Bread and Freedom: Linking Democracy and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa

by Kirk Harris Abstract This article looks at the effect of politics on food security in thirty-eight Sub‑Saharan African nations since 1990. In so doing, it helps clarify the causal mechanisms through which democracy impacts hunger. In contrast to previous empirical research where democracy is often treated as one‑dimensional, this study incorporates multiple measures of democracy and freedom. The […]

Creating Peace in an Armed Society: Karamoja, Uganda, 1996

by Michael D. Quam, University of illinois at Springfield Introduction to Karamoja Located in the northeastern part of Uganda, Karamoja is a 27,200 square kilometer area of semi-arid savannah, bush and mountains. To the east, the escarpment drops down into Turkana District in Kenya; to the north is the Sudan; to the west and south […]

Is Fertilizer a Public or Private Good in Africa? An Opinion Piece

by Christina H. Gladwin, Alan Randall, Andrew Schmitz, and G. Edward Schuh Traditionally, fertilizer has been treated by economists as a private, not public, good [1]. Soil scientist Pedro Sanchez and researchers associated with the International Center for Research on Agroforestry (ICRAF), however, claim that ICRAF’s agroforestry innovations should be adopted by African farmers as an inexpensive […]

Gender-Sensitive LP Models in Soil Fertility Research for Smallholder Farmers: Reaching De Jure Female Headed Households in Zimbabwe

by Maxwell Mudhara, Peter. E. Hildebrand, and Christina. H. Gladwin Introduction Zimbabwe faces a challenge in meeting food requirements of its 12 million people. The population is growing at three percent per annum compared to 1-1.5 percent per annum growth in agricultural production. Therefore, per capita food production is declining. To meet its food requirements, the […]

Modeling AgroForestry Adoption and Household Decision Making in Malawi

by Paul H. Thangata, Peter .E. Hildebrand, and Christina H. Gladwin Abstract Low resource farmers make decisions about adopting new technologies as part of the overall strategy for ensuring subsistence and cash income for their food security needs. This paper reports on a study conducted in Kasungu, Malawi, southern Africa, to evaluate the potential for small-scale […]

Vouchers versus Grants of Inputs: Evidence from Malawi’s Starter Pack Program

by Amy E. Gough, Christina H. Gladwin, and Peter E. Hildebrand Abstract The majority of Malawi’s smallholders use low purchased-input technologies and as a result, produce low yields; 40 to 60 percent of rural households face chronic food insecurity for two to five months every year. These households are therefore in need of a program to […]

The Effect of Cash Cropping, Credit, and Household Composition on Household Food Security in Southern Malawi

by Andrea S. Anderson Abstract Diversifying household activiies is essential to household food security in Southern Malawi. Farms are extremely small; many farms are less than half a hectare. With these small landholdings, food security cannot be achieved by subsistence farming alone. Cash crops and off-farm income are key to these livelihood systems. This paper […]

Diminishing Choices: Gender, Small Bags of Fertilizer, and Household Food Security Decisions in Malawi

by Robert P. Uttaro Abstract This paper examines two decisions farmers in southern Malawi make every planting season: whether or not to acquire increasingly expensive chemical fertilizers and whether or not to buy and plant equally expensive hybrid maize seed. Both choices are interrelated. Maize is the staple food crop in Malawi and the key […]

Gender and Soil Fertility Management in Mbale District, Southeastern Uganda

by Abe Goldman and Kathleen Heldenbrand Introduction This paper explores gender-related aspects of agriculture and agricultural change in a densely populated, high potential area in eastern Uganda, particularly in relation to declining productivity in the region. Much recent literature has investigated the impacts of specific agricultural policies and projects on women farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. […]

Globalizing Land and Food in Zimbabwe: Implications for Southern Africa

by Carol Thompson Abstract For political and economic crises as severe as Zimbabwe, domestic causes are central, but the conflict in Zimbabwe is not simply internal; it is regional and international and in that sense, it is a post (political) apartheid struggle. Taking an international perspective, this article delineates the context and the constraints on […]

African Studies Quarterly

Tag: Food Security