Farming systems and food security in Africa: Priorities for science and policy under rapid global change

The first stage of this study aimed to update spatial datasets and to characterise the major farming systems of Africa. This work is now complete and will be available on the FAO website soon. The study analysed recent trends, drivers of change and their impacts, and derived key science, policy and investment priorities for Africa’s agricultural sector. This work has built on a previous 2001 FAO publication Farming Systems and Poverty and developed an update with a sole focus on African farming systems.

The second stage of this scoping study will strengthen the dissemination and ultilisation of these rich datasets. It will produce a web-based platform, published book, and policy briefs to improve awareness of farming systems’ analytical results and datasets to help with prioritisation and decision making. It will also build awareness and capacity for developing evidence-based policy at the regional and national level with policy and decision makers.