Executive Summary. Kenya’s agricultural sector contributes 25% of the GDP directly and a further 27% through market linkages and agro industry. The government therefore emphasizes on stimulating growth and transformation in the sector. In Murang’a County agriculture activities are estimated to be 60% of the county’s economic income and 70% of local employment. However, Extension […]
What’s the issue?Rising temperatures, longer droughts, more severe storms, warming oceans, and recurring floods are already threatening global agriculture and food security. Most smallholder farmers in middle-and low-income countries have limited abilities to respond and adapt to these climate risks. While highly vulnerable to climate change, agriculture is also a major source of greenhouse gas […]
Food systems are anchored in three fundamental areas: People; Planet and Prosperity. The transformation of food systems is a scorching architype across the globe, in response to concerns about the nutritional, environmental and equity impacts of our current system. Food system transformation is inextricably linked with efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty, since the livelihoods […]
Regional integration has been promoted in Africa since the post-independence to ensure that states agree to cooperate and work closely together to achieve stability and wealth. In the 2000s, commitments, including Malabo Declaration on accelerated agricultural growth and transformation for shared prosperity and improved livelihoods by 2025, were made [1-2]. The AfCFTA agreement signed by […]
Climate change is having a devastating impact on Africa, with extreme weather events costing the continent an estimated $50 billion annually by 2050. However, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) offers low-cost, eco-friendly, and integrated solutions to transform and reorient African agriculture production systems in the face of climate change. The CSA action will help to i) boost […]
In Africa, over 85% of the population (1.42 billion) depend on subsistence farming for livelihood [1], thus making most of the national economies solely based on agriculture without the support of the advanced manufacturing sector. The African food system is off-track, and climate is changing profoundly, making climate change and food insecurity one of the […]
Uganda’s agricultural extension face challenges like fake inputs, climate change, limited market information, gender related issues and the higher numbers of extension to farmer ratio. The departure from the non-conventional agriculture to more digital agriculture led to the existence of digital connection for the farming communities where the last mile is the main target group […]
This policy brief stems from a thorough examination of the policy landscape governing the agricultural sector in Kenya. It delves into the intricacies of existing policies, paying special attention to their stance on digital Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (AEAS). The study identifies policies that play a pivotal role in either fostering or hindering the […]
On the 2nd November 2023, AFAAS in collaboration with FARA organised a policy development training for its stakeholders (Country Fora , Regional Fora and Secretariat Staff) that was aimed at building their technical capacities in policy and how to effectively engage policymakers using policy briefs as an advocacy tool. A policy brief is a vital […]
MAKING AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES MORE EFFECTIVE IN AFRICA: A GENDER EQUALITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION APPROACH Key Messages▪ Vast studies in Africa reveal the challenges of inadequate agricultural extension services and gender gaps in access to extension services and the adoption of improved technologies in the face of climate change.▪ Inequalities in access to […]
The transformation of food systems is a burning topic across the globe, in response to concerns about the nutritional, environmental and equity impacts of our current system. Food system transformation is inextricably linked with efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty, since the livelihoods of a large share of the world’s rural poor people are based […]
Abuja-Nigeria: The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar has called for all African countries to embrace climate smart agriculture if they want to see an Africa where food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty will be reduced and Farmers livelihoods improved. Dr. Abubakar stated this at the Regional Policy Dialogue on Integration of Climate […]
Accra-Ghana: The African forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) on the 16th September signed a Memorandum of Understanding with The European Alliance on Agricultural Knowledge for Development (AGRINATURA) during the Science and Partnerships for Agriculture Conference held in Accra Ghana. The objective of the Memorandum of Understanding is to foster collaboration and strengthen working relationship […]
A recent desk study assesses the aim for, and extent of, gender integration in policy documents of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the Framework for African Agricultural Productivity (FAAP) and the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS). It proposes recommendations to strengthen gender integration in AFAAS documents to enhance the attainment of […]
The preparations for the 2nd Symposium of the Uganda Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (UFAAS) is in full gear. The Symposium is slated to run from 5th to 7th May 2020 under the theme of: “Positioning Extension and Advisory Services for the National Agricultural Priorities of commercialization and Agro-industrialization”. The Symposium shall be held in […]