News
Timely news and information about agricultural research in Africa. Collected from a variety of sources, we are also happy to accept your suggestions for relevant research to include.
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Journal Article: Heterogeneous Market Participation Channels and Household Welfare
January 8, 2024 / Journal articles News Publications This paper uses panel data and qualitative interviews from southwestern Ghana to analyse farmers’ heterogeneous oil palm marketing decisions and the effect on household welfare. We show that despite the supposed benefits that smallholders could derive from participation in global
Global Land Grabbing International Conference – 19-21 March 2024, Bogota, Colombia
November 30, 2023 / Events News The Land Deal Politics Initiative (LDPI) is reconvening more than a decade on, this time in Bogota. We had our first international conference in 2011, which was co-organised by FAC and PLAAS, and since then much has happened: meetings, collaborations,
Boosting commercialisation through the production of commercial tree crops in Nigeria
November 7, 2022 / APRA blog FAC blog News Farming in Nigeria has been historically dominated by small-scale farms (SSFs). However, recent evidence suggests that medium-scale farmers (MSFs) are becoming increasingly prominent. One pathway for MSF growth in Nigeria has been identified as the expansion of land area under
The third and final APRA e-Dialogue: Transition pathways and strategies for supporting more equitable and resilient food systems in Africa
March 3, 2022 / Events News Starting in October 2021 and running through 2022, the e-Dialogue series on agricultural commercialisation, agrarian change and rural transformation in sub-Saharan Africa has examined a range of topics including the emerging challenges and regional realities of smallholder transformation and COVID-19’s
News of the e-Dialogue series spreads far and wide
March 1, 2022 / News In media outlets across East, West and Southern Africa, news surrounding the 'Agrarian change and rural transformation in sub-Saharan Africa: Emerging challenges and regional realities' e-Dialogue has been published and picked up! The event, which we hosted on 20th January
Land, Investment & Politics Reconfiguring Eastern Africa’s Pastoral Drylands: Book launch & discussion with the editors
February 22, 2022 / Events News More than ever before, the gaze of global investment has been directed to the drylands of Africa, but what does this mean for these regions' pastoralists and other livestock-keepers and their livelihoods? Will those who have occupied drylands over generations
APRA researcher appointed to President Biden’s Board for International Food and Agricultural Development
February 17, 2022 / News Dr. Saweda Liverpool-Tasie, a researcher in the APRA Nigeria Country Team and Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics (AFRE) at Michigan State University (MSU), has been appointed to the Board for International Food and Agricultural
COVID-19 e-dialogue: impacts on food systems and livelihoods
January 25, 2022 / Events News Focusing on 9 February 2022, APRA, in partnership with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Foresight4Food (F4F), will host an interactive e-dialogue on COVID-19 and its Effects on Local Food Systems and Rural Livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa.
e-Dialogues on Agricultural Commercialisation, Agrarian Change and Rural Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa
January 25, 2022 / Events News Who is benefitting as food systems and rural economies are transformed and who is at risk of being left-behind? Throughout 2022, the Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA) Programme of the Future Agricultures Consortium (FAC), UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
APRA e-dialogue: Emerging Challenges and Regional Realities
January 12, 2022 / Events News On 22 January 2022, APRA, in partnership with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Foresight4Food (F4F), will host an interactive e-dialogue on Agrarian Change and Rural Transformation in sub-Saharan Africa. The session, which will be held on Zoom
APRA researcher appointed to local government in Malawi!
December 20, 2021 / News Congratulations to Professor Blessings Chinsinga on his appointment to the post of Minister of Local Government in Malawi.
National policy dialogue: Agricultural commercialisation and smallholder transformation in Nigeria
December 6, 2021 / Events News Relative to small-scale farms (SSFs), recent trends across sub-Saharan Africa show that medium-scale farms (MSFs) are accounting for an increasingly larger share of the total value of marketed agricultural products The rise of MSFs could substantially change the structure of
Understanding the Nigerian cocoa industry: the Nigerian Cocoa Summit & Awards
November 29, 2021 / Events News How has the Nigerian cocoa sector changed since the crop was introduced in the 1880s? What is the reality of this value chain now, in the country ranked fourth in cocoa production globally? What do stakeholders see for the future
APRA researchers to hold a national dissemination workshop in Ghana
November 26, 2021 / Events News APRA researchers in Ghana are gearing up for a national dissemination event! The event will be filled with presentations from the two APRA teams working in the country (Work Streams 1 and 2), and, more generally, on APRA’s objectives, research
APRA Ethiopia’s national dissemination workshop: A pathway to policy change?
November 26, 2021 / Events News APRA Ethiopia researchers have spent years studying the country’s rice value chain and identifying its role in providing a pathway out of poverty for the farmers who engage in it. The team has explored the role of increased rice commercialisation
APRA Nigeria team prepares to present findings in dissemination event
November 25, 2021 / Events News Over the previous five years, the APRA Nigeria Work Stream 2 (WS2) team has been working to explore longitudinal change over time, and identify different pathways of agricultural commercialisation and their outcome pathways in the country. Now, as the team
Online COVID-19 & poverty: Informing economic and social policy in Malawi
November 4, 2021 / Events News How is COVID-19 impacting people living in poverty in Malawi? What are the policies needed to mitigate these impacts? Recent research from COVID Collective partners and APRA finds COVID-19 has had a detrimental impact on people living in, or at
APRA researchers to join 8th Annual ReNAPRI Stakeholders Conference
November 4, 2021 / Events News As the Regional Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes prepares to host its 8th Annual Stakeholders Conference, under the theme, ‘Transform: Toward Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems in Africa’, APRA researchers are gearing up for their side event! Conference sessions
APRA Ghana researchers to participate in University of Ghana conference
November 1, 2021 / Events News On Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 4th November, 2021, the University of Ghana’s School of Social Sciences will be hosting its seventh international conference. The event, under the theme ‘Addressing Africa’s Challenges in the 21st Century’, will cover a vast range
APRA Tanzania to host national feedback workshop
October 25, 2021 / Events News APRA Tanzania team at a previous media workshop On Tuesday, 26 October 2021 at the Institute of Rural Development Planning in Dodoma, Tanzania, the APRA Tanzania team will be hosting a national feedback workshop. At this event, the team plans
Ghana’s agricultural commercialisation and food security: An analysis of smallholder farmers across gender and geography
September 1, 2021 / News Photo credit: Charles Nyaaba of the Peasant Farmers Association A recent study by Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA) Ghana researchers addresses the question: under what conditions, and at what scale, does smallholder agricultural commercialisation promote or hinder food security?
Why it is expensive to produce cocoa in Ghana, a former global leader? APRA Ghana share findings
August 10, 2021 / Events News Cocoa producers in Ghana incur high production costs, but obtain low yields and receive less income. This hampers the country’s cocoa commercialisation efforts, hence requiring adoption of high yielding varieties and innovative financing options and investments in labour and inputs.
Upcoming webinar: Development corridors in Africa: whose voices count?
August 9, 2021 / Events News An upcoming webinar on development corridors in Africa will be held virtually on Thursday 12 August from 1300-1400 SAST/CAT.
East Africa Rice Conference 2021 kicks off
May 19, 2021 / Events News Yesterday (18 May, 2021) saw the start of the 2021 East African Rice Conference (EARC), with in-country workshops across six East African countries: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. EARC aims to identify policy reforms to transform Africa’s rice
Youth and the Rural Economy in Africa: New book explores current realities
April 30, 2021 / News Publications In a new book edited by IDS researcher, James Sumberg, and published by the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, authors examine the engagement of youth in the rural economy. The book, entitled ‘Youth and the Rural Economy in Africa’,
The need for rice sector modernisation: a key outcome of the Ethiopian National Rice Platform Meeting
April 22, 2021 / News The 2021 Annual National Rice stakeholders’ platform meeting, hosted by the National Rice Secretariat at the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), was held on 19 April in both Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar, concurrently.
APRA Ghana team to present findings in dissemination workshop
March 15, 2021 / Events News The findings of a recent APRA Ghana research project will be shared with a range of stakeholders at a forthcoming event. This workshop will include a discussion of the team’s research, the implications of these findings. The outcome of discussions
APRA present findings at webinar on the impact of COVID-19 on the rice sector
March 1, 2021 / News The Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA) Work Stream 2 team have continued to attend events, despite the technical challenges brought by pandemic-related lockdowns. Dawit Alemu, Ethiopia-based academic, participated on behalf of APRA at the Zoom Webinar “COVID-19 Impact and
APRA researchers present findings on the changing face of African farmland at conference
December 18, 2020 / News The APRA Work Stream 3 (WS3) team have been busy promoting their research in recent weeks, including providing a keynote presentation at the 5th Annual Centre for African Research on Enterprise and Economic Development (CAREED) on 9th December, 2020. The
APRA researchers feature in webinar on the impact of COVID-19 on food systems and livelihoods
December 14, 2020 / News On Wednesday, December 16, 11.00 – 12:00 GMT, a one hour webinar ‘‘The impact of COVID-19 on food systems and rural livelihoods in Africa’ will feature two presentations by John Thompson (SSRP Deputy Director, IDS Fellow and CEO of the APRA Programme) and Imogen
APRA showcase COVID-19 research at key conference in Tanzania
December 10, 2020 / News Following APRA Tanzania’s recent report on the Impact of COVID-19 on Food Systems and Rural Livelihoods in Tanzania in October, the team has presented further evidence of the effects of COVID-19 on agricultural value chains in Africa. Researchers Aida Isinika,
APRA Nigeria training for data collection field work
December 7, 2020 / News The APRA Nigeria Work Stream 1 team have been busy in recent weeks, returning to the field to collect the second round of panel data for their research on the pace at which farm size distributions are changing in Nigeria.
Final eDialogue on ‘Policy Implications’
November 19, 2020 / News On Wednesday, November 25, 12:15 – 14:00 GMT, we held the ‘Wrap-up and Policy Implications’, the fifth and final part of the eDialogue series: ‘What Future for Small-Scale Farming?’ Small-scale farmers are integral to food systems in much of the world.
APRA researcher questions Malawi’s approach on poverty reduction
November 16, 2020 / News Following two widely-circulated media stories on a hard-hitting policy brief on agribusiness investment, and a report on how COVID-19 is affecting food systems and rural livelihoods, the Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA) Malawi team have engaged with the press
APRA Tanzania present findings to media
November 2, 2020 / News After the successful high profile media coverage by the APRA Malawi team, the Tanzania team have followed suit by presenting a selection of their research findings to 23 different media houses during a special event held at the Sokoine Agricultural
4th eDialogue on transition pathways and strategies
November 2, 2020 / News ‘Transition Pathways and Strategies’, was the fourth part of the eDialogue series: ‘What Future for Small-Scale Farming?’ on Tuesday, November 10, 12:00 – 13:30 UTC/GMT Transition pathways and strategies for small-scale farming households was explored in this session, with a
APRA hit national news again with Malawi COVID19 report
October 22, 2020 / News Three weeks since the Malawian government was brought to task by the national press following an APRA brief on agricultural policy, the APRA Malawi team has featured in The Nation Paper once again. Appearing under the headline “Covid-19 chokes food
3rd eDialogue on ‘Africa Regional Perspectives’
October 15, 2020 / News SIGN UP NOW for the next session on Wrap-up and Policy Implications,25th November The sessions on ‘Regional Perspectives’, explored the dynamics of small-scale agriculture and food system change across Africa, Asia and South America. The African session observed the trends
Malawi press tasks government on policy following APRA brief
October 1, 2020 / News APRA policy research has recently been featured in Malawi’s The Nation newspaper, as well as on the publication’s website. “Inducing agribusiness investment in Malawi: Insights from investors,” written by APRA researchers Henry Chingaipe, Joseph Thombozi and Horace Chingaipe, investigate the
Future Agricultures Twitter reaches 20,000 follower milestone
September 24, 2020 / News Written by Toby Penrhys-Evans, APRA ICE Team After almost 10 years on Twitter and posting over 3,000 Tweets, the Future Agricultures Consortium account, @FutureAgrics, has hit the significant milestone of 20,000 followers. The ever-increasing follower numbers highlights the relevance of
Local perspectives: Second e-Dialogue held on the future of small-scale farming
September 10, 2020 / News ‘Local perspectives’ was the subject of the second e-Dialogue held on August 27, 2020. In a continuation of the new virtual series, ‘What future for small-scale farming? Inclusive transformation in challenging times’. The session looked at the challenges smallholders face
e-Dialogue: What future for small-scale farming? Inclusive transformation in challenging times
August 27, 2020 / News Join the next session of the e-Dialogue: What Future for Small-Scale Farming? on Thursday, August 27th, from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm (GMT). More information on the e-dialogue series can be found here. The session will look at Local Perspectives, translating the overview from Session
First ‘e-Dialogue with a difference’ held on the future of small-scale farming
July 30, 2020 / News Smallholder led transformation can reap from huge potential gains, chief among them is the obvious improvement in peoples’ lives’. APRA researcher Milu Muyanga shared his views in the first session of a new virtual series, on ‘What future for small-scale
New paper published on youth and food system transformation
July 30, 2020 / News What, if anything, is special about youth with respect to their engagement in food systems? This is a question asked in a new paper ‘Youth and Food Systems Transformation’, which outlines the importance of the growing numbers of youth and
APRA respond to inquiry into UK and Sub-Saharan African cooperation
July 21, 2020 / News July update The House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee’s report, The UK and Sub-Saharan Africa: prosperity, peace and development co-operation, was published on 10 July. Access it here. “We welcome the range of effective UK official development assistance
e-Dialogue to tackle the future of small-scale farming
July 7, 2020 / News Small-scale farmers are critical to food systems across the world, yet many are among the poorest and most food-insecure people on the planet. Given the emerging impacts of climate change and COVID-19, the future of small-scale farming is vulnerable and
Pastoralism and Uncertainty: free online course launched
June 18, 2020 / News A new self-study online course has been created to offer students, practitioners and policy makers an introduction to thinking about different aspects of pastoralism. The course is based on a PhD programme at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), part
Reacting to COVID-19: APRA’s rapid response
May 19, 2020 / News In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) commissioned an in-depth review to draw lessons from previous disease outbreaks and other crises that may be relevant to formulating a coherent policy response in developing countries,
Action on Children’s Harmful Work programme launches website
April 23, 2020 / News The Action on Children’s Harmful Work in African Agriculture (ACHA) have launched their website, which will act as the centre for the research and evidence coming out of the seven-year, DFID-funded research programme that started in January 2020. The aim