Donors and national governments have seen approaches to agriculture and rural development shift and become increasingly complex over the past two decades, as crises have reshaped geopolitical relations. Between 690 million and 783 million people faced hunger in 2022.10 That was 122 million more than before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which accentuated fragility and weaknesses in agricultural sectoral planning and implementation. In 2022, these effects were compounded by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While world poverty has been substantially alleviated over the last several decades, and about 3.8 million fewer people suffered from hunger in 2022 than in 2021, recent crises are eroding progress, and many serious challenges must be overcome to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The "Towards a More Competitive, Inclusive and Resilient Agrifood Sector in Argentina" is a World Bank assessment prepared for the Government of the Argentine Republic (GoA) to support public policy and program formulation in the agrifood sector. This Review addresses the sector’s past performance and trends and options for policies to support the future development of the sector, while bearing in mind local and international experiences. The Review is based on analyses of agrifood sector data and case studies and benefited from fruitful dialogue through in-person interviews and consultations with various sector stakeholders, institutions and experts from Argentina and abroad.

In 2023, the world returned to older, Cold War-like patterns with decidedly modern twists. There was considerable speculation the world was slipping into a new Cold War rife with conflict. Wars openly raged in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, the Sudan, Syria,and many others. With so many conflicts, humanitarian workers in Sudan asked if allies were forgetting about the largest human displacement crisis in the world. NATO was seen dusting off military plans that reflected Cold War strategies. The International Monetary Fund asked how to preserve economic cooperation amid geopolitical tensions and a rocky economic recovery. We have similar questions about environmental cooperation. The climate, biodiversity, and pollution crises continue to loom over these geopolitical and technological worries. Environmental crises can exacerbate conflict and vice versa.

The Nepalese Agricultural Extension System has experienced conceptual, structural, and institutional changes during the last seven decades. During this period, various extension approaches and models were tried, adapted and discarded. In 1999, the Government of Nepal (GoN) through the Local Self Government Act 1999 (LSGA 1999) endorsed a decentralized agriculture extension system to address the need for bottom-up planning, self-rule, territorial integrity and upliftment of local economy. It was one of the major paradigm shifts in agricultural service delivery in Nepal. However, the full implementation of LSGA (1999) remained incomplete and agriculture service delivery remained weak (Jaishi et al. 2022 a &b) as the institutional capability and competencies of implementers were not considered.

Farmers are the key to achieve Sustainable Food Security. What farmers produce is the precondition to attain the UN Sustainable Development Goal number 2. FAO stated in 2009 the multiple challenges facing agriculture in the 21st century: Higher production of food, feed and fiber is needed for a growing population. The rural labour force is smaller, and more feed stocks for a potentially huge bio-energy market is needed. Agriculture must contribute to the overall development in agriculture-dependent developing countries. Agriculture must adopt more efficient and sustainable production methods and adapt to climate change. Farmers feel and take responsibility of these challenges. However, eradication of hunger and poverty alleviation for the world’s 10 billion people by 2050 is the responsibility of the whole global society. It is clear, though, that farmers are in the forefront of the challenges. To be able to solve the challenges, farmers need appropriate political and legal frameworks. The voices of farmers must therefore be heard and listened to. Decision-makers must consider the diversity of global agriculture and take into account their practical needs.

The Agricultural Extension Policy Forum was held the 12th and 13th of May 2015 in Accra, Ghana at the Best Western Premier Accra Airport Hotel. The overarching purpose of the Forum was to promote policy dialogue and conduct a stakeholder review of Ghana’s existing agricultural extension policy and its implementation. Sixty-two people participated in the Forum with representatives from the public, private, and civil society sectors. 

Several opening presentations set the dynamic tone of the Forum. This included a presentation on Liberia’s National Policy for Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services, a presentation which identified elements of effective extension policies, one which looked at policy from farmers’ perspectives, and one which informed participants about continental and Ghanaian agricultural extension apex organizations. 

Policies and market incentives for smallholder-inclusive food value chains This book offers an in-depth analyses of value chain policies, past and present in West Africa. The book contains a large number of in-depth case studies of food value chains in particular countries, including traditional export commodities (cocoa, cotton), high value exports (mangoes, horticulture) and the most important staple food value chains (oil palm, rice, maize, sorghum and millet and cassava) in the region. It also contains a large number of private and public initiatives, and thematic analyses relating to the role of the private agro-industry and producer organisations and their role as market agents.

A rapid appraisal of rural extension in Brazil (English)

Strategy 2011-2015

Echoing the voice of Pacific Youth

Policy brief 10/2010 by the Secretariat of Pacific Community SPC