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The policy brief examines how South Africa can leverage agriculture and land reform for job creation. It highlights the current dominance of large-scale commercial farming and the failures of previous land reform efforts. The document proposes three scenarios for job growth, ranging from a modest 220,000 net jobs through commercial intensification to 1,263,000 net jobs if 60% of commercial farmland is redistributed to market-oriented smallholders. It concludes that while significant livelihood opportunities exist for smallholders, the potential for high-wage, secure employment in the sector is limited and depends heavily on state capacity and irrigation access.

The DEFIS programme is a 10-year initiative (2018–2028) in Southern Madagascar designed to transform the agricultural sector from subsistence to market-oriented production. With a total indicative cost of USD 250 million, the programme targets 1.6 million beneficiaries across eight regions. It focuses on three main components: enhancing the productivity and resilience of agricultural and livestock systems through water mobilization and climate-smart inputs; developing inclusive supply chains by strengthening producer organizations and improving post-harvest infrastructure; and providing institutional support, including the extension of a drought early warning system. The programme specifically targets women and youth, aiming for 30% representation in its 320,000 beneficiary family agricultural enterprises.

The document analyzes the macadamia nut industry in Southern Africa, focusing on the disparity between the advanced sector in South Africa and the emerging industries in Malawi and Mozambique. It highlights the barriers smallholder farmers face, such as high entry costs, lack of technical support, and poor infrastructure. While South Africa is a global leader in production, the report argues that a regional value chain is hindered by a lack of cooperation, differing national capacities, and a heavy reliance on exporting nut-in-shell (NIS) to China. It recommends establishing regional industry bodies, improving domestic processing capabilities, and enhancing technical support for smallholders to move beyond raw material exports.

The document examines why small-scale mango farmers in Kenya have low adoption rates for harvesting and post-harvest technologies despite their potential to reduce crop losses, which exceed 25%. Using service-design methods, the study identifies that farmers prioritize quantity over quality due to limited access to high-value export markets and a reliance on brokers. It argues that technology promotion must account for the entire value chain, including the roles of brokers and farmers' organizations, and suggests that investments in quality-improving technologies must be paired with improved market access and refrigerated transport.

The document discusses the importance of behavioural insights in development aid, highlighting a project in Hola, Kenya, where proposed quality-improving technologies for mango farming failed because farmers prioritised quantity for processing markets over quality for export markets.

The research assesses how smallholder rural households in four Asian countries adapt to climate pressures such as changing rainfall, droughts, and floods. Based on interviews with nearly 600 people, the authors identified 36 key indicators of adaptive capacity to determine why some households are better equipped to secure their livelihoods than others.

The project aims to develop 300 hectares of irrigated land in Benin using water-efficient drip and Californian systems powered by solar energy. It seeks USD 8.68 million in GCF grant funding to benefit 8,200 people, targeting a reduction of 85,860 tCO2eq by replacing fossil-fuel pumps with solar alternatives. The initiative includes capacity building for stakeholders and the development of agricultural value chains to diversify income for women and youth.

The Socio-Climate Benefits Fund (SCBF) is designed to combat small-scale deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon by providing long-term investment and technical training to smallholders for the implementation of agroforestry systems. The instrument operates through an investment vehicle that establishes a company to manage Rural Partnership Agreements, providing upfront capital and inputs in exchange for a share of the harvest. The fund aims to increase smallholder income by at least 58% for 1-hectare implementations and 234% for 4-hectare expansions, while storing ten times more carbon than current degraded pasture vegetation over 20 years. The financial structure requires a total of $13.1 million, comprising a $1.5 million grant, $5 million in commercial equity, and $6.6 million in concessional debt across first-loss and senior tranches.

The document argues that global agricultural production has declined by 1-5% per decade over the last 30 years due to climate change, necessitating an urgent transition to climate-resilient systems. It identifies critical risks, including heat stress, extreme weather, and pests, which disproportionately affect smallholder farmers and women in the tropics. The authors propose a roadmap based on five pillars: promoting resilient and low-emission technologies, expanding digital climate information, mobilizing innovative finance, strengthening farmer organizations, and delivering enabling policies. The paper highlights successful examples of 'no regret' options, such as stress-tolerant crop varieties and sustainable intensification, and emphasizes the need for context-specific, participatory approaches to scale these solutions.

The analysis identifies women as central actors in Cambodian agricultural value chains, particularly in rice and cassava, though they face systemic barriers in literacy, technical training, and access to extension services. While women often control household finances and run a majority of micro-enterprises, they are more vulnerable to climate shocks and labor shortages caused by rural-urban migration. The report recommends a Gender Action Plan (GAP) to increase women's participation in agricultural machinery operation, infrastructure construction, and value chain management, leveraging the Women Farmers Network for outreach.

The document analyses 64 agricultural adaptation projects in sub-Saharan Africa approved between 2010 and 2016, finding that 61% involved the private sector. It categorises this involvement into three levels: stimulating future investment through awareness and business models, using private actors as service providers for public activities, and leveraging private capital through incentives. While the first two roles are more common, the report finds limited evidence of large-scale private investment being leveraged, with one notable exception in Madagascar. The authors argue that project designers should identify commercial opportunities across the entire value chain from the start to better attract diverse private actors.

The document argues that while climate-smart agriculture (CSA) can enhance food security and climate resilience in sub-Saharan Africa, its adoption is hindered by physical input shortages and institutional failures. It recommends improving tenure security, expanding financial instruments like crop insurance, and strengthening local governance and scientific research to scale these practices.

The paper examines the gap between Tanzania's high agricultural growth potential and the persistent poverty of its smallholder farmers. It analyzes the role of the Tanzanian Investment Centre (TIC), the impact of land tenure insecurity, and the potential of 'mega-PPPs' like the Southern Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) to drive inclusive development. The author argues that while policies exist to stimulate investment, structural bottlenecks in taxation, infrastructure, and land rights hinder smallholders from moving beyond subsistence farming into commercial value chains.

The document identifies five dimensions of gender inequality in agriculture: land rights, productive resources, unpaid work, employment, and decision making. It compares Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSSs), which are typically adopted by producer organizations and companies, with Responsible Investment Frameworks (RIFs), which are guidelines for government and private sector actors. The analysis finds that RIFs generally have stronger gender dimensions regarding land rights and decision-making, while VSSs provide stronger guidance on earnings and employment. However, the document notes that neither tool automatically ensures positive outcomes; for example, VSSs can sometimes exacerbate women's workloads or be detrimental to access to common land if used for privatization. The brief recommends that stakeholders focus on implementation, adopt a gender-equity approach, and engage women as partners. Specific recommendations for investors include developing explicit gender strategies and ensuring female participation in consultations, while host governments are urged to prioritize gender-transformative outcomes and require gender statements from prospective investors.

The study finds that while agricultural leasing is a preferred asset financing method in developed markets, it remains nascent in sub-Saharan Africa due to systemic market failures. Key barriers include high down payment requirements (20-40%), a lack of secondary markets for used equipment, and informational asymmetries that lead financial service providers to perceive agriculture as high-risk. Demand is limited by the predominance of smallholder subsistence farmers and low financial literacy. The report identifies Ghana, Kenya, and Zambia as high-potential markets and recommends targeted technical assistance for banks, awareness campaigns for farmers, and the creation of risk-sharing funds to reduce down payment barriers.

The report uses service design and customer journey mapping to analyze the mango value chain in Kenya, specifically focusing on women farmers in Tana River and Meru Counties. It identifies that while there is interest in technologies like cold storage and pulping machines to bypass brokers, adoption is hindered by high costs, lack of market access, and a prevailing farming strategy that prioritizes quantity over quality. The study concludes that technology alone is insufficient and must be accompanied by holistic support in business modeling, financing, and market creation.

The document details the experience of Edward Ndolo, a farmer in Kitui, Kenya, who adopted road water harvesting in 1990 to divert road runoff to his 3-acre farm. Despite high labor costs—such as 20,000 Kenyan Shillings for a 50-meter channel—and the physical effort required, the technique has allowed him to maintain green crops and sell surplus beans, maize, and fruits to neighbors. Ndolo observes that climate change has shifted rainfall patterns, noting that in 2016, the long rainy season began late on November 1st. He advocates for sensitization and the use of simple water-optimizing techniques to build resilience against arid conditions.

The report examines how foreign agricultural investments interact with gender inequalities across five dimensions: land rights, productive resources, household labour, employment, and decision making. It compares five Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) and five Responsible Investment Frameworks, finding that while VSS focus more on employment conditions, responsible investment frameworks are stronger on land rights. Evidence suggests that VSS often fail to improve women's land ownership and can inadvertently increase women's unpaid labour burdens. The author recommends that investors and host governments adopt explicit gender strategies, ensure women's participation in negotiations, and monitor gender-disaggregated data to prevent the reproduction of local gender inequalities.

The document examines how different voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) operate within the cotton sector to drive mainstream sustainability. It identifies a tiered approach where Organic and Fairtrade raise the 'sustainability ceiling' through rigorous standards, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) raises the 'sustainability floor' via accessible programs for continuous improvement, and Cotton Made in Africa (CmiA) ensures inclusivity for farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The report highlights the potential for sustainable cotton to offer low-carbon alternatives to synthetic fibers and contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly for smallholder farmers.

The report examines the potential for a 'Green Revolution' in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by comparing crop yields and technologies with tropical Asia (specifically India) and advanced regions within SSA, such as South Africa. It identifies rice as a highly promising crop for productivity gains through the combination of high-yielding varieties, fertilizer, and improved management practices. The paper argues that agricultural transformation requires a complementary approach where productive technology and management practices are developed first, followed by extension services and marketing improvements. While maize and sorghum show potential for technology transfer from South Africa, the report suggests that millet and sorghum require more fundamental research due to limited success even in India.