NGOs Operating at Farmer Level

The manual is targeted at small-scale irrigation actors – particularly technical services, projects and programmes with the potential to develop their own good practices for use by others in the sector. e manual o-ers guidance to newcomers, helping them to identify existing successful practices. It will also serve to guide state and TFP services in their development of new programmes and projects. Lastly, this good practice manual will enable Malian actors to share their know-how with other countries within and beyond the sub-region.

Contribution à l’adaptation au changement climatique et à la résilience des producteurs au Sahel

A contribution to adaptation and farmers´ resilience towards climate change in the Sahel

Comme les femmes fournissent, en moyenne, plus de 40% de la main-d'œuvre agricole mondiale, cette monographie souligne que les femmes sont la clé du développement rural. Cet échantillon de fiches d'information traite des sujets suivants :

Brochure 1 : Genre et développement rural ;

Brochure 2 : Genre et vulgarisation agricole ;

Brochure 3 : Genre et accès à la terre ;

Brochure 4 : Genre et sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle ;

Brochure 5 : Genre et pêche et aquaculture ;

Brochure 6 : Genre et production animale ;

Brochure 7 : Genre et chaînes de valeur

As women provide, on avergage, more than 40% of the agricultural labor force worldwide, this monography stresses women as key for rural development. This sample of factsheets talks about the following topics:

Brochure 1: Gender and Rural Development;

Brochure 2: Gender and Agricultural Extension;

Brochure 3: Gender and Access to Land;

Brochure 4: Gender and Food & Nutrition Security;

Brochure 5: Gender and Fischeries & Aquaculture;

Brochure 6: Gender and Livestock Production;

Brochure 7: Gender and Value Chains

Review of research findings, options for mitigation and recommendations for development cooperation

his paper contributes to emerging research on the impacts of climate change on communities in the Global South by mapping and analyzing its impacts on rural livelihoods in semi-arid Matobo District in Zimbabwe. It investigates the possibilities and scope for climate change adaptation in this region as communal households adjust and diversify their livelihood portfolios. In so doing, it finds that climate change has had remarkable consequences on the livelihoods of people in this semi-arid area. It has altered the ecosystem leading to the disappearance of certain plant and insect species that were an essential part of the local natural habitat and livelihoods of local people. Rainfall patterns have also become unpredictable leading to erratic, mostly, poor farming seasons with direct implications on the local food system and rural economy. In response to these climate change induced impacts, a variety of new livelihood strategies are emerging as households seek to cushion themselves against this threat to their sustainability. However, a pertinent question is: how far can these adaptation strategies evolve under the increasing pressure of climate change impacts? In other words, are these communal households urging towards tipping points?

The reality of climate change is now a well-accepted reality and there is emerging evidence that climate changeposes a massive threat for development especially in poor countries. An understanding of the emerging trends of climate change and its effects in local ecologies is an important starting point in addressing the negative effects of climate change. This study sought to understand the impact of climate change on the livelihoods of local communities, focusing on Matobo District in Zimbabwe. The objective of the study was to understand how communities have been affected by climate change and how they are adapting to it as well as their perceptions about the gravity of the climate change phenomenon. The findings of the study were that the effects of climate change on livelihoods in the study area are alarming. Climate change has altered the physical geography of the area leading to a disappearance of flora and fauna and other natural habitat that constituted the livelihoods of the local people. Declining precipitation and rising temperatures are making farming increasingly more difficult,and thus aggravating food insecurity in the area. Urgent climate change programming steps must be taken to prevent a livelihoods catastrophe in semi arid regions in sub-Saharan Africa.

Small holder farmers in the semi-arid areas have not been able to utilize seasonal climate forecasts in making crop management decisions due to limited exposure as well as failure to interpret it. Three participatory meetings were held with farmers in Lower Gweru and Lupane Districts of Zimbabwe soon after the release of the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 seasonal climate forecast in September of each season. This was done to solicit for farmers’ prediction of the coming rainy season and come up with field test crop management practices. Farmers have their sets of indicators that they rely on to forecast seasonal rainfall which are based on generations of past experience that include environmental, biological, and traditional beliefs. There is however, need to investigate how their indicators compare with the scientific forecast in making farming decisions. Farmers claimed that the rains were starting later and finishing earlier whilst analysis of the rainfall record showed that starting rains have been later by 5 to 10 days in the last five years. There was an increase in the number of dry spells in the rainy season in the last five years compared to the period 1980 to 2008. Adding recommended amounts of fertilizers resulted in yield increases of 40% compared to adding half the recommended amounts. Growing long season varieties resulted in higher yields (22%) than growing short season varieties in the 2009/2010 wetter season while growing of shorter season variety had yield advantage (36%) over the long season variety in the 2009/2010 which was relatively dry. Frequent weeding resulted in about 8% increase in maize yields compared to weeding once in a season. The study demonstrates that knowledge of the coming season assists smallholder farmers in coming up with adaptive strategies for climate variability and change.

The purpose of the RLAT is to provide a sufficiently accurate pre-screening tool for identifying intervention points along agribusiness Value Chains (VCs), working out incentives for VC operators and proposing measures to reduce pre- and post-harvest losses. The tool supports the design of concrete interventions that have the primary aim of improving food security at the subsistence level, either on farms or in communities, and the secondary aim of upgrading specific VCs.