L’année 2015 a marqué un tournant décisif pour la communauté internationale du développement. L’aboutissement des Objectifs du Millénaire pour le développement a souligné les avancées remarquables enregistrées depuis 1990 : l’extrême pauvreté, la mortalité infantile et la faim ont toutes chuté à peu près de moitié. Toutefois, un défi considérable demeure.

The costs of doing nothing about land degradation are several times higher than the costs of taking action to reverse it. Despite the crucial role land plays in human welfare and development, investments in sustainable land management are low, especially in developing countries. These findings come from the book, Economics of Land Degradation and Improvement—A Global Assessment for Sustainable Development, which examines the costs of land degradation and what needs to be done to reverse it.

The year 2015 saw a new global commitment to sustainable development that will require a reshaping of the world’s food system. The well-being of people and the planet will depend on creation of a food system that is more efficient, inclusive, climate-smart, sustainable, nutrition- and health-driven, and business-friendly.

This report is timely input into the ongoing development agenda for Africa South of the Sahara (SSA).

The Global Food Policy Report is IFPRI’s flagship publication. This year’s annual report examines major food policy issues, global and regional developments, and commitments made in 2015, and presents data on key food policy indicators. The report also proposes key policy options for 2016 and beyond to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2015, the global community made major commitments on sustainable development and climate change.

Ce document vise à contribuer au programme d’action en cours pour le développement de l’Afrique au sud du Sahara.

La demanda de biocombustibles se está incrementando debido a la necesidad cada vez mayor de energéticos, el alza en el costo del petróleo, la búsqueda de fuentes de energía renovables y no contaminantes y el deseo de aumentar los ingresos agrícolas en los países en desarrollo. Asimismo, ha aumentado en forma drástica la necesidad de contar con cultivos, como el maíz y la caña de azúcar, que pueden utilizarse como materia prima para producir biocombustibles. Esta demanda ha tenido a nivel mundial un impacto significativo y cada vez mayor en los sistemas alimentarios.

Although wild natural resources are a standard dietary component in southern Africa, little information exists on these resources' specific role in the maintenance of household food security among HIV-impacted households. In this context, the influence of cash savings or income generated through use or sale of natural resources (e.g., using fuelwood instead of electricity to be able to afford to buy food) is also not known.

"This paper describes the emergence of improved traditional planting pits (zaï) in Burkina Faso in the early 1980s as well as their advantages, disadvantages and impact. The zaï emerged in a context of recurrent droughts and frequent harvest failures, which triggered farmers to start improving this local practice. Despair triggered experimentation and innovation by farmers. These processes were supported and complemented by external intervention. Between 1985 and 2000 substantial public investment has taken place in soil and water conservation (SWC).

This brief describes two case studies as follows: "Sub-Saharan Africa, with the highest fertility rate in the world, faces increasing demographic pressure on its natural resource base.... Old strategies for coping with these new pressures on the natural resource base are becoming increasingly infeasible... Consequently, Africa's farmers require new solutions to address the increasing pressure on the continent's soil and water resources. Among hundreds of innovative efforts across the continent, two promising sets of responses have emerged in different locations....