CTA Stories from the Field

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/103381

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Going to scale with ICTs for agriculture: Stories from the field
(Report, 2017-12) Willmott-Harrop, Elizabeth; Pye-Smith, Charlie
The huge potential of ICTs for agriculture (ICT4Ag), from increasing agricultural yields to helping farmers get a fairer price for their produce, is well documented. Technologies such as SMS applications, mobile banking and satellite data have been used successfully to give agricultural stakeholders access to farm mapping, weather data, marketing tools, financial credit, advice from extension workers, and social networks, among other things. These technological applications are capable of reaching hundreds of millions of smallholder farmers and stakeholders in rural areas, acting as a catalyst for positive change and in achieving the SDGs. However, limits on their reach include poor internet connectivity in the rural areas of developing nations, high illiteracy rates among smallholder farmers and fishers, and the inability of pilot projects to go to scale due to lack of long-term funding or not having measures for their sustainability built into the programme design. This booklet will inspire agricultural stakeholders around the world – from the smallholder farmer to governments and their international trading partners – to further realise the remarkable change that ICTs can effect in the lives of rural and farming communities.
Transforming food systems in the Pacific: Stories from the field
(Report, 2017-12) Pye-Smith, Charlie
Many islands import most of their food, much of which is calorie-dense and of low nutritional value. It may be cheaper than local produce, but a diet based on imported food is leading to a whole range of health problems. All too often, nutritious indigenous foods are ignored by local populations, as they are seen as ‘poor people’s food’. Tourism has been rapidly expanding in both regions, yet there is a disconnect between the tourist market and local producers. Indeed, 70% of the food used in the tourist industry in the Pacific is imported. As this booklet shows, creating closer links between tourism and agriculture – agritourism – can help to reduce the food import bill and at the same time boost local food production, and therefore the incomes of island farmers. With support from the intra-ACP Agricultural Policy Programme funded by the European Union, CTA has been actively promoting links between the two regions and encouraging them to share their knowledge and experience. On the one hand, CTA has provided policy support which has brought together government ministries with the private sector to promote agritourism. CTA also played a key role in establishing the Chefs for Development Initiative, which is creating closer links between the hospitality industry and local farmers. Over time, these endeavours will help to generate income and employment across the value chain.
In search of fair trade: Stories from the field
(Report, 2016-12) Pye-Smith, Charlie
The narratives of people in this booklet tell the story of how structured trade has changed lives of smallholders in Eastern Africa. It is a story of hope for millions of disadvantaged farmers and for consumers, but it is also a cautionary tale – when a trader in Nakuru lost his access to the local warehouse, the trading system collapsed, to the detriment of farmers, traders and financiers alike. Talk to farmers like those featured in this booklet and you are unlikely to hear the term ‘structured trade’ – this is the language of experts – but there is little doubt that they see how the approach brings many benefits.
A la recherche du commerce équitable : Chroniques du terrain
(Report, 2016-12-31) Pye-Smith, Charlie
Les témoignages des personnes interviewées dans cet ouvrage montrent comment le commerce structuré a changé la vie des petits producteurs en Afrique de l’Est. C’est à la fois un message d’espoir pour des millions d’exploitants défavorisés et de consommateurs, et une mise en garde : lorsqu’un négociant à Nakuru perd son droit d’accès à l’entrepôt local c’est le système de commercialisation qui s’effondre, au détriment des producteurs, des négociants et des bailleurs de fonds. En parlant aux producteurs tels que ceux présentés dans cet ouvrage, il est peu probable que vous entendiez l’expression « commerce structuré » – c’est la terminologie des experts – mais il ne fait aucun doute qu’ils constatent les nombreux avantages offerts par cette approche.
Lutte contre le changement climatique - Des solutions efficaces pour les producteurs : Chroniques du terrain
(Report, 2016-12-31) Pye-Smith, Charlie
Cette brochure illustre une sélection de pratiques, d’outils et de politiques agricoles climato-intelligentes qui ont déjà un impact sur la vie et les moyens de subsistance des producteurs. Elle a été rédigée suite à un appel à études de cas lancé par le CTA sur les pratiques climato-intelligentes qui fonctionnent au niveau local et semblent prometteuses à plus grande échelle.
Promoting climate-smart farming in sub-Saharan Africa: Stories from the field
(Report, 2018-11-19) Pye-Smith, Charlie
Climate-smart agricultural innovations and policies are helping farmers to increase their resilience in the face of more frequent and adverse weather variabilities. As this booklet shows, projects supported by CTA in Eastern and Southern Africa are assisting pastoralists and smallholder farmers adapt to climate change by adopting a number of important measures. Access to accurate, geo-referenced weather information and agronomic tips is leading to better decision-making. The planting of drought-tolerant varieties of staple crops is increasing yields and incomes. Index-based insurance is helping farmers to survive droughts and other weather shocks. These projects show that climate-smart strategies can raise agricultural production and improve living standards.
How farmers are making the most of digital technologies in East Africa: Stories from the field
(Report, 2018-02) Pye-Smith, Charlie
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) offer unprecedented opportunities to transform agriculture in Africa. ICT innovations are opening up exciting opportunities for young entrepreneurs to engage at various stages of the agricultural value chain, from developing solutions that make the agri-food sector more productive to setting up services that facilitate market access for smallholder producers. Ready and timely access to extensive data is helping to boost farm productivity while improving resource use efficiency and reducing the need for expensive inputs. The stories told here show that ICTs are enabling farmers to access information about everything from the weather to market prices, from agricultural best practice to controlling pests and diseases. Mobile platforms are also helping farmers to gain access to credit and therefore the means to improve their productivity and incomes. In short, ICTs are helping to make agriculture more profitable and sustainable.
Strengthening local food production and trade in the Caribbean: Stories from the field
(Report, 2017) Pye-Smith, Charlie
Governments, the private sector, and small-scale farmers all have an important role to play when it comes to increasing home-grown food production, and the stories told in this booklet provide an insight into a variety of projects and programmes that are helping Caribbean islands to become more self-sufficient.
Climate solutions that work for farmers: Stories from the field
(Report, 2015) Pye-Smith, Charlie
Smallholder farmers in developing countries are likely to be among the people hardest hit by climate change because of agriculture’s dependence on weather and the low level of resilience of farming to climate variability and change. The good news is that innovative approaches are being developed to meet this challenge. One of these approaches – climate-smart agriculture – aims to increase farm productivity and incomes in a sustainable manner, enable farmers to adapt and build resilience to climate change and (where possible) reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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