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African governments and international development groups see boosting productivity on smallholder farms as key to reducing rural poverty and safeguarding the food security of farming and non-farming households. Prompting smallholder farmers to use more fertilizer has been a key tactic. Closing the productivity gap between male and female farmers has been another avenue toward achieving the same goal. The results in this paper suggest the two are related. Fertilizer use and maize yields among smallholder farmers in Uganda are increased by improved access to markets and extension services, and reduced by ex ante risk-mitigating production decisions. Standard ordinary least squares regression results indicate that gender matters as well; however, the measured productivity gap between male and female farmers disappears when gender is included in a list of determinants meant to capture the indirect effects of market and extension access.

Agricultural Knowledge & Information Systems --- Climate Change and Agriculture --- Crops & Crop Management Systems --- Gender --- Labor Policies --- Maize --- Productivity --- Rural Development Knowledge and Information Systems --- Smallholder Farmers

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To what extent do the behavioral choices of Zambian smallholder farmers influence the negative effects of climate shocks, and what impact do these choices have on vulnerability and resilience? This paper uses nationally representative, three-wave household-level panel data to investigate these questions. The empirical estimation employs an instrumental variable probit regression model, which also controls for the endogeneity of key choice variables. There are four main empirical findings. First, droughts are the most prevalent climate shock rural smallholder farmers in Zambia face, but the extent of exposure differs spatially, with the Southern and Western Provinces being the hardest hit. Nationally, about three-quarters of all smallholder farmers are vulnerable and only about one-quarter are resilient. Second, increased climate shocks correlate with both increased vulnerability and reduced resilience, with short- and long-term deviations in seasonal rainfall worsening vulnerability and resilience. Third, higher asset endowments and education level of the household head reduce vulnerability and increase resilience among smallholder farmers. Female-headed households are more vulnerable and less resilient, on average. Fourth, the use of climate-smart agricultural practices-namely, minimum tillage and use of inorganic fertilizers or hybrid maize seed-significantly improves household resilience in the short term. The paper draws two main policy implications from the findings. First, the results point to an urgent need to invest in research and development for climate shock-tolerant crop varieties and in broader climate-smart agricultural technologies to scale out and scale up context-specific practices through innovative digital platforms. Second, more investment is needed in risk mitigation strategies such as weather indexed insurance, targeted social cash transfers and how to make these work effectively for smallholder farmers. Other important complementary elements include investment in innovative digital platforms that can facilitate timely delivery of climate information services and facilitating asset accumulation and education that can enable farmers to improve climate shock resilience over time.

Agricultural Sector Economics --- Agriculture --- Climate Change and Agriculture --- Climate Change Impacts --- Climate Resilience --- Climate Shocks --- Environment --- Inequality --- Livelihoods --- Living Standards --- Poverty Reduction --- Smallholder Farmers --- Sustainable Land and Crop Management --- Vulnerability

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This book assesses the institutional, technical and market constraints as well as opportunities for smallholders, notably, emerging farmers in disadvantaged areas such as the former homelands of South Africa. Emerging farmers are previously disadvantaged black people who started or will start their business with the support of special government programs. Public support programs have been developed as part of the Black Economic Empowerment strategy of the South African government. These programs aim to improve the performance of emerging farmers. This requires, first and foremost, upgrading the emerging farmers skills by providing access to knowledge about agricultural and entrepreneurial practices. To become or to remain good farmers they also need access to suitable agricultural land and sufficient water for irrigation and for feeding their cattle. Finally, for emerging farmers to be engaged in viable farming operations, various factors need to be in place such as marketing and service institutions to give credit for agricultural inputs and investments; input markets for farm machinery, farm implements, fertilizers and quality seeds; and accessible output markets for their end products. This book develops a policy framework and potential institutional responses to unlock the relevant markets for smallholders.

Economic conditions. Economic development --- Trade theory --- Developing countries: agricultural and food problems --- Biology --- biologie --- South Africa --- Life sciences. --- Life Sciences, general. --- Biosciences --- Sciences, Life --- Science --- governance in supply --- smallholder farmers --- strategies to improve market access --- unlocking markets --- institutional and technical constraints --- Livestock --- Supermarket --- Economics --- Small-scale forestry

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This paper provides the results of an international survey of practitioners with experience in facilitating the participation of African smallholder farmers in supply chains for higher-value and/or differentiated agricultural products. It explores their perceptions about the constraints inhibiting and the impacts associated with this supply chain participation. It also examines their perceptions about the factors affecting the success of project and policy interventions in this area, about how this success is and should be measured, and about the appropriate roles for national governments, the private sector, and development assistance entities in facilitating smallholder gains in this area. The results confirm a growing 'consensus' about institutional roles, yet suggest some ambiguity regarding the impacts of smallholder participation in higher-value supply chains and the appropriateness of the indicators most commonly used to gauge such impacts. The results also suggest a need to strengthen knowledge about both the 'old' and 'new' sets of constraints (and solutions) related to remunerative smallholder inclusion, in the form of the rising role of standards alongside more long-standing concerns about infrastructure and logistical links to markets.

Access to Finance --- Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems --- Agricultural products --- Agriculture --- Development assistance --- Economic Theory and Research --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- International Bank --- Labor Policies --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Market development --- Markets and Market Access --- Rural Development --- Smallholder --- Smallholder farmers --- Smallholder participation --- Smallholders --- Social Protections and Labor --- Supply chain --- Supply chains --- Marketing channels. --- Food industry and trade --- Food supply --- Farm produce --- Marketing

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Agroforestry is an intensive land management system involving the integration of tree management into crop and animal farming. It provides diverse ecosystem services by bridging agriculture, forestry, and husbandry to offer environmental, economic, and social benefits. In order to improve the benefits of agroforestry to meet development and climate goals, a systematic approach is necessary for understanding agroforestry practices, designing agroforestry policies and associated outcomes. Multiple methodologies, including systematic review and landscape restoration approaches, can be applied to analyzing agroforestry policies and ecosystem services derived from agroforestry practices. Therefore, this Special Issue focuses on systematic approaches to agroforestry policies, strategies, and practices. It includes case studies from several countries from Asia to explore economic, social, and environmental dimensions.

Agriculture & related industries --- agroforestry --- ecosystem services --- Asia-Pacific region --- systematic map --- agroforestry practices --- adoption determinants --- smallholder farmers --- Nepal --- bamboo handicraft --- bamboo --- income generation --- Laos --- sustainability --- value chain approach --- South Asia --- climate change --- mitigation --- adaptation --- policy --- REDD+ --- national determined contributions --- climate neutrality --- agroforestry systems --- Chure conservation --- livelihood --- community forestry --- agro-forest management --- interpretive structural modelling --- regional autonomy --- social forestry --- adoption --- perception --- behavioural controls --- ethnic minorities --- Viet Nam --- wild-simulated ginseng --- systematic review --- keyword analysis --- topic modelling --- non-timber forest products (NTFPs) --- land restoration --- carbon sequestration --- system adoption --- traditional homegardens --- agroforestry system --- biodiversity and carbon --- optical remote sensing --- food security --- resilience --- Timor-Leste --- Asia --- landscape restoration