Since independence, the Government of Sri Lanka has implemented various policies and initiatives to boost agricultural production. One of the enduring, costly, and politically sensitive measures aimed at promoting paddy farming has been the fertilizer subsidy program which was initiated in 1962 and continued for over six decades. Since then, the subsidy policy has undergone many changes, including the introduction of the Fertilizer Cash Grant (FCG) Program in 2016.

Building healthier and more sustainable food systems while reducing poverty is a major goal of the Ghanaian government. The GROWING project recognizes that tackling gender inequities in Northern Ghana is the key for an integrated climate-smart agriculture-nutrition-marketing approach to truly make a difference to the nutritional and financial security of women and the households they reside in. Over 4.5 years, an innovative approach facilitating GROWING Futures Clubs to exploit the potential of selected nutritious foods will be implemented and valuated.

This report presents the outcome of the workshop with women on December 14th 2023 at Sanard Hotel. The main objective of the workshop was to empower women in the fisheries sector with the knowledge and skills required to actively participate in governance and leadership roles, thereby enabling them to raise their voices and contribute to decision-making processes in their communities. A total of 37 participants

This working paper focuses on analyzing the dynamics of the peanut value chain in Senegal and identifying entry points to enhance its resilience. Using an innovative Group Model Building approach, the study explores the complexities of the chain, which is central to Senegalese agriculture, covering 40% of the total cultivated area.

Progress toward reducing global hunger has stalled since the mid-2010s. In fact, hunger is on the rise again, driven by slowing economic growth and protracted conflict, intensified by the impacts of climate change and economic shocks in many low- and middle-income countries. In addition, food systems worldwide have suffered disruptions in recent years, caused by the COVID-19-related global recession and associated supply chain disruptions, and exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. These factors have also jeopardized efforts at addressing the challenges to food system sustainability.

Livestock route and related resources mapping, understanding their status and better protection of the routes in the pastoral areas are the first steps towards developing the areas. With this regard, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in collaboration with other partners, conducted participatory livestock routes and related resources mapping activities in selected pastoral woredas of the Oromia region and Somali region with European Union (EU) funded project, the so called Health of Ethiopian Animals for Rural Development (HEARD).

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges confronting our global system today. The scientific community has clearly established that global temperatures are rising and the consequences of climate change may swiftly transition from an environmental risk to an economic threat. Agriculture sector is particularly vulnerable to changes in weather and climatic condition. Over 60% of the yield variability is chalked up to to climate change; significantly affecting food production and farmer income.

Infrastructure in river basins is essential to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2 on zero hunger, SDG 6 on water and sanitation, and SDG 7 on affordable and clean energy. However, important tradeoffs and synergies need to be navigated across these goals as both water and resources for infrastructure investments are limited. In transboundary river basins, such tradeoffs can transcend countries, creating a complex, interconnected system of water-energy-food linkages.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Federal Government of Nigeria implemented the Nigeria Value Chain Development Program (VCDP) across six Nigerian states with the objective to improve farmer organizations’ collective efficacy, and alleviate poverty via improving rice and cassava production, farmers’ incomes, and value chain integration. The VCDP incorporated a gender-sensitive design to target women beneficiaries and improve empowerment by expanding access to training, opportunities, and resources. The VCDP also aimed to improve local infrastructure.

Nigeria’s agrifood system (AFS) diagnostic results
Nigeria’s AFS lacked transformation between 2009 and 2019
• Primary agriculture is larger than off-farm AFS and its share in total GDP did not fall
• Off-farm share of AgDP+ barely changed over time AFS growth has been mainly driven by domestic-market-oriented value chains
• Less-traded value chains dominated the AFS both in terms their size and contribution to AFS GDP growth
• Domestic consumption patterns (and changing diets) are therefore important drivers of agricultural transformation