Practice and Learning
Practical Action's work aims to achieve resilient communities whereby people have access to relevant technologies, skills and resources, and the capacities to manage them. This means ensuring that those small scale farmers, pastoralists and indigenous people who cultivate and grow food are valued and that the right to sufficient, healthy and culturally appropriate food for all is at the centre of policies. It also means ensuring land and water resources are under local control so they can be used and shared in socially and environmentally sustainable ways that conserve diversity for future generations. See our Food and Agriculture Narrative for more information. Resilient agricultural systems build on the skills and local knowledge of communities that manage food production and develop appropriate systems to support this and ensure a sustainable future, where people have options to cope with short term climate variability and adapt to long term climate change.
Through practical experience we have developed key areas of action in building resilience:
Alternative Livelihoods
With appropriate conditions farmers can engage effectively in markets which have the potential to improve their livelihoods, through improved access to affordable and good quality inputs and services, better business relationships and enhanced influence on the institutions and factors that shape ...
Read moreBuilding Technical Capacities
Technology justice, ensuring appropriate technologies for sustainable agricultural production are accessible to all, is at the heart of Practical Action's work. We define technologies as skills and knowledge, physical hardware such as tools or water points, and the way they are organised, ...
Read moreEmpowering Communities and Representative Institutions
With appropriate skills and organisational capacity, communities can be empowered to take control over their own development and plan for their collective future.
Read moreNatural Resource Management
With managing access to natural resources, including land, water, seeds, forests, livestock and fish, sustainable food production is increased and conflicts lessened.
Read moreReducing Risks
Marginal farmers tend to live in areas that are exposed to hazards such as flood, drought, earthquakes and frosts, see our work on disaster risk reduction here. These hazards mean that vulnerable families are prone to shocks and stresses and the poorest are often unable to cope and slip furthe...
Read moreWomen and Agriculture
Women play a vital role in agriculture and food security. They make up 43% of the agricultural labour force in developing countries and yet their importance and role as farmers tends to be underrated. Women face many constraints in the multiple activities they pursue relative to men. Women ten...
Read morePractical Action does not have a ‘one size fits all approach’. We work with communities to identify the most appropriate entry points for long-term and sustainable change. For more details see our 'From Vulnerability to Resilience' Handbook and our 'Conceptual Framework on Reducing Vulnerability'
For more information on our Food and Agriculture work, read our programme briefing on 'Prioritizing Marginalised Producers: Practical Action's Approach to Food and Livelihood Security' here.
Practical Action is a member of the African Smallholder Farmers Group (ASFG). This is a network of NGOs who are committed to creating an enabling environment for marginalised farmers across Afica. For more information about our work with ASFG please see their new website here.
