Agricultural Production and Technology

Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that are essential for children to grow, learn, and build healthy immune systems. One in three people in the world suffer from a hidden hunger caused by a lack of micronutrients (such as vitamin A, zinc, and iron) in their diets. Hidden hunger also affects adults and can lead to repeated bouts of illness and weakened ability to work, as well as increase the risk of women dying during childbirth.

This report provides a summary of the main findings from the data collected by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) through the Agricultural Module (AM) attached to the Population and Housing Census (PHC) 2002 that was conducted in September 2002.

Jointly -funded by both the governments of Rwanda and the Netherlands, The Division of Policy, Planning and Capacity Building in MINAGRI, partnered with the National Statistics Institute of Rwanda, (MINECOFIN), has established an agriculture statistics Service in charge of collecting, analyzing and publishing information pertaining to agriculture sector. In 2006, data collection has covered a representative sample of 1704 farmer households countrywide. Rwanda agricultural profile is extrapolated from results set forth by this survey.

Biofortification is a rapidly emerging strategy to address micronutrient malnutrition, but as an agricultural strategy with health objectives, it faces unique challenges.

Background

This study examines the relationship between transport infrastructure and agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa using new data obtained from geographic information systems (GIS). First, the authors analyze the impact of road connectivity on crop production and choice of technology. Second, they explore the impact of investments that reduce road travel times. Finally, they show how this type of analysis can be used to compare cost-benefit ratios for alternative road investments in terms of agricultural output per dollar invested.

Biofuels offer an opportunity to African countries to produce new cash crops for domestic use or export. High energy prices and large consumption mandates already agreed in many countries suggest that these opportunities will remain for an extended period of time. The impacts of expanded production of crops for biofuels will be felt in the entire rural sector as resources are shifted away from traditional crops and prices of all agricultural commodities rise.

"The project on Strengthening Capacity for Safe Biotechnology Management in Sub-Saharan Africa (SABIMA) is a partnership between the Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA), a continent-wide agricultural research, technology dissemination and