This book focuses on increasing the use of inorganic fertilizers as the most realistic way to overcome soil nutrient deficits and increase food production in sub-Saharan Africa. But merely increasing fertilizer use is by no means enough. Fertilizer m...

Baobab – Adansonia digitata Fact Sheet

Given the importance of agricultural transformation in the development process of Low Income Countries, improving the livelihoods of young people is a critical step toward increasing production and economic diversification in rural areas.

For the vast majority of youth, “mixed livelihoods” too often result in barely subsistence wages, and with little protection and security. The MasterCard Foundation’s programs have sought to address these issues by pushing forward more holistic, comp...

This paper provides a broad view of public sector support to agriculture in Nigeria, through the lens of the allocation of public expenditures by the federal government in support of the sector. We consider the adequacy and stability of agricultural...

This paper seeks to understand the features of public spending in the agricultural sector within the context of Nigeria’s federal structure and decentralized system. Specifically, the study aims to examine the extent to which the level and compositio...

This chapter examines past patterns of public spending on agriculture in Ghana, and asks whether Ghana has invested enough resources in agriculture and how the patterns of investment in the sector have impacted agricultural productivity growth.

This paper is provides guidance for those seeking impact in the field of agriculture and youth development in Africa. It defines key terms and concepts, and highlights promising initiatives and projects that develop durable livelihood opportunities f...

Development of diseases in cultivated crops depends on the complex interrelationship among host, pathogen and prevailing environmental conditions. In nature, plants are rarely, if ever, subject to the influence of only one potential pathogen and this...

Pesticides are commonly used in Cameroon for farming purposes, especially in the Mount-Bamboutos agricultural area. This study aimed to evaluate the basic knowledge, attitude and practices among pesticide users in the said area in view of assessing t...

Donkey hides are used in a form of Traditional Chinese medicine called ejiao, the demand for ejiao is currently so high the global donkey population is currently in decline. Africa’s donkey population is considered a key source for the trade, with Ke...

Sweetpotato breeding requires at least 5 years to obtain an advanced breeding clone for further testing with the goal of cultivar release. An accelerated breeding scheme (ABS) can be feasible if the genotype × year interaction is low. The objectives...