West-Africa
AGRIDAPE
AGRIDAPE (Revue sur l'agriculture durable à faibles apports externes), is a Magazine about Sustainable Agriculture with Low External Inputs. This notion refers to all those technological and social choices available to farmers that are willing to improve their production with an eye for a better environmental management. The French language magazine's focus is on the optimal use of local resources and natural processes but also the handling of measurement and control inputs when needed. It tries to stimulate the capacity of individuals and communities to build their future on the base of their own skills, values, and cultures. We seek to combine local knowledge with scientific expertise in order to help individuals, institutions and policymakers in finding the solutions that better fit the needs of small farmers in West Africa.
Language of the magazine: French
Latest issues
Désertification et réponses paysannes
Desertification is one of the most pressing issues of our times as it impacts negatively ecosystems, and threatens by the same token the full array of services they provide us with. Yet, there are easy and efficient solutions to this problem. This issue looks at the root causes of the problem, its consequences and solutions farmers can adopt.
Des champs paysans à Rio+20
This special issue of Agriculturas provides an overview of the importance of small-scale farming and of an agro-ecological approach to agriculture, looking in detail at four key areas: food security, poverty alleviation, energy and climate change.
Foncier et Agriculture Familiale
This issue of AGRIDAPE aims to raise awareness on the various issues at stake in the surge of large scale land acquisitions, or 'land grab'. "Foncier et Agriculture familiale" looks at how farmer's organisations have reacted in front of this problem and how they are finding ways to maintain ownership over their livelihood and their land.
Numéro spécial - Les éleveurs du Sahel face à la crise pastorale de 2009
This special issue of AGRIDAPE presents the consolidated results of research on the pastoral crisis that occurred in the Sahel in 2009/2010.
Marchés locaux et régionaux
This issue of AGRIDAPE explores local and regional markets as an alternative for food security and food sovereignty.
Forêt et agroforesterie
This issue of Agridape 27.2 will allow readers to discover the many experiences around the theme "Forest and Agroforestry" for better management of our natural resources.
Jeunes et agriculteurs
This issue of Agridape shows that the youth may be the engine of economic prosperity through good agricultural policy.
Partenariats pour l'apprentissage
This issue of AGRIDAPE looks at partnerships for learning, presenting many cases of farmers partnering with other farmers, NGOs and researchers to learn, exchange and organise themselves better.
L'EAU
Water - Water is essential for life to survive on Earth and at the same agriculture represents up to 70% of world’s water use. In times of climate change, this issue explores ways in which agriculture can tackle and reduce the threat of water scarcity and unreliable water supply. It also looks at examples in which dialogues between the main stakeholders helped reach solutions and common agreements.
Elevage durable
Sustainable Animal Husbandry - This issue of Agridape focuses on issues surrounding sustainable livestock farming. It presents the value of rearing livestock but also the negative impact resulting from intensive farming. It further explores ways in which farmers can rear livestock and sustain themselves and their families while limiting damage to the environment.
La diffusion des pratiques durables
Sharing Sustainable Practices - This issue of Agridape Magazine focuses on the means to disseminate sustainable agricultural practices. This issue seeks to review some innovative practices developed at a local scale and now adopted worldwide. It also examines the initiatives to capitalize, scale up and diffuse sustainable practices and also look at factors that hinder these efforts.
Femmes et souveraineté alimentaire
Women and Food Sovereignty - This issue of Agridape seeks to highlight the important role women play in agriculture, food security and the promotion of local production systems. At the same time, the articles show that the role of women is often undermined, and seek to denounce unequal access to resources.
Entreprenariat rural
Rural Entrepreneurship - This issue of Agridape seeks to highlight the fact that, in today’s often hostile farming environment, farmers need to be constant entrepreneurs. Innovation and creativity are paramount to farmer’s survival.
Cultiver la diversité
Cultivating Diversity - This edition of Agridape aims at illustrating the discrepancy between the way family farmers are portrayed – mainly as practicing archaic agricultural techniques and achieving low-productivity rates– and the way in which they are actually contributing to food security and are resilient, despite their farm sizes.
Changements Climatiques, entre résilience et résistance
Climate Change: Between Resilience and Resistance - Climate Change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and small scale farmers are and will continue to be disproportionally impacted negatively. The issue explores examples of adaptation to problems caused by climate change and ways in which today’s farmers can limit contributing to further reduce their environmental footprint.
Agriculture durable et inclusion sociale
Sustainable agriculture and social inclusion - Agridape explores the importance of social inclusion in achieving more sustainable agricultural practices. It seeks to highlight the need for local farmers, especially traditionally marginalized and vulnerable people, to be included and actively participate in sustainable agriculture projects.
Des sols vivants pour une agriculture plus durable
Nurturing soils key in achieving more sustainable agricultural practices - This issue highlights the importance of nurturing the wealth of life present in soils and discusses sustainable agricultural practices that help feed and maintain the richness of soil. Since the quality of a farmers’ production depends on soil fertility, the knowledge of practices that nurture it is necessary to ensure farmers’ success.
Vers un commerce plus juste
Towards Fairer Trade – Small scale farmers in the Global South are most vulnerable to prices, at the local and international scale. This is especially true as agriculture has become increasingly industrialized and controlled by a few “giants” In a context where small scale farming is highly labor intensive, and marginalized by the agro-industry, how can everyone - from producer to distributor - benefit equitably?
Lutte anti-parasitaire intégrée
Integrated Pest Management – In the last century, agricultural practices have been shaped through the desire to increase productivity levels. The introduction of high yielding improved varieties has been mitigated with the complications brought from the multiplication of pests. AGRIDAPE looks at efficient and environmentally friendly ways to managing pest infestations.
Santé et agriculture durables
Health and Sustainable Agriculture – Worldwide, agriculture has changed, which has in turn influenced eating habits, and health. Nitrates, pesticides, antibiotics and water pollution are amongst the many sources of contamination we face. This issue of AGRIDAPE emphasises the links between sustainable agriculture and health.
Pour des semences paysannes
Seeds to the people – Seeds are an essential input to agriculture. This issue of AGRIDAPE looks at farmer’s experiences in building local seed supply systems as an alternative to relying on commercially produced seeds. Traditional seed systems promote diversity, locally adapted varieties and for this are ecologically sound. AGRIDAPE now looks at innovative ways to improve access to high standards seeds.
Les paysans s'organisent
Farmers’ Organisations - Farmer's organisations can take many forms: they can be formal or informal, highly structured or very flexible. While these groups of farmers are all different, they all emerged as a way to empower rural populations and help them improve their living conditions. This issue of AGRIDAPE looks at how farmer’s organisations are contributing to facilitating their life.
Tirer le meilleur profit des procédés écologiques
'Profiting from agroecology' - This issue of AGRIDAPE sheds light on ways to maximise profits through agroecology and low external input agriculture.
Recherche participative et développement
'Participatory research and development' - This issue of AGRIDAPE focuses on ways to integrate peasants into the research process, to empower them and by the same token democratise development.
Vers une agriculture plus durable
'Towards achieving more sustainable agricultural practices' - This issue of AGRIDAPE shows a few examples of the evaluation of risks and opportunities and highlights the need for farmers to organise in order to be able to face obstacles.
Documenter le changement
'Documenting change' - Sustainable natural resource management in agricultural projects can help improving rural livelihoods. While this may seem obvious to many, several successful experiences are not documented. This is one of the reasons, for example, why a number of experts are skeptical in front of the success of sustainable farming. This issue of AGRIDAPE illustrate, with several case studies, that documentation is a way to democratise these findings and is essential to share techniques, methods and interaction in agricultural sciences.
Des pratiques aux politiques
'From practice to politics' - This issue looks at the obstacles that arise from going from theory to practice and methods that promote farmer’s participation in managing natural resources. Based on an integrated and decentralized natural resource management approach, new agricultural practices are being implemented in different parts of the world. However the implementation process is often difficult because of disparities between theory and reality.
Petits mais utiles!
'Small, but useful!' - This issue of AGRIDAPE touches upon various subject linked to the integration of animals on the farm such as the advantages of local or traditional breeds, the challenge of veterinary care and the possibility of using participatory methods with examples from Kenya to Nepal.
Au delà du profit
'Beyond profit' - The industrialization of agriculture in the last fifty years has led many to undermine the fundamental links between culture, nature and food production. Agriculture is increasingly considered as a sector of the national economy like any other. This issue of AGRIDAPE highlights the need for the adoption of a holistic approach, which combines the cultural and environmental aspect of agriculture to the economic dimension.
Quelle énergie pour l'exploitation?
'A question of power and energy' - During the last century, modern agriculture has aimed at reducing the amount of human labor by introducing mechanized means of production but these request more and more energy. These highly intensive practices are not environmentally sustainable as they rely on fossil fuels which are non renewable resources and economically unsustainable for many small scale farmers as the price of fossil fuels is continually increasing. This issue of AGRIDAPE looks at ingenious ways of producing energy, through the use of biogas, which reuse available resources and minimize both health and environmental costs.
Écoagriculture
Biodiversity plays a key part in maintaining healthy and functioning ecosystems. However, in many instances, modern agricultural practices neglect the environmental aspect, prioritizing higher rates of production and economic benefits. This issue of AGRIDAPE looks at how agroecology can help maintain biodiversity while achieving satisfying yields.
De l´exploitation au marché
'From Field to Market' - Globally, post-harvest loss of agricultural production is estimated at 30%. Yet agricultural research still focuses on boosting productivity to increase revenues and food security. This issue of AGRIDAPE highlights the importance of considering post-harvest management (sorting, conservation, storage and transport) as an integral part of food production.
Les agriculteurs de la nouvelle génération
'Farmers: The Next Generation' - This issue focuses on children and youth who grow up on small farms all throughout the world. It also explores the way education, agriculture and culture are intrinsically linked together.
Valorisation de la diversité culturale
'Promoting Diversity' - Industrial agriculture threatens crop diversity through the promotion of hybrid strains over native varieties. This issue of AGRIDAPE looks at the importance of preserving indigenous crops and the associated traditional knowledge about the cultivation of these varieties ‘forgotten’ by modern agricultural research.
Restaurer les terres dégradées
'Restoring Degraded Land' - While soil degradation is a global issue, peasants and small scale farmers of the Global South tend to be impacted more strongly. In some cases it has translated into a dramatic decrease in land productivity. In this context, this issue of AGRIDAPE aims at sharing successful experiences of rehabilitation and management of degraded soils.
Accès et controle des ressources
'Access and Control to Resources' - This issue emphasises the importance of the right to access to renewable natural resources and aims at sharing experiences from throughout the world regarding the successful management of natural resources.
Chaque goutte compte
'Every drop Counts' - Water is a precious resource, on which we all depend. With a growing population, and increasing levels of urbanization, water supplies are threatened and combined with the impact of climate change this has led a number of experts to predict a worldwide water crisis in the near future.
Les champs-écoles à l´oeuvre!
'Farmer Field Schools in Action' - This issue of AGRIDAPE focuses on farmer field schools (FFS). In practice, FFS have demonstrated to be a useful learning tool, especially for small scale farmers.
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