In East Africa, harvest finalized for secondary Belg crops in Ethiopia under poor conditions, and conditions are mixed for Meher season cereals due to rainfall deficits, flooding, and ongoing insecurity. In the south of the subregion, dry conditions...

FAO assesses that globally 44 countries, including 33 in Africa are in need of external assistance for food. Conditions are projected to worsen significantly in West Africa, due to conflicts, high food prices and reduced harvests, while the situation...

Maize is a staple crop in sub-Saharan Africa, but yields remain sub-optimal. Improved breeding and seed systems are vital to increase productivity. We describe a hybrid seed production technology that will benefit seed companies and farmers. This tec...

Global maize production is worth billions of dollars annually and is key to global food security because it’s a staple food for billions of people. Most maize production relies on natural rainfall, making it vulnerable to changing rainfall patterns

The SAFIN Annual Progress Report 2021 highlights the main results of collaborative work among SAFIN members last year. These included a wide variety of events, knowledge products and collaborations facilitated through the Network, as well as the laun...

This study was conducted among sorghum farmers, focus groups, seed producers and extension officers in 10 districts of Tanzania to map out business opportunities along the sorghum value chain. Results obtained demonstrated that socio-economic factors...

This paper analyses the current state of Uganda’s seed value chain for grain legumes and dryland cereals (GLDC), the challenges as well as the opportunities in it. It also identifies critical areas that can drive sustainability in seed value chains.

The use of low-grade rice in animal feed rations across Asia has resulted in the price of this staple commodity rising rapidly.

A tiny grain called fonio could play a big role in improving food security in West Africa, say researchers at Cornell University’s Department of Global Development.

Ethiopia’s economy is dominated by agriculture which is mainly rain-fed and subsistence. Climate change is expected to have an adverse impact particularly on crop production. Previous studies have shown large discrepancies in the magnitude and someti...

Digital extension tools (DETs) include phone calls, WhatsApp groups and specialised smartphone applications used for agricultural knowledge brokering. We researched processes through which DETs have (and have not) been used by farmers and other exten...

Seed security is vital for food security. Rapid-cycle, climate-adaptive breeding programs and seed systems that deliver new, elite varieties to farmers to replace obsolete ones can greatly improve the productivity of maize-based cropping systems in s...