Contract farming has become a popular way to integrate smallholder farmers into modern, high-value markets; however, poorly designed contracts may create additional risks for farmers and even subject them to abuses by larger agricultural players. In July, the FAO, along with UNIDROIT and IFAD, released a Legal Guide on Contract Farming , a comprehensive guide to establishing sound, transparent agricultural contracts between growers and buyers.

On September 16, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) will highlight the Africa south of the Sahara Food Security Portal at a panel event held in collaboration with IFPRI, the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) Secretariat, the European Commission, and the Pan African Farmers Association (PAFO).

African governments need to establish policies and infrastructure to increase fertilizer access and use, concluded a roundtable meeting between IFPRI and the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), held in Johannesburg in July. Participants agreed that increasing the use of fertilizers is critical in expanding sustainable agricultural production in the region and is in line with the goals of the 2006 Abuja Declaration regarding the use of fertilizers to stimulate a “green revolution” in Africa.

The Africa south of the Sahara Food Security Portal was presented on September 1 at a side event during the 2015 ReSAKSS Conference. The event focused on “Providing Timely Data and Analysis to Improve Food Security in Africa.” 

Next week, the Africa south of the Sahara Food Security Portal will be presented at a side event during the 2015 ReSAKSS Conference. The event will focus on “Providing Timely Data and Analysis to Improve Food Security in Africa.”

The Ecosystem Based Adaptation for Food Security Conference took place last month in Kenya. In this event, more than 1200 attendees representing governments, the private sector, the academy, and other civil society institutions, held meetings aimed to contribute to the development of Ecosystem Based Adaptation (EBA) approaches as a first step towards building resilient food systems, improving food security, and adapting to climate change in Africa.

“Rural youth are leaving agriculture in droves.” “Women perform the bulk of farm work.” “Few farmers use fertilizers and other modern inputs.”

These statements tend to be widely accepted, but are they actually true? Yes and no, and the answer will continue to change, said experts at Monday’s conference on “Agriculture in Africa: Telling Facts from Myths.”

The following is an excerpt from Synopsis: Social networks and factor markets, authored by Kibrom A. Abay, Goytom A. Kahsay, Guush Berhane.

The 2014 Malabo Declaration reiterates African countries’ commitment toward attaining an agriculture revolution in the continent. A special commitment to “Mutual Accountability, Actions and Result” has been made to facilitate peer reviews, mutual learning and mutual accountability processes.

To translate commitments into actions and measurable results, AUC and NEPAD Agency developed an implementation strategy and roadmap to guide the implementation of CAADP and African agriculture development from 2015-2025.

A4NH Hosts Side Event at African Union Commission (AUC) on the Inclusion of Nutrition in the CAADP Agenda.

By: Summer Allen