Smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana regularly face shocks, challenging the
sustainability of their farms and livelihoods. Different farm households and household
members may be differently affected and respond with different coping strategies. We
combined whole-farm modelling and farmer consultations to investigate the
vulnerability, buffer and adaptive capacity of three farm types in Northern Ghana
towards severe climate, economic and social shocks. We further assessed intrahousehold

Land degradation is a major obstacle to agricultural development in Africa,
where it’s accentuated by poor agricultural practices and climate change effects.
Restoration of degraded lands is crucial to prevent incursions into virgin and
marginal lands. A field experiment was carried out over a four-year period on
two degraded sites, to assess and compare the effect of the common practices
of: (i) burning crop residues and weeds by resource-poor farmers (T1) and (ii)
burning crop residues and weeds followed with application of manure and/or

To leverage agriculture's potential to better benefit both people and nature, policymakers need clear messages about which farming practices positively impact biodiversity and yields, and when trade-offs arise. Existing reviews analyse effects of different agricultural practices on either biodiversity or yield, without considering interactions.

Deltas have provided fertile farmland, productive fishing, and access to trade routes for millennia. Today, more than five hundred million people live on deltas and coastal urban areas. Yet deltas are also incredibly vulnerable to the pressures of climate change. This Voices asks: what are the opportunities and barriers to adaptation for delta communities facing unprecedented change in the coming years?

Land is critical to the lives, livelihoods, and food security of millions of people across the world. But a series of unprecedented pressures on global farmland are now accelerating and converging. This land squeeze is driving a surge in land inequality, rural poverty, and food insecurity – and risking a tipping point for smallholder agriculture.