Despite its vast agriculture potential,
Africa is increasingly dependent on food imports from the
rest of the world to satisfy its consumption needs. Food
output has not kept pace with population growth, and more
than 80 percent of production gains since 1980 have come
from the expansion of cropped areas rather than from greater
productivity of areas already cultivated. This paper looks
at the current requirements for seed trade in Africa, the

As the economy thrives, we examine the plight of Ethiopians forced from their land to make way for foreign investors...the growth seen in agriculture, which accounts for almost half of Ethiopia’s economic activity and a great deal of its recent success, is actually being driven by an out of control ‘land grab', as multinational companies and private speculators vie to lease millions of acres of the country’s most fertile territory from the government at bargain basement prices...

Regional trade in Africa can play a
vital role in diversifying economies and reducing dependence
on the export of a few mineral products, in delivering food
and energy security, in generating jobs for the increasing
numbers of young people, and in alleviating poverty and
promoting a shared prosperity. Women play a key role in
trade in Africa and will be essential to Africa's
success in exploiting its trade potential. In many countries

A large number of vegetation indices have been developed and widely applied
in terrestrial ecosystem research in the recent decades. However, a certain limitation was
observed while applying these indices in research in dry areas due to their low sensitivity
to low vegetation cover. In this context, the objectives of this study are to develop a new
vegetation index, namely, the Generalized Difference Vegetation Index (GDVI), and to
examine its applicability to the assessment of dryland environment. Based on the field

Providing shelter is essential in saving lives and decreasing the vulnerability of those displaced by conflict or natural disasters, and as such, should be a strategic priority in any humanitarian intervention. However humanitarian organisations increasingly struggle to provide shelter to those that need it most when the tenure of beneficiaries – that is the conditions under which they occupy land or dwellings – is uncertain or insecure.

Urgent action required to challenge impunity of perpetrators, protect citizens and address root causes of environmental crisis

Indigenous farmer in the municipality of Sayaxché, department of Petén, Guatemala, viewing the stunted corn crop on his land bordering an oil palm plantation. 

- - -

Most analyses of violence in Darfur ignore the local dimension of the crisis, focusing instead on the region’s economic and political marginalization and climatic variability. However, agricultural change and other changes relating to the land-rights and land-use systems have led to competition and exclusion, and have played a major role in the collective violence that has raged throughout the region. Understanding these questions is essential for the successful resolution of political and policy debates in Darfur.

- - - 

Project paper

Project paper

"For millions of people living in the world’s poorest countries, access to land is a matter not of wealth, but of survival, identity and belonging. Most of the 1.4 billion people earning less than US$1.25 a day live in rural areas and depend largely on agriculture for their livelihoods, while an estimated 2.5 billion people are involved in full- or part-time smallholder agriculture.

In line with the conventional view that customary land rights impede agricultural development, the traditional tenure system in Nigeria has been perceived to obstruct the achievement of efficient development and agricultural transformation. This led to the Land Use Act (LUA) of 1978.