Poverty reduction through agricultural improvement and access to credit: a confirmation from the small-holder farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria

In an attempt to reduce poverty and improve agricultural productivity and therefore income of the rural people (who are mostly small-scale farmers), the federal government of Nigeria and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have jointly funded the Rural Finance Institution Building Programme (RUFIN), with the aim to improve agriculture, poverty reduction and employment generation. In Nigeria small-scale agriculture is the main provider to the economic development and food security and this research has provided insight into how the Rural Finance Institution Building Programme (RUFIN) has empowered the target rural poor dwellers who are mostly small-holder farmers in generating sustainable incomes through agricultural activities. The overall objective of this research is to evaluate how the (RUFIN Programme) contributed to the poverty reduction and livelihood improvement of the rural farmers in the study area through agricultural improvement and access to credit. The findings were presented using thematic or content analysis for the summary of the data generated from the study area

Organic agriculture governance in the global south: new opportunities for participation in agricultural development and livelihood outcomes

[Extract] The expansion of organic agriculture in the Global South is frequently associated with positive social, environmental and economic outcomes (see for example Parrott and Marsden, 2002; Thamaga-Chitja and Hendriks, 2008; Willer and Kilcher, 2011). Non-government organizations, international development agencies and researchers, amongst others, cite smallholders as foremost amongst its beneficiaries. In the 2000s a range of participatory organic regulatory models have emerged that aim to incorporate diverse stakeholder interests, including smallholders, into decision-making processes, thereby delivering positive out­comes for such stakeholders. The rhetoric of collaborative and inclusive decision making suggests such deliberative processes will be integral in delivering socially and environmentally sustainable agricultural development. But to what extent do emerging forms of organic governance enable actors from the Global South to actually participate in shaping the expanding organic sector? What are the impacts and outcomes of this participation - including livelihood outcomes - as well as the broader socio-ecological impacts of the expanding organic sector for the Global South

Climate change perceptions and adaptations of smallholder farmers in Eastern Kenya

Several studies have indicated the importance of understanding farmers’ perceptions of risks associated with climate change, the adaptation strategies they employ and factors that affect adaptive capacity. This study aimed to understand smallholder farmers’ perceptions of climate change, adaptation strategies and adaptive capacity in the semiarid Matungulu Sub-County, Eastern Kenya. A participatory approach, using three climate roundtables, was conducted to enhance community participation and understanding of climate change issues. The study showed that farmers’ perceptions concerning climate change are influenced by past experiences of weather extremes that have affected production levels and farm incomes. The farmers have made strategic responses to manage risks posed by climate change. However, they face several challenges in adaptation such as inadequate technical knowledge, low financial resources and inadequate land size. Further, the study showed that climate roundtables is a successful participatory approach that can give effective insights for smallholder farmers to understand agricultural vulnerability, climate change and their adaptation strategies