Best Practices

The brief synthesizes robust evidence on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices on adaptive crop management and agroforestry that strengthen household resilience to climate shocks in Burkina Faso and Africa south of the Sahara (SSA). The findings highlight a set of proven practices, including agroforestry, farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR), improved seeds, integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), and composting. These practices deliver consistent benefits in terms of yield gains, improved soil fertility, enhanced water retention, diversified incomes, and stronger food security under climate stress.

The brief synthesizes robust evidence on soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs), a subset of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices that strengthen household resilience to climate shocks in Burkina Faso and Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings highlight a set of proven practices, including zai pits, half-moons, stone bunds, mulching, irrigation and sustainable water harvesting and management. These practices have demonstrated measurable impacts on yield gains, improved soil fertility, increased water retention, enhanced food security, and income stability, particularly in drought-prone and degraded environments.

The brief presents the problems associated with the headline finding from report of the High-Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) on Food Security and Nutrition that of the 2.2 billion people experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity globally, 1.7 billion live in urban or peri-urban areas. It then discusses three recommended practices that can help prevent errors when reading global statistics.

The brief discusses best practices for the design and implementation of fertilizer subsidy programs. Careful policy design choices ensure that subsidies maximize the tangible benefits to farmers, namely yield stability and income protection, while implementing safeguards that minimize negative environmental, market, and fiscal side effects.

The brief identifies which anticipatory interventions, implemented in conflict-affected contexts of Eastern and Central Africa, have empirically demonstrated the capacity to mitigate agricultural losses, sustain food production, preserve local food availability, and enhance household resilience.

The brief identifies three best-practice innovations that helped reduce the effects of price and trade shocks and strengthen household resilience when such shocks occur in East Africa: digital cash transfers, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), and Market Information Systems (MIS).

This brief reflects on research generated during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights three key limiting problems that emerged. These problems motivate three best practices that research and policy communities should consider when designing questionnaires and implementing surveys.

This document outlines the best practices for the targeting of social programs, highlighting the key policy decisions involved and identifying factors to consider when making these decisions.

This document outlines specific recommendations for best practices in trade facilitation and related policies for improved food security in SSA countries, based on relevant recent research

This best practice document provides evidence-based practices for food loss prevention across the value chain based on a review of practices that have been effective in the African context.