In Africa, where most agriculture is rainfed, crop growth is limited by water availability. Rainfall variability during a growing season generally translates into variability in crop production. While the seasonality of rainfall in the drier rangelands can play a significant role in productivity…

Smallholder dairy farming is seen as a viable and promising activity to support the livelihoods of cattle keepers in low-income countries. This farming system, characterized by small herds of improved cattle raised under zero-grazing, is proven to lead to better milk yields, but also to require…

Transitioning to climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in the African context requires a transformational architecture — a systematic shift away from business as usual and a comprehensive programme for building the adaptive capacity of physical, socio-economic, human and institutional dimensions of…

Pastoralism is a farming system in societies that derive majority of their food and
income from livestock production. This form of farming system is practised in the
world’s arid and semi arid lands (ASALs). It is estimated that 70% of the landmass
in the Horn of Africa is dry…

This field manual provides guidance to support, mapping, planning and management in rangelands. It is based on experiences in Tanzania, but the tools presented can be useful for other contexts too.

Here we describe an economic development programme termed ARISE – an acronym for African Rural Initiatives for Sustainable Environments. The programme has the potential to contribute to the simultaneous achievement of three goals to which South Africa is committed, namely: • job creation, •…