Whether or not farmers believe human activities are changing the climate (many don’t), an agriculture specialist urges them to pursue payments for techniques that return carbon to the soil.
Drying coffee beans in Bugitimwa village, in the area of Mt. Elgon, eastern Uganda.
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In the 1980’s Uganda was one of the largest coffee exporters in the world, far ahead of Vietnam which hardly exported any. Now the tables have turned raising interesting comparative questions.
Lack of support for beneficiaries of land reform in South Africa has seen many new farmers fail to live off the land.
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
South Africa’s government makes much of its efforts of putting more land in the hands of the previously disenfranchised black majority. Yet, many beneficiaries continue to wallow in poverty.
Was Barnaby Joyce’s international comparison correct?
AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said backpackers would be better off working in Australia with a 19% tax than in New Zealand, England and Canada. Is that true? And what would a 15% or 10.5% tax mean?
Drought tolerant beans in Malawi. Africa needs improved agricultural practices to be implemented by smallholder farmers.
Neil Palmer/CGIAR Research Program/ Flickr
South Africa’s Western Cape is the first region in the country to put together a comprehensive plan to help farmers deal with changes in weather patterns brought on by climate change.
Maize is a staple food in South Africa. Its production is likely to decline by half this year due to drought. The poor will be the hardest hit.
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South Africa has been hit by a severe drought and will not be able to produce enough maize - its staple food - in 2016. This will prompt a rise in imports and therefore food prices.
Tens of millions of smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa have a stake in improving the health of the soil their cattle graze on.
Reuters/Goran Tomasevic
Channing Arndt, United Nations University; James Thurlow, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) , and Karl Pauw, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Malawi’s large-scale subsidy for farmers has resulted in higher maize production, lower food prices and higher wages. But this has come at significant costs.
Globally vulnerable yellow-breasted pipits are endemic grassland specialists severely affected by current farming practices.
Warwick Tarboton
The seed industry in sub-Saharan Africa suffers from many challenges. India, which has one of the biggest seed markets in the world, offers some lessons on how these challenges could be overcome.
A South African farmer from Piketberg 100km outside Cape Town inspects the dry soil in his field of sewn wheat. It is cheaper to import the crop than to grow it commercially.
Epa/Nic Bothma
South Africa’s agricultural industry has struggled over the past 20 years due to the country’s rush to liberalise the sector while other countries continued to support their farmers.
Coffee is one of Africa’s major exports.
Hereward Holland/Reuters