e.g. targeted nutrient applications, climate smart agriculture). Constraint network analysis shows that institutional innovation to address government constraints at national level related to poor interaction and collaboration will have a positive impact on constraints faced by other stakeholder groups. We conclude that much of the R4D investments and innovation in the Central Africa Highlands remain targeting household productivity at farm level. Reasons for that include (1) a narrow focus on sustainable intensification, (2) institutional mandates and pre-analytical choices based project objectives and disciplinary bias, (3) short project cycles that impede work on middle- and long-term NRM and institutional innovation, (4) the likelihood that institutional experimentation can become political, and (5) complexity in terms of expanded systems boundaries and measuring impact. ; Peer Review

It is well known now that in East Africa climate change will have a massive impact on the productivity of coffee and on the livelihoods that depend on it. In this study, current and future suitability of coffee were mapped using 19 climatic variables and 21 IPCC models. The maps were validated with field data. Furthermore, long-term historical data was used to confirm the impact of climate change on coffee productivity. Although we know that climate change will have an impact on the productivity of coffee, smallholder coffee systems also face other constraints at various levels that need to be understood in order to develop climate-smart systems. With the proof that climate change will lead to a decrease of coffee productivity and with knowledge of the major constraints in the different coffee-based systems not only at plot level but also at household, community and landscape level, we have developed shaded systems combining cash and food crops that can play a major role in adapting East African coffee smallholder systems into areas where population pressure keeps on increasing. Developing these strategies, we show that only thinking about getting farmers more 'technified' is not the right solution. More cash in the pocket does not necessarily mean more food security and more resilience. Furthermore, strategies currently promoted by the industry often lead to more gender imbalances than before. We show how developing CSA practices need to take constraints and actors at nested scales (i.e. from plot to region) into consideration. Doing this in a participatory way is crucial to ensure impact in the long term. (Texte intégral)

Global demand for cocoa is increasing by 2-3% annually, particularly due to growth in Asia. About 70% of global supply originates from West-Africa where cocoa is produced by smallholder farmers (<5 ha). Their yields are low (10-30% of potential) and highly variable with limited use of external nutrient inputs. Over the past decades, cocoa supply relied largely on the expansion of the crop into 'fresh' forest. Consequently, cocoa has been a key driver of deforestation. With less than 15% of the original cover in West Africa remaining, the cocoa industry is increasingly concerned about its future supply, particularly now that recent studies revealed that climate change further threatens the current production zones. Climate-smart intensification is required to ensure both smallholder livelihoods and the industry's need. Over the past decades, many of the cocoa actors have promoted full-sun intensified systems. Whereas these systems have the highest production potential, they do expose farmers to risks of climate variability and reduced sustainability. Fertilizer use is currently limited to areas where fallow land is no longer available and/or where government programs (read subsidies) enhance access to external nutrient inputs. There is an urgent need for (i) technical recommendations on how to achieve intensified climate-smart cocoa systems and (ii) improved channels of communicating this knowledge to the smallholders. In this presentation, we give an update on where the key research actors are with respect to climate-smart intensification technologies and approaches. The challenge faced may require enhanced networks and novel platforms in a sector that is traditionally characterized by a high degree of fragmentation. (Texte intégral)