Food and agriculture

Although the cornerstone of most developing countries' economies, agricultural production in many parts of the world is carried out on a small-scale by farmers and pastoralists with little income or natural resources, making their lives precarious and vulnerable.

Practical Action's work with small scale farmers and pastoralists aims to help them increase their food production capacity, to achieve sustainable livelihoods in the context of a rapidly changing global food system.

Traditional crop and animal combinations can be adapted to increase productivity, when the biological, land and labour resources are efficiently used. This enhances not only yields and the food security of farmers, but also the agricultural diversity and environmental integrity of the production system.

Agriculture alone is not always able to provide a reliable livelihood for the growing populations in many developing countries. Alternative or additional income generating opportunities are needed to support the millions of poor families who can no longer support their livelihoods from the land alone.

Agroprocessing - turning primary agricultural products into other commodities for market - has the potential to provide those opportunities.

Practical Action's agroprocessing projects aim to increase income and access to food for the poor, by establishing small-scale, appropriate and sustainable processing businesses that are flexible, require little capital investment and can be carried out in the home without the need for sophisticated or expensive equipment.

Turning compost into lifelines The silted sands left behind after floods in Bangladesh are too infertile to grow crops. But a simple solution can transform a sandbar into a field rich with pumpkins. Donkey ploughs Working with local communities in Sudan, Practical Action introduced a light, inexpensive metal plough that can be pulled by a donkey. Rice-fish culture Rice-fish culture involves farmers introducing another ‘crop’ into their rice fields – small, indigenous fish - increasing crop yields. Bringing life to the land Using simple technology, such as foot-driven treadle pumps, Practical Action is helping "low caste" families in Nepal move from malnutrition to self-sufficiency.

Ceramic fridges The zeer pot uses evaporation to keep food fresh in the heat of Sudan. One earthenware pot is set inside another, with a layer of wet sand in between. Using the landscape to get water Constructed with local materials, the Multiple-Use Water System uses gravity to provide families in Nepal with enough water to drink and feed their crops. Floating gardens When water covers the land in Bangladesh, it can be impossible to grow crops. Practical Action has developed a technology to allow farmers to grow food on flooded land. Drip irrigation Drip irrigation systems are a simple technology that collects and stores water, and enables farmers in Zambia to nourish and grow the crops they need.

Practical Answers, Practical Action's technical information service, produces a wide range of Technical Briefs, practical fact-sheets on many different aspects of food production and processing.