About this book
Over the last two years, Worldwatch's Nourishing the Planet team has travelled to 25 sub-Saharan African nations - the places where hunger is greatest - and uncovered a treasure trove of innovations from farmers' groups, private voluntary organizations, universities, and even agribusiness companies. These innovations offer global benefits - from the continent's role in preventing disastrous climate change to the way urban farmers are feeding people in cities and why even determined locavores are sustained by the crop diversity preserved by farmers thousands of miles away.
This book assesses the state of agricultural innovations from cropping methods to irrigation technology to agricultural policy with an emphasis on sustainability, diversity, and ecosystem health in the hope of guiding governments, foundations, and concerned citizens in their efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Preface
State of the World: A Year in Review
1. Charting a New Path to Eliminating Hunger
FROM THE FIELD: Measuring Success in Agricultural Development
2. Moving Ecoagriculture into the Mainstream
FROM THE FIELD: Innovations in Rice Breeding in Madagascar
3. The Nutritional and Economic Potential of Vegetables
FROM THE FIELD: Developing Innovations in School Cultivation
FROM THE FIELD: The One Acre Fund Puts Farmers First
4. Getting More Crop per Drop
FROM THE FIELD: Rainwater Harvesting
5. Farmers Take the Lead in Research and Development
FROM THE FIELD: Grain Trading in Zambia
6. Africa's Soil Fertility Crisis and the Coming Famine
FROM THE FIELD: New Cassava Varieties in Zanzibar
7. Safeguarding Local Food Biodiversity
FROM THE FIELD: Threats to Animal Genetic Resources in Kenya
FROM THE FIELD: The Benefits of Solar Cookers in Senegal
8. Coping with Climate Change and Building Resilience
An Agnostic Approach to Climate Adaptation
Investing in Trees to Mitigate Climate Change
The Climate Crisis on Our Plates
FROM THE FIELD: An Evergreen Revolution for Africa
9. Post-Harvest Losses: A Neglected Field
FROM THE FIELD: Turning the Catch of the Day into Better Livelihoods
10. Feeding the Cities
FROM THE FIELD: Promoting Safer Wastewater Irrigation in West Africa
FROM THE FIELD: An Agricultural Answer to Nature's Call
11. Harnessing the Knowledge and Skills of Women Farmers
FROM THE FIELD: Using Theater to Help Women Farmers
FROM THE FIELD: What Is an Appropriate Technology?
12. Investing in Africa's Land: Crisis and Opportunity
FROM THE FIELD: Better Food Storage
13. The Missing Links: Going Beyond Production
FROM THE FIELD: Churches Moving Beyond Hunger Relief
14. Improving Food Production from Livestock
FROM THE FIELD: Small-Scale Livestock Production in Rwanda
15. A Road Map for Nourishing the Planet
Innovations in Understanding Complex Systems
Innovations in Evaluating Agricultural Development Projects
Innovations in Institutions to Support People and the Planet
Innovations in Governance
Innovations in Policy Reform
Notes
Index
Customer Reviews
Biography
The Worldwatch Institute in Washington DC is one of the world's leading research centres for environmentally sustainable development.