Food and agriculture blogs
-
Radio and text messages keep farmers in the loop in Rwenzori
19 March 2015An innovative partner project in rural Uganda is using dialogue via radio and SMS messages to help farmers solve problems
-
If food security is the answer, is it time to change the question?
23 February 2015The growing number of people living in cities – and changes in rural-urban linkages – are re-shaping our relationship with food. Policymakers need to take note
-
Seven papers unpick debates on African agriculture and rural development
15 October 2014To mark World Food Day, IIED, ODI and IDS have launched the first seven of 12 new papers addressing agricultural and rural development debates in sub-Saharan Africa.
-
A marriage to save the earth: Farmers and researchers innovate to conserve biodiversity
7 October 2014Traditional knowledge combined with the latest science could increase food production while safeguarding biodiversity, new research shows
-
Agroecology offers FAO a 'new window' on agriculture
2 October 2014Long-neglected by mainstream development actors, agroecology is gaining momentum as a farming and landscape approach – as a recent Food and Agriculture Organisation symposium demonstrates
-
Calling all energy and agriculture experts: meet, talk and collaborate
29 April 2014Many of the 500 million small farms that produce the bulk of food consumed in developing countries have no access to modern energy services. Why doesn't more research and innovation focus on getting energy to them?
-
Spreading the word about the no-till agricultural revolution
31 March 2014Never heard of no-till agriculture? It's revolutionising agriculture in Australia and other drylands countries. "No-Till Bill", a pioneer in the technique, is now spreading the word in Europe
-
Up in the air: Citizen scientists map food dangers in Nairobi
31 March 2014A balloon, a camera and some interviews are helping researchers map a hidden aspect of food insecurity in an informal settlement in Nairobi
-
China's farmers innovate to adapt to climate change
17 December 2013The film "Planting for Change" tells the story of how farmers in Guangxi and Yunnan provinces have responded to climatic adversity by using their own innovations and biocultural heritage
-
Traditional innovation in farming is under threat
2 October 2013Indigenous knowledge is innovative, not static. Protecting it will help food security.
-
Food waste: can grassroots initiatives stop us throwing good food in the bin?
4 June 2013Almost half the food the world produces is thrown away. Reducing food waste is an economic, ethical and environmental challenge which grassroots initiatives are starting to address.
-
Uganda: Breaking the links between the land and the people
11 March 2013Land tenure relations are changing fast, but no one is asking how these drastic changes will transform the lives of Ugandans who depend on land for their identity, social status and livelihoods.
-
Ensuring small holders aren't squeezed out of agricultural investments
6 December 2012Tipping the Balance, a new report, has discovered that current popular policies can tip the balance away from small farmers. How can we ensure small holder farmers get a better deal?
-
As global agri-investment increases, policies must put local people centre stage
6 December 2012Agricultural investment policies favour big businesses, a new report shows. We must reshape them so investments meet local people's needs.
-
How small-scale farmers make markets work for them
28 November 2012Our new book shines light on how small-scale farmers are making their choices — about how to modernise appropriately, and about balancing costs, risks, benefits and uncertainties.
-
Agricultural Research for Development: Are we moving in the right direction?
7 November 2012How far have researchers progressed in including smallholder farmers and NGOs in setting research objectives and making decisions?
-
World Food Day: how do you keep co-operatives competitive?
15 October 2012The Food and Agriculture Organization's 2012 World Food Day focuses on co-operatives.This time around co-operatives need to be what the small-scale farmers actually want. Sometimes that means something quite informal.
-
When pigs fly: Why is including women in managing forests still so unusual?
24 September 2012Women are routinely excluded from REDD decision-making processes, but if they’re excluded then they can’t benefit equally from its work.
-
World Conservation Congress: key themes and a new leader to watch
17 September 2012The role of markets and the green economy, and the risks of monetising nature were two key themes that emerged from the Conference.
-
A Chinese farm in Africa
13 September 2012Chen promotes new agricultural techniques in China, but he dreams of farming in Senegal because he wants to share his skills and do something meaningful.
-
How markets can bloom for Africa's smallholder farmers
6 September 2012New deals between flower-growers in Kenya and big retailers such as Walmart offer African farmers a chance to expand.
-
Looking beyond land to support rural youth
30 May 2012This was one of the conclusions of participants at a provocative seminar ‘Rural youth today, farmers tomo
-
Where honey means money and climate means change
21 April 2012Ngan lives in a village called Ri in the remote highlands of Vietnam's Thanh Hoa province. It's beautiful. Everywhere you look is green-green-green, from the forested limestone mountains that look like the humps of long dead dragons to the flat sheets of emerald rice fields that shimmer in the sun.
-
Agricultural development: business as usual is not an option
5 April 2012Following the 2008 global food price hikes and riots, national governments and transnational corporations are increasingly interested in investing in large-scale African agricultural projects. While these land acquisitions gather pace, 925 million people remain undernourished worldwide, with 239 million living in sub-Saharan Africa. In this new context, the question is not only how sustainable large-scale industrial agriculture is, but also what model of food production and farming is most effective in addressing the question of hunger – and for whom.
-
Community protocols can bring real benefits to communities and combat biodiversity loss
15 March 2012Indigenous people and local communities have received few benefits from the commercial use of the wealth of traditional crops and medicinal knowledge they have developed.