Publication database

As is the case elsewhere, in Africa, many people depend entirely on food systems for employment and incomes as well. For these reasons, building resilient and sustainable food systems is crucial to ensuring sustainable economies and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 Goals. However, Africa remains food insecure, accounting for 256 million of the world’s 795 million people suffering from hunger. Against this challenge, this 2021 African Agriculture Status Report (AASR21) provides evidence and insights on the prospects of achieving resilience and sustainability in Africa’s food systems.

This report aggregates the voices of 6,000 Kenyan farmers interviewed between June 2020 and May 2021. They relate their lived experience during the Covid-19 pandemic and how livelihoods were adversely affected by supply chain disruptions and government lockdowns. 

This report puts forward a comprehensive policy strategy for greater gender equality in the ASEAN region’s rural areas. Following an overview of the evidence about the size of the women labour market in rural areas, it provides a discussion of the policies to reduce the barriers that prevent an equal access by men and women to quality jobs and to starting new businesses. To help the sharing of good practices, the discussion benefits the lessons from a series of selected case studies in ASEAN countries about local programmes to overcome gender barriers. The final chapter provides a review of the gendered implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on agriculture and farming in ASEAN countries and the coping strategies taken by ASEAN governments.

This snapshot report details how prioritising green and social enterprises delivers triple returns - economic, social and environmental – in both short and long terms. It analyses the status quo, gaps and potentials of green and social enterprises as well as the SME support landscape in different areas and locations. Building on in-depth SEED-conducted interviews with enterprises and enterprise support providers, green recovery contributions and support opportunities were identified to improve the existing support offers for green and social enterprises in a green recovery context.

This guide lists digital tools that deliver remote data collection, information, or training for farmers and farmer organizations. It assesses them on five criteria: demand, value addition, costs, transcending inefficiencies, and interoperability. 

Conexsus supports small farmers associations and cooperatives that work under a income-generating model that preserves standing forest and other biomes. It focuses on three lines of action: business model, market access, and impact finance.

Fomento Social Banamex is the philanthropic arm of Citibanamex Mexico, and its goal is to reduce inequality in Mexico. It promotes capacity-building for social organizations to better meet the needs of marginalized communities living in poverty. Under this scheme and through its strategic partners, it has supported Unión Majomut, a cooperative of coffee farmers from Chiapas, so that it partakes in the entire value chain and earns a higher income for partner families.

This learning paper adds to the body of knowledge on the commercial and development impact potential of smallholder-sourcing agribusiness models. It quantifies the share of investment flowing to agribusinesses sourcing from smallholder farmers within the broader category of agriculture. In addition, it captures 15 investor perspectives on the commercial viability and development impact of companies that source from smallholder farmers.

There is a strong need for increased adoption of sustainable agricultural practices to bring the food from farm to fork while addressing three major challenges: feeding a growing population, providing a livelihood for farmers, and environmental protection. This is where decentralised renewable energy (DRE) technologies must play a key role. Moreover, as innovation in DRE-powered agricultural equipment and appliances steam ahead, their technical and commercial viability will improve further. Based on best practices from the 15 case studies, this publication makes recommendations for public and private stakeholders.