This paper uses trade data from the COMESA statistical database covering 19 countries covering the period 1997 to 2013 to analyze the trade competitiveness of selected agricultural commodities traded among COMESA member states using the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) methodology. The computed RCA indices showed that countries in the COMESA region had fluctuating advantages in trade in different food staples over the years.
Investing in agriculture is one of the most effective ways of promoting agricultural productivity, reducing poverty and enhancing environmental sustainability, according to FAO’s flagship annual report, which released last week in Rome.
An inception workshop for a new research project entitled, “Promoting Participatory and Evidence-Based Agricultural Policy Processes in Africa (PEBAP)”, was held in Dakar, Senegal on 30 May to 1 June 2012. Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project is being jointly implemented by IFPRI and the Universities of Kiel and Hohenheim, in collaboration with lo
Five African countries - Burundi, the Gambia, Malawi, Senegal and Tanzania –will receive a total of $160.5 million grants from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) to improve the food security in the nations.
In 2011, the Horn of Africa was hit by the worst drought in 60 years. The extreme weather condition affected over 13 million people, principally pastoralists and farmers, and triggered a severe food crisis in the area, especially in Somalia. How to enhance the resilience in Horn of Africa became an urgent agenda for the international development world.
Zambia has put forth the foundations for a 2-year visionary agricultural investment plan from 2011-2013 that provides a unique opportunity to achieve their vision as a "middle income" country by 2030.
The Vision 2020 Conference, "Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition & Health," concluded February 12th in New Delhi, India. The objective of the conference, "to inform, influence, and catalyze action by key actors—policymakers, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, educators, and researchers—to better use investments in agriculture to achieve nutrition security and good health for the world’s poorest people," is well aligned with the CAADP agenda.
Investing in agriculture is one of the most effective ways of promoting agricultural productivity, reducing poverty and enhancing environmental sustainability, according to FAO’s flagship annual report, which released last week in Rome.
Zambia has put forth the foundations for a 2-year visionary agricultural investment plan from 2011-2013 that provides a unique opportunity to achieve their vision as a "middle income" country by 2030.