Articles

Government input support on Aus rice production in Bangladesh: impact on farmers’ food security and poverty situation

Aus rice began to lose its importance as farmers slowly started shifting to cultivation of irrigated Boro rice encouraged by its higher yields. The government of Bangladesh has launched an incentive programme for...

Authors: Md. Taj Uddin and Aurup Ratan Dhar

Attitude and consumption of Bangladeshi professionals toward biotechnological products

To expand the biotechnology market, the opinions of professionals toward biotechnological products are highly valuable for the industry personnel, government policy-makers, and others for taking appropriate de...

Authors: Abu Habib Md. Abdullah, Md. Safiul Islam Afrad, A. K. M. Abdul Hannan Bhuiyan, Md. Enamul Haque and Tofazzal Islam

Sugarcane expansion and farmland prices in São Paulo State, Brazil

Brazil is the world’s largest sugarcane producer, and its production is concentrated in south-central and northeast regions, particularly in the state of São Paulo. The land use change, principally from the in...

Authors: Alex Wilhans Antonio Palludeto, Tiago Santos Telles, Roney Fraga Souza and Fábio Rodrigues de Moura

Magnitude and associated factors of household food insecurity in Fedis Woreda East Hararghe zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia

Poverty and food insecurity remain as the major challenges to achieve economic development in Ethiopia. Explaining the household food insecurity situation and identifying associated factors will help in makin...

Authors: Mahlet Mulugeta, Gebeyaw Tiruneh and Zewdie Aderaw Alemu

Tracking haplotype for QTLs associated with Fusarium head blight resistance in Japanese wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) lineage

Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) has been enhanced by combining resistant alleles with transgressive segregation. In Japan, intensive FHB resistance breeding was initiated in ...

Authors: Sayaka Niwa, Yusuke Kazama, Tomoko Abe and Tomohiro Ban

The relationship between training farmers in agronomic practices and diet diversification: a case study from an intervention under the Scaling Up Nutrition programme in Zambia

Agricultural production systems are a sustainable way of providing nutritious and diversified foods especially among rural households in developing countries. Capacity building of farmers and extension workers...

Authors: Therese Mwatitha Gondwe, Emmanuel Oladeji Alamu, Mofu Musonda, Numeri Geresomo and Bussie Maziya-Dixon

Looking out for a better mitigation strategy: smallholder farmers’ willingness to pay for drought-index crop insurance premium in the Northern Region of Ghana

The impact of climate change and variability on livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana has become severer than ever before. As a result, crop insurance has been advocated as one of the recommende...

Authors: Stephen A. Abugri, Joseph Amikuzuno and Edward B. Daadi

The effect of a positive policy integration on agriculture and climate change adaptation in ECOWAS

The place of agriculture in the economic development process has long been the subject of much criticism. If the authors are unanimous that agriculture contributes to the development of the economy, its role i...

Authors: Abdoulganiour Almame Tinta

Determinants of food security: evidence from Ethiopian Rural Household Survey (ERHS) using pooled cross-sectional study

Though agriculture is obstructed by a number of both endogenous and exogenous problems, it is the dominant generator of means of livelihoods for the majority of people in the least developing countries like Et...

Authors: Kedir Hussein Abegaz

Assessment on the management of draft horses in selected areas of Awi Zone, Ethiopia

Ethiopia has many equines, which are important for the livelihood of many smallholder farmers in the country. However, there has been no study on the management of draft horses under farmers condition in this ...

Authors: Bimrew Asmare and Zemenu Yayeh

Enhancing sesame production in West Africa’s Sahel: a comprehensive insight into the cultivation of this untapped crop in Senegal and Mali

West Africa’s Sahel is characterized by a dry and hot climate with limited rainfall that impairs the production of several crops. Sesame is a resilient crop that is well suited to this environment. Unfortunate...

Authors: Komivi Dossa, Mariama Konteye, Mareme Niang, Youssouf Doumbia and Ndiaga Cissé

Towards sustainable vegetable production around agro-pastoral dams in Northern Benin: current situation, challenges and research avenues for sustainable production and integrated dam management

Rehabilitation and optimized utilization of agro-pastoral dams (APDs), especially for vegetable production, has been recently promoted to boost agricultural production and ensure food security in Benin. Howeve...

Authors: G. Nathalie Kpéra, Alcade C. Segnon, Aliou Saïdou, Guy A. Mensah, Noelle Aarts and Akke J. van der Zijpp

Antibacterial effect of Chromolaena odorata extracts on some Erwinia isolates, causal agents of tomato fruit rot in Dschang, Cameroon

In spite of the fact that tomato fruits do not only serve as food but as medicine, nutrient supplement, flavouring ingredient, detoxificant and human system cleanser, the household consumption is on a constant...

Authors: Aoudou Yaouba, Emilienne Ketsia Nnomo, Abel Second Ze Medjap and Louis Childeric Essola Etoa

Voices of the hungry: a qualitative measure of household food access and food insecurity in South Africa

South Africa is rated a food secure nation, but large numbers of households within the country have inadequate access to nutrient-rich diverse foods. The study sought to investigate households’ physical and ec...

Authors: Gamuchirai Chakona and Charlie M. Shackleton

Characterisation of food security and consumption patterns among smallholder livestock farmers in Botswana

Achievement of food security is an important objective in the National Development Plan of Botswana. This study set out to characterise food security situation and food consumption patterns among livestock kee...

Authors: Sirak Bahta, Francis Wanyoike, Hikuepi Katjiuongua and Davis Marumo

Determinants of smallholder farmers’ decision to adopt adaptation options to climate change and variability in the Muger Sub basin of the Upper Blue Nile basin of Ethiopia

Smallholder farmers’ decisions to adopt adaptation options in response to climate change and variability are influenced by socioeconomic, institutional, and environmental factors, indicating that decision patt...

Authors: Abayineh Amare and Belay Simane

Do smallholder farmer-led seed systems have the capacity to supply good-quality, fungal-free sorghum seed?

Local seed systems that are developed, managed and maintained by farmers are a fundamental practice in smallholder crop production, supporting more than 80% of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and feeding more th...

Authors: Kudzai Kusena, Rachel Wynberg and Claid Mujaju

Farmers’ knowledge and perception of enset Xanthomonas wilt in southern Ethiopia

Enset Xanthomonas wilt (EXW) was first reported in 1939 and continues to threaten the sustainability of farming systems in south and southwestern parts of Ethiopia. The present study was conducted in the centr...

Authors: Z. Yemataw, A. Mekonen, A. Chala, K. Tesfaye, K. Mekonen, D. J. Studholme and K. Sharma

Prevalence of household food insecurity in wetland adjacent areas of Uganda

Food insecurity is a critical problem affecting about 6.3% of the households in Uganda, with about 21% of the remaining households on the brink of becoming food insecure due to poverty, inequality and drought-...

Authors: Fred Yikii, Nelson Turyahabwe and Bernard Bashaasha

Household- and plot-level impacts of sustainable land management practices in the face of climate variability and change: empirical evidence from Dabus Sub-basin, Blue Nile River, Ethiopia

Smallholder farmers can adapt to climate variability and change through sustainable land management (SLM) practices that help to offset the negative impacts at farm level. However, use of these practices as ad...

Authors: Paulos Asrat and Belay Simane

A review on mechanisms and commercial aspects of food preservation and processing

Food preservation involves different food processing steps to maintain food quality at a desired level so that maximum benefits and nutrition values can be achieved. Food preservation methods include growing, ...

Authors: Sadat Kamal Amit, Md. Mezbah Uddin, Rizwanur Rahman, S. M. Rezwanul Islam and Mohidus Samad Khan

First report of tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), in Botswana

The tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is an invasive insect pest of tomato and other solanaceous plants which is rapidly expanding its geographic range. It has a highly damaging effect on...

Authors: Reyard Mutamiswa, Honest Machekano and Casper Nyamukondiwa

The implications of land use and land cover changes for rural household food insecurity in the Northeastern highlands of Ethiopia: the case of the Teleyayen sub-watershed

Ethiopia has tremendous agricultural potential with vast areas of fertile land. However, agriculture remains underdeveloped and poverty persists, especially in rural areas. Therefore, this study examined the i...

Authors: Alem-meta Assefa Agidew and K. N. Singh

Does crop diversity contribute to dietary diversity? Evidence from integration of vegetables into maize-based farming systems

Maize is the most important staple crop for food security and livelihood of smallholder farmers in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, but it alone cannot ensure food security. Cropping patterns must be diversif...

Authors: Srinivasulu Rajendran, Victor Afari-Sefa, Apurba Shee, Temesgen Bocher, Mateete Bekunda, Inviolate dominick and Philipo Joseph Lukumay

The contribution of Productive Safety Net Program for food security of the rural households in the case of Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia

Developing countries in general and Ethiopia in particular are affected by a growing problem of food insecurity. Millions of individuals and households especially the rural poor are the main victims of the p...

Authors: Diriba Welteji, Kerime Mohammed and Kedir Hussein

Golden Rice: instructions for use

Golden Rice is any variety of rice which makes beta-carotene, thus giving the rice a yellow (Golden) colour. It was created as an additional intervention for vitamin A deficiency. This dietary deficiency is th...

Authors: Adrian Dubock

An overview of agriculture, nutrition and fortification, supplementation and biofortification: Golden Rice as an example for enhancing micronutrient intake

The worlds growing population and limited land resources require high intensity of food production. Human nutrition needs both macronutrients and micronutrients. One way of providing micronutrients in staple c...

Authors: Adrian Dubock

Agriculture and food security: fifth anniversary

Authors: Malcolm Elliott

Farmers’ soil knowledge, fertility management logic and its linkage with scientifically analyzed soil properties in southern Ethiopia

Farmers’ locally have acquired knowledge from generations of experience and experimentation that fit local conditions. Yet, the scientific approach less used farmers’ soil knowledge (FSK) and site-specific soi...

Authors: Fanuel Laekemariam, Kibebew Kibret and Tekalign Mamo

Pigeonpea [(Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.)] production system, farmers’ preferred traits and implications for variety development and introduction in Benin

The success of crop varieties introduction is tightly linked to the uses, biophysical conditions, the cropping systems in which the crop is integrated and farmers’ and consumers’ preferences. In Benin, however...

Authors: Mathieu Anatole Tele Ayenan, Kwadwo Ofori, Léonard Essèhou Ahoton and Agyemang Danquah

Integrated effect of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms on growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under rainfed condition

Biofertilizers are now considered to be the only alternative of chemical fertilizers which apart from their soaring cost are enhancing in pollution hazards of our environment. Increasing and extending the role...

Authors: Mahmooda Saleemi, Muhammad Zahid Kiani, Tariq Sultan, Azeem Khalid and Shahid Mahmood

Effect of Micro-Agricultural Financial Institutions of South Africa financial services on livelihood capital of beneficiaries in North West Province South Africa

This paper examined the effect of Micro-Agricultural Financial Institutions of South Africa financial services on livelihood capital of beneficiaries in North West Province South Africa. A simple random sampli...

Authors: Idowu Oladele and Lucky Ward

Editorial for the Thematic Series in Agriculture & Food Security: Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies in West Africa: learning from the ground AR4D experiences

Authors: Jules Bayala, Robert Zougmoré, Sidzabda Djibril Dayamba and Alain Olivier

Effect of drought early warning system on household food security in Karamoja subregion, Uganda

Drought is regarded as a leading cause of food insecurity affecting about 220 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. Drought early warning systems (DEWSs) have the potential to strengthen capacity of communiti...

Authors: Damalie Akwango, Bernard Bonton Obaa, Nelson Turyahabwe, Yona Baguma and Anthony Egeru

Diversity amongst farm households and achievements from multi-stakeholder innovation platform approach: lessons from Balaka Malawi

Understanding diversity of smallholder farm households is of critical importance for the success of development interventions. Farming households often will devise livelihood strategies that provide the best g...

Authors: Clifton Makate and Nelson Mango

Assessing the information seeking behaviour and utilization of rice farmers in the Ejisu-Juaben municipality of Ashanti Region of Ghana

A significant gap exists between advances in technologies in agriculture and what Ghanaian farmers practice on their farms. This paper examines rice farmers’ information seeking behaviour and the determinants ...

Authors: Lawrencia Donkor Acheampong, Benedicta Nsiah Frimpong, Alexander Adu-Appiah, Bright Owusu Asante and Maxwell Darko Asante

Spatial variations of household food insecurity in East Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia: implications for agroecosystem-based interventions

In Ethiopia, food insecurity remains a major public health challenge. Agroecosystem has a potential to determine food insecurity. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the spatial pattern of household food ...

Authors: Zewdie Aderaw Alemu, Ahmed Ali Ahmed, Alemayehu Worku Yalew and Belay Simanie

Men and women farmers’ perceptions of adopting improved diets for pigs in Uganda: decision-making, income allocation, and intra-household strategies that mitigate relative disadvantage

The roles and responsibilities of men and women in east African smallholder pig-raising households and the entitlements each can claim from pig-enterprise income are unknown. The article is a qualitative gende...

Authors: Natalie Ann Carter, Sally Humphries, Delia Grace, Emily Awuor Ouma and Catherine Elizabeth Dewey

Is there any economics in smallholder cocoyam production? Evidence from the forest agro-ecological zone of Ghana

Cocoyam is an important food security crop in Ghana because it stores better than all other root and tuber crops. Despite its socio-economic relevance, production has declined persistently since the last decad...

Authors: Stanley Boakye-Achampong, Kwasi Ohene-Yankyera, Robert Aidoo and Olav Jull Sørensen

Connecting smallholder tomato producers to improved seed in West Africa

Environmental heterogeneity, emerging pathogens and limited access to financial and agricultural inputs prevent farmers from producing consistent crop yields in many developing countries. Yield instability im...

Authors: Kari Perez, Jeffrey S. Froikin-Gordon, Issoufou Kollo Abdourhamane, Virginie Levasseur, Aïssatou Ali Alfari, Armel Mensah, Offei Bonsu, Boukary Habsatou, Françoise Assogba-Komlan, Abdou Aziz Mbaye, Moussa Noussourou, Lenli Claude Otoidobiga, Léonard Ouédraogo, Tatsuya Kon, Maria R. Rojas, Kadiatou Touré Gamby…

Profitability and productivity of potato (Solanum tuberosum) in Baglung district, Nepal

Potato is considered as staple food in Hill regions of Nepal. It is considered as a major crop (in cropping pattern) of the majority of the households in Bobang and Tara VDC of Baglung district. The potato pr...

Authors: Mahima Bajracharya and Mahesh Sapkota

Tillage and fertilizer effect on maize and soybean yields in the Guinea savanna zone of Ghana

The most limiting factors for sustainable maize production in smallholder farming systems of sub-Saharan Africa, especially the savanna agro-ecological zone, are erratic rainfall pattern and low soil fertility.

Authors: Samuel Saaka Jeduah Buah, Hashim Ibrahim, Mavis Derigubah, Martin Kuzie, James Vuuro Segtaa, Jules Bayala, Robert Zougmore and Mathieu Ouedraogo

Fisheries, food, and health in the USA: the importance of aligning fisheries and health policies

Food availability, access, and utilization are the three pillars of food security and need to be aligned in order to support a healthy population. United States (US) fisheries policy plays an important role i...

Authors: David Clifford Love, Patricia Pinto da Silva, Julia Olson, Jillian Parry Fry and Patricia Mary Clay

Value chain development for mango (Mangifera indica) around Outamba Kilimi National Park in Sierra Leone: constraints and opportunities for smallholders

Mango is an important tree fruit in Sierra Leone since it participates to food and nutritional security mainly in rural areas. However, the economic potential of this tree fruit is still untapped to a large ex...

Authors: Ademonla Djalalou Dine Arinloye, Ann Degrande, Vodjo Nicodème Fassinou Hotegni, Ebenezar Asaah, Rebecca Bockarie, Joachim Binam Nyemeck, Jules Bayala and Antoine Kalinganire

Determinants of maize seed income and adoption of foundation seed production: evidence from Palpa District of Nepal

Maize is the second most important staple crop in terms of area and production in Nepal. The production and yield of maize are low in Nepal as compared to other similar agro-climatic regions. Seed is considere...

Authors: Mahesh Sapkota, Niraj Prakash Joshi, Rishi Ram Kattel and Mahima Bajracharya

Impacts of natural disasters on smallholder farmers: gaps and recommendations

Here, we review the impacts of recent natural disasters in developing countries on rural agriculture and livelihoods with the objective of understanding gaps and providing recommendations. Lessons from these d...

Authors: Tejendra Chapagain and Manish N. Raizada

Participatory diagnosis and development of climate change adaptive capacity in the groundnut basin of Senegal: building a climate-smart village model

Up to now, efforts to help local communities out of the food-insecurity trap were guided by researcher (or other actors)-led decisions on technologies to be implemented by the communities. This approach has p...

Authors: Diaminatou Sanogo, Badiane Yacine Ndour, Moussa Sall, Katim Toure, Mouhamadou Diop, Baba Ansoumana Camara, Ousmane N’Diaye and Djibril Thiam

Uses and vulnerability of ligneous species exploited by local population of northern Burkina Faso in their adaptation strategies to changing environments

Arid and semi-arid areas of West Africa are highly subject to climate change effects. This is combined to other drivers such as population growth and livestock number increase. To cope with such changing envir...

Authors: Pauline Ouédraogo, Babou André Bationo, Josias Sanou, Salifou Traoré, Silamana Barry, Sidzabda Djibril Dayamba, Jules Bayala, Mathieu Ouédraogo, Sebastiaan Soeters and Adjima Thiombiano

Impacts of temperature and rainfall variation on rice productivity in major ecosystems of Bangladesh

Inconsistency in climate regimes of rainfall and temperature is a source of biotic and abiotic stresses in agricultural systems worldwide. Several studies from Bangladesh report that this variability is a caus...

Authors: Md Abiar Rahman, SuChul Kang, Nidhi Nagabhatla and Robert Macnee

An assessment of mobile phone-based dissemination of weather and market information in the Upper West Region of Ghana

The rapid growth of mobile phones in Ghana has opened up the possibility of delivering timely and useful weather and market information to farmers at costs lower than traditional agricultural extension service...

Authors: Prince Maxwell Etwire, Saaka Buah, Mathieu Ouédraogo, Robert Zougmoré, Samuel Tetteh Partey, Edward Martey, Sidzabda Djibril Dayamba and Jules Bayala