Ethiopian needs to achieve accelerated agricultural development along a sustainable commercialization path to alleviate poverty and ensure overall national development. In this regard, sustainable commercial of smallholder dairying provides a viable and growing opportunity; with deliberate, appropriate and sustained policy support. A recent empirical analysis concludes however, that Ethiopian smallholder dairy sub-sector has not been able to take-off despite decades of development interventions.
This paper explores the application of the innovation systems framework to the design and construction of national agricultural innovation indicators. Optimally, these indicators could be used to gauge and benchmark national performance in developing more responsive, dynamic, and innovative agricultural sectors in developing countries.
Innovation system approach offers an holistic, multidisciplinary and comprehensive framework for analyzing innovation process, the roles of science and technology actors and their interactions, emphazing on wider stakeholder participation, linkages and institutional context of innovation and processes. This paper was aimed to: 1. review the concept of innovation system; 2. appraise the application to agriculture and its relevance and 3. analyze the policy implications for agricultural extension delivery in Nigeria.
This report addresses the establishment of a centralized information and communication technology (ICT) platform for the microfinance sector in Nepal. It has been shown from international experience that ICT improves the efficiency, transparency, and outreach of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and reduces operational costs. There is an opportunity in Nepal to implement similar solutions, and this report provides information on these solutions and offers recommendations for implementing them in Nepal.
Este trabajo reúne cuatro profundos estudios sobre cuestiones estratégicas del sector agropecuario, los alimentos y la agroenergía en el país, a partir de una mirada detallada del escenario internacional y el lugar de la Argentina en él. El momento de su lanzamiento no podría ser más oportuno. Hoy el mundo, y con él la Argentina, enfrentan el desafío de satisfacer la demanda creciente de alimentos y, al mismo tiempo, garantizar su acceso a cada vez más personas, sin poner en riesgo el desarrollo sustentable ni la seguridad energética.
Maize production is of critical importance to smallholder farmers in Ghana. Various factors limit the productivityof smallholder maize farming systems undergirded by the lack of capital for critical investments both at the farmand at national policy levels. Using a value chain approach, this diagnostic study explains how a complex configuration of actor interaction within an institutionally and agro-ecologically challenged value chain leads tothe enduring absence of maize farming credit support.
This regional workshop was designed to strengthen the capabilities of representatives of NIFUs for analyzing the situations of their NAIS, and to use their national experiences to identify strengths, weaknesses, and threats/challenges affecting seven key areas influencing development of NAIS, namely: (i) strategy/policy, (ii) institutional aspects, (iii) stakeholders, (iv) content, (v) people, (vi) infrastructure, and (vii) financial aspects. Possible solutions for the key weaknesses and threats /challenges were defined by participants.
Presentation for the AARINENA General Assembly. Damascus. 12-14 October 2008 on enhancing Information and Knowledge Systems for Agricultural Research and Innovation in West Asia and North Africa (WANA). In particular, the presentation outlines the need to enhance Information and Knowledge Systems in WANA, the priority areas for enhancing information and knowledge systems in WANA, the role of GFAR and its members in enhancing information and knowledge systems in WANA.
Ethiopia has a diverse agro-ecology and sufficient surface and ground water resources, suitable for growing various temperate and tropical fruits. Although various tropical and temperate fruits are grown in the lowland/midland and highland agro-ecologies, the area coverage is very limited. For example, banana export increased from less than 5,000 tons in 1961 to 60,000 tons in 1972, but in 2003 declined to about 1,300 tons worth less than USD 350,000.
The IPMS capacity building workshop was to develop the capacity and practical skill of frontline staff to integrate a gender and HIV/AIDS perspective into market-led agricultural development interventions and their day to day activities of rural development.