Latest Resources

18 May 2017

FISPs Factsheets: FISPs’ Aims

ACB developed these easy to read factsheets that explain what farm input subsidy programs are and how they operate. The second factsheet in the series looks at the aims of the programme. Chichewa | English | Nyanja | Portuguese | Sesotho | Setswana | Shona | Siswati | Swahili | Xhosa To read the next […]

18 May 2017

FISPs Factsheets: What are FISPs?

Farm input subsidy programmes (FISPs) play a central role in financing and delivering Green Revolution technologies to small-scale farmers in Africa. These programmes are rolled out in numerous African countries-from Ghana to Swaziland. The first in the series gives a better idea of what exactly FISPs are. Chichewa | English | Nyanja | Portuguese | […]

18 May 2017

Farm Input Subsidy Programmes: A factsheet series

Farm input subsidy programmes (FISPs) play a central role in financing and delivering Green Revolution technologies to small-scale farmers in Africa. These programmes are rolled out in numerous African countries-from Ghana to Swaziland. ACB developed these easy to read factsheets that explain what farm input subsidy programs are and how they operate vis-à-vis smallholder farmers, […]

13 January 2017

Hands OFF Our Food Systems! Small Farmers NOT Corporates Feed Africa

This lobby paper Who will feed Africans: Small-scale farmers not corporations! produced by the partnership between FoEA and ACB, makes the compelling case for African agriculture to transition towards agroecology and food sovereignty, recognising and strengthening the role of small scale farmers, rather than benefiting few large scale corporations with detrimental ecological, socio-economic, and nutritional […]

13 July 2016

Soil fertility: Agroecology and not the Green Revolution for Africa

This synthesis report summarises ACB’s research on the Green Revolution push in Africa, based on fieldwork conducted in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe over the past three years. The research indicates that the promotion of synthetic fertiliser use in Africa is only a short-term fix for enhancing soil fertility on the continent. In the […]

11 July 2016

Farm Input Subsidy Programmes (FISPs): A Benefit for, or the Betrayal of, SADC’s Small-Scale Farm...

This paper reviews the farm input subsidy programmes (FISPs) within countries belonging to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), to ascertain whether input subsidies have benefited small-scale farmers, have increased food security at the household and national levels, and have improved the incomes of small-scale farmers. Download the report.

18 April 2016

Zimbabwean smallholder support at the crossroads: Diminishing returns from Green Revolution seed ...

This scoping report is published jointly by the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB and the Zimbabwe Small-Scale Organic Farmers’ Forum (ZIMSOFF). The report focuses on government and donor farm input subsidy programmes (FISPs) and seed aid in facilitating the spread of Green Revolution technologies and raises questions about who really benefits from these programmes. It […]

9 November 2015

Which way forward for Zambia’s smallholder farmers: Green Revolution input subsidies or agroecology?

In this report, we provide a critique of the Green Revolution Farmer Input Subsidy project in Zambia, looking at its impacts particularly for small holder farmers and their seed systems.

17 October 2015

Fact Sheets on fertiliser, seed, seed laws and FISPs

Fact Sheets produced by the ACB for smallholder farmers in Africa in several languages on a range of topics dealing with seed and plant variety protection laws, including on: the value of farmer managed seed systems; UPOV 1991 and farmers’ rights; the Arusha PVP Protocol; women as custodians of seed, what is a seed law, […]

13 March 2015

Agroecology in South Africa: policy and practice

The African Centre for Biosafety has prepared a discussion document on agroecology-related policy in South Africa, and included a few examples of agroecology practices in South Africa. We trust that this document will contribute to the recently launched Food Sovereignty Campaign and the progress of agroecology practice being made on the ground in South Africa.