Publications

In West Africa, domestic investors acquire plots of farm land using their connections, powers and resources. Some policy makers view these investments as a shift towards agribusiness and state that these “new actors” will modernise and professionalize farming and smallholders are asked to make space. Who are those new actors, how did they obtain the land, under what conditions, and how are they investing? Why are authorities engaging in these land transactions and what are the consequences for local farming, rural livelihoods and the environment? This paper presents results of a 2010 survey on the acquisition of rural land by agro-investors in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. It explores implications for agricultural “modernisation” and discusses local responses to regulate this phenomenon.

A capability statement concerning our work on Agriculture in Africa which focuses on equity and growth for smallholders.

La présente note thématique est basée sur les expériences de la SNV en matière d’appui aux pasteurs en Afrique, en vue d’améliorer leurs moyens d’existence. Elle se fonde sur une large gamme d’études de cas qui, à travers le continent, mettent en évidence un certain nombre de traits communs aux
pratiques des pasteurs. La collaboration avec les pasteurs nous a appris qu’ils ne sont pas les traditionalistes que l’on décrit souvent. Ils s’adaptent au changement rapide comme tout autre groupe en Afrique. La présente note met en exergue l’éventail de stratégies d’adaptation, d’options de commercialisation et de mécanismes institutionnels qui ont cours à l’heure actuelle au sein de ces communautés. Ces expériences démontrent que le travail de la SNV a permis d’apporter des améliorations  tangibles aux moyens d’existence des éleveurs, tout en augmentant leur contribution au développement écon omique dans certains des milieux les plus difficiles en Afrique aujourd’hui.

The document presents the summaries of the 12 case studies used to illustrate SNV practices which contributed to the writing of the practice brief N° 4 focusing on Gender and Agriculture (see: www.snvworld.org/en/sectors/agriculture/publications/gender-and-agriculture-practice-brief). The summaries provide an insight of the gender issue and what practices SNV implemented to address to this specific constraint. The document also offers you hyperlinks at the end of each summary to enable you read the full intervention.

Le travail de la SNV dans le secteur Agriculture est basé sur une approche à trois volets : un positionnement renforcé des paysans  dans la chaîne de valeur, la promotion d’une agriculture favorable au climat et la facilitation pour un meilleur accès à l’alimentation. Les interventions ciblant l’atteinte du troisième objectif tentent d’apporter des solutions pour garantir les 4 dimensions principales de la sécurité alimentaire que sont la disponibilité, l’accès, l’utilisation et la stabilité alimentaire tels que défini par la FAO. La situation alimentaire en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre demeure fragile bien que le potentiel agro-écologique de la région soit suffisamment important pour satisfaire la demande croissante, avec un recours aux importations pour un nombre limité de produits. Cette déclaration de capacité de la SNV sur la sécurité alimentaire en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre présente différents axes d’intervention et résultats contribuant à garantir la sécurité alimentaire des populations vulnérables de la sous-région.

Energy in Africa capability statement

The study identifies the following challenges faced by cattle trade in WCA : (i) Securing regional cattle trade within a rather unpredictable global setting (ii) Satisfy the dynamic regional demand through domestic production (iii) Reduce persisting bureaucratic hardship (iv) Improve the organisation of the regional cattle trade while taking into account the strengths of the traditional set-up (v) Improve the governance of local cattle markets (vi) Improve the position of small-scale pastoralists within the value chain (Study in French).

SNV’s work in the agricultural sector is based on a three-pronged approach: enhanced positioning of (smallholder) farmers within value chains, promotion of climate friendly agriculture and facilitating increased access to food. Intervention related to the third objective aim to provide solutions that guaranty the four main dimensions of food security which are food availability, access, utilization and stability as defined by FAO. The food situation in West and Central Africa remains fragile though the region’s agro-ecological potential is high enough to satisfy rising demands, with recourse to imports for a limited number of products. This SNV capability statement on food security in West and Central Africa presents the different interventions axes and some results contributing to guaranty food security of vulnerable population in the sub-region.

This practice brief explores women and gender issues in SNV Netherlands Development Organisation’s support to agricultural value chains in Africa and Asia. Across the two regions there are wide disparities in women’s access to and control over productive resources, service delivery and market opportunities. Drawing on a wide variety of case studies, the Brief describes various ways in which the underlying gender constraints are identified and addressed, through an explicit focus on women’s economic and social empowerment.

La présente note thématique porte sur les questions relatives aux femmes et à l’équité du genre du genre dans l’appui apporté par la SNV -Organisation Néerlandaise de Développement-, aux chaînes de valeur agricoles en Afrique et en Asie. Il existe à travers ces deux régions d’importantes disparités en matière d’accès des femmes aux ressources et aux moyens  de production, aux services ainsi que de leur contrôle et aux possibilités d’accès aux marchés. Se fondant sur une large gamme d’études de cas, cette note décrit différentes façons dont les contraintes de genre sous-jacentes sont identifiées et abordées, en mettant explicitement l’accent sur l’autonomisation économique et l’inclusion  sociale des femmes...

Summary of a desk and field study done by IRAM, with as main objective “to assess the SNV positioning choices in relation to its contribution to food security and -sovereignty in West and Central Africa countries”. Results were: Definition of key issues in food security for vulnerable actors; Establishment of relation between SNV position choices and food security strategies for vulnerable actors; Mapping of both successful household and community strategies as well as government policies securing access to food, which are relevant for SNV; Development of an analytical tool that can be used to measure the contribution/impacts on food security and food sovereignty. 

This practice brief shares SNV's experiences in supporting pastoralists in Africa to improve their livelihoods. It bringstogether a wide variety of cases from across the continent that draw out a number of commonalities in pastoralist practices, for instance their management of water resources in Tanzania and Niger. But it highlights as well the diversity of the contexts within which pastoralism operates, as seen in the contrasting scales of dairy processing in Kenya, Niger and Burkina Faso, or the different roles played by local brokers in the livestock markets of Southern Sudan and Benin. Working with pastoralists has taught us that they are not the traditionalists they are often depicted to be. They are adapting to rapid change as much as any other group in Africa. This Practice Brief highlights a variety of adaptation strategies, commercialisation options and institutional arrangements that are currently in use. These diverse experiences demonstrate that SNV support has helped bring about tangible improvements in pastoralist livelihoods, whilst increasing their contribution to economic  development in some of the most challenging environments in Africa today.