Deforestation is a complex issue that has gained prominence in worldwide political agendas, sparking a wide array of measures, public and private, that aim to enhance forest conservation. In this regard, this paper seeks to illustrate examples of measures that Costa Rica, Peru, Rwanda, Indonesia, and Gabon, agriculture commodity-producing countries in the Global South, have put in place to address deforestation while exploring the potential synergies with voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs). Addressing deforestation requires a strategy that includes many complementary measures, and in designing such measures, it is useful to learn from the experiences of governments that have implemented different measures or approaches. The experiences of the selected countries can provide useful starting points for governments in the Global South seeking to preserve their forests and comply with emerging regulations and international frameworks that target deforestation-free commodity production, as well as forest conservation and restoration more broadly.

Agrifood systems encompass primary agricultural production of food and non-food products (from crops, livestock, fisheries, forestry and aquaculture), the production of food of non-agricultural origin (e.g. synthetic meat), the food supply chain from producer to consumer and the final consumer of food. Globally, these systems produce some 11 billion tonnes of food each year and form the backbone of many economies. In an ideal world, agrifood systems would be resilient, inclusive and sustainable, producing sufficient, safe and nutritious food for all, and generating livelihoods that guarantee people’s economic access to that food. Today, however, agrifood systems fail to keep about 10 percent of the world’s population free from hunger. Increasingly, food supply chains and the livelihoods of agrifood systems’ actors are disrupted by shocks – from droughts and floods to armed conflict and food price hikes – and long-term stresses, including climate change and environmental degradation. 

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, and agriculture is one of the engines of economic and social development. The agricultural sector contributes 16.1% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 33% of formal employment and the food security of the population. There are 260,000 producers involved in agricultural production. The present experience has been developed in Cantagallo, in the municipality of Condega, in the department of Estelí, which has been declared an Ecological Park by the Mayor's Office. Agricultural production in Cantagallo is focused on small livestock, vegetables, high-altitude coffee, basic grains, potatoes, and others. The school model is based on the experience developed by the Organic Agriculture Movement of Nicaragua (MAONIC), in which agroecological technological innovations are promoted through a "learning by doing" approach and is being developed in the Municipal Climate Change Platform, an entity led by the Mayor's Office of Condega, with the participation of public and private actors.

This report dives deep into a reality of agriculture: the sector is undergoing profound technological change at an accelerating pace. New technologies, unimaginable just a few years ago, are rapidly emerging. Many of the most recent technologies facilitate precision agriculture, a management strategy that uses information to optimize input and resource use. Recent technological developments may astound and amaze, inspiring the desire to learn more. However, it is important to remember that technological change is not a new phenomenon and, crucially, not all agrifood systems actors have access to it. FAO has been studying this subject for decades. What we see today is no more than a consolidation point – for now – of a lengthy process of technological change in agriculture that has been accelerating over the last two centuries.

Chile es un país líder en la exportación de alimentos, endonde la apicultura juega un rol fundamental y cuenta con más de 1.300.000 colmenas para apoyar la producción de alimentos a través de la polinización. Las buenas prácticas deben ser abordadas de generación en generación de apicultores para favorecer el mantenimiento de colmenas sanas y activas para la prestación de servicios sistémicos de polinización. Sin embargo, la apicultura nacional cuenta con pocos avances tecnológicos asociados a la actividad, sumado a la disminución de apicultores debido a que no existe un recambio generacional y a una precepción muy limitada sobre la actividad apícola por parte de las nuevas generaciones.

Countries have different approaches in providing agricultural advisory services to farmers; it is not clear which provide best services and lead to least human or environmental hazards. In China, agricultural extension workers, trained as plant doctors, run plant clinics with at least six varying degrees of linkage to agri-business. More than 20,000 farmer queries were recorded during > 3,800 plant clinic sessions between 2014 and 2015, including the diagnosis of > 125 plant health problems of > 70 common crops as well as the related pest management recommendations. Diagnosis and recommendations appeared of high quality across all plant clinic types. Agri-business-connected plant doctors provided slightly less complete written advice regarding integrated pest management options than did non-business plant doctors; but gave slightly more detailed advice. Business-connected plant doctors advised slightly more highly hazardous pesticides and fewer antibiotics than non-business doctors; but differences are tiny. Overall, agri-business-connected and non-business plant doctors comparably reached farmers.

Rice is the world’s most important staple food for some 4 billion people, while in Asia, the poorest of the poor derive up to 70% of their calorie intake from rice. The crop is produced by some 144 million farm households, and harvested from 166 million hectares annually. Rice farming is associated with poverty in many areas. About 900 million of the world’s poor depend on rice as producers or consumers, and out of these, some 400 million poor and undernourished people are engaged in growing rice. Because of its geographic expansion and typical manner of wetland cultivation, worldwide rice production contributes about 10% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agricultural sector, mainly because of methane (CH4) emissions from continuously floodedwetland rice fields.

Nigeria’s agricultural sector is dominated by smallholder farmers, who represents about 80% of the farmers and operate on farm sizes averaging about 2.5 hectares. If appropriately supported,the smallholder farming sector can put the country on the path to self-sufficiency and ensure satietyfor household food consumption. However, this potential is undermined by productivity challenges,high post-harvest losses and lack of commercialization. Post-harvest losses are as high as 40%, driven bypoor handling techniques and lack of adequate storage facilities and infrastructure. Consequently, smallholder farmers receive lower prices due to quality losses and encounter difficulty in accessingcredit for their working capital needs.AGRA recognizes that a well-designed and efficient National Agricultural Warehouse System can provide many benefits to smallholder farmers, cooperatives, traders, and other players across the agricultural commodity value chains. 

Agricultural advisory services such as “training and visit” schemes used to operate —except in rare cases— like a stream flowing from the “wise” (researchers and technicians) to peasant farmers in order to fulfil the priorities of the State and its financial partners. Those days seem far away. Austerity and structural-adjustment measures brought an end to most of the State-run schemes that operated those services. A number of development actors then began providing advisory services to farmers: professional agricultural organisations, State agencies, investors, input suppliers, NGOs, telephony companies, etc. But how are those services structured? What is their purpose? Whom are they for?

The study assessed digital platforms used to link agriculture investors with smallholder farmers in Nigeria. Content analysis and in-depth interviews were used for the study. Three digital platforms, namely the ThriveAgric, EZ Farming and Farmcrowdy were purposively chosen for this study. Results showed that ThriveAgric is user friendly; EZ Farming and Farmcrowdy provide risk assessment scores for easy monitoring. Also, ThriveAgric uses the Agricultural Operating System (AOS) to track farmers’ activities. EZ Farming uses social media platforms for adverts and campaign while Farmcrowdy innovatively used the platform to render advisory services to the farmers. ThriveAgric and Farmcrowdy invested in crop and livestock production while EZ Farming areas of investments were crop, livestock, fisheries, farm equipment and hydroponics. Smallholder farmers’ derived benefits were mainly observed in the aspect of reduction in post-harvest losses. Untimely delivery of agricultural inputs and cost of running the platforms were identified as major impediments to the effective deployment of the platform by the farmers and operators of the platforms respectively. Cost66sharing mechanism should be incorporated into the partnership to ensure sustainability and a win-win situation. Also, regular review of the initiative by all the stakeholders is strongly recommended.

Advisory services are considered to play an important role in the development of competitiveness and sustainability in agriculture. Advisory services have been studied at policy level, structural level and within case studies, but there is still restricted knowledge about advisors’ and farmers’ view on advisory services in general. This paper presents the views of Swedish advisors and farmers on advisory services. In a survey-based study, perceptions of farm advisors and full-time farmers in commercial Swedish agriculture on advisory services were identified and statistically analysed, comparing differences between and within the groups. Significant differences in perceptions of advisors and farmers emerged in less concrete areas and on topics connected to change, management and strategy. Consequences of discrepancies in perceptions are that advisors may deliver too much, too little or off target, especially when expectations on advisory services are not clearly expressed. A strong and proactive back-office supporting the advisors is needed to prevent these possible consequences.

This study examined Greece's Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) and assessed the flow of information and linkages among eight stakeholder groups: policy, education, research, consulting, agricultural cooperatives, credit, private enterprises, and farmers. Data were collected using an online survey tool from 61 experts/representatives following an initial phone communication. The Graph Theoretical Technique was utilized to achieve the survey's objectives. The results revealed dominant and subordinated actors in the system and identified a critical pathway for information flow within AKIS. Policymakers can leverage these findings to strengthen linkages, address information gaps, and promote innovation and equitable development in the agricultural sector.

The COVID-19 outbreak imposed shocks so serious that the gap between the rich and the poor has widen – worsening the predicaments of marginalized and vulnerable people. Unless the voices of the voiceless are raised and the plights of the vulnerable are effectively addressed, poverty, inequality and exclusions will continue to widen.This report, which adopts a rapid assessment methodology, presents a framework to lift the bottom quintile of South Africa’s population from falling deeper into poverty, squalor, and exclusion.To achieve this, the report provides a rapid assessment of the needs created by COVID-19, not only directly, but indirectly through the impact of lockdowns and other measures taken to combat the spread of the disease.

Issues around bundling of climate smart agriculture (CSA) and climate information services (CIS) have been kept relatively distinct whereas in reality, they are more impactful when integrated. Using the case of the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Change Research in Africa (AICCRA) Project that emphasizes bundling as a critical component of research in development, six regions of Ghana were purposively selected based on the identified value chain crops for implementation. 120 respondents including practicing farmers and advisors as reference,rated contributions of 21 innovations to 25 climate smartness indicators. These include gender, youth and social inclusion (GSI), enabling environment (EE), ability to enhance soil, water, crop and animal health (One-Healthinclusion (GSI), enabling environment (EE), ability to enhance soil, water, crop and animal health (One-HealthAchievement) (OHA), end-user friendliness (EUF) and climate smart agriculture (CS) for prioritization, bundling and ultimately to construct a Climate Smart Readiness Index (CSRI).

Mexico is considered the geographic center of origin of the Agave genus. The "maguey pulquero" (Agave mapisagaand A. salmiana) is produced and used in central Mexico to make a traditional fermented beverage known aspulque, which has been made and consumed since pre-Hispanic times and is still a form of subsistence for rural families.The maguey provides great ecological, cultural and nutritional benefits. In Jiquipilco, pulque production dates back to the settlement of the Otomí ethnic group (ñhañhú) in pre-Hispanic times. However, due to the discrediting of pulque and its marginal commercialization, few people seek the sustainable production and use of this crop. This project began as a training project for a professional master's degree in 2013. It was not funded, but flourished from the conviction of contributing to transform the socioecosystem around the maguey pulquero, an initiative to which various actors joined voluntarily.