West Africa

Across West Africa, food security is being challenged by armed struggles and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which will create long-lasting challenges. Amaka Ikeaka, regional program manager for West Africa, writes about how dairy production and other long-term solutions can help address these challenges, particularly in Nigeria.

Emerging technology solutions combining aerial and phone imagery with machine learning could solve long-standing challenges in getting accurate, timely data for trade and investment decisions in the global nut and dried fruit industry.

TechnoServe’s COVID-19 Impact Report examines how the pandemic disrupted key sectors of emerging economies and the livelihoods of those who work in them. Our second feature in our blog series on the report highlights the challenges food processors faced last year and the promising solutions that could help them maintain their key role in the value chain.

In this series, we check back with TechnoServe program participants previously featured on our blog, documenting how their lives have changed and progressed. In our previous story on Elisabeth Atchade, a cashew farmer in Benin, the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant market panic left her with uncertainty about the future of her cashew production. Find out how she is doing now, eight months later.

In northern Nigeria, gender norms often limit women’s abilities to control resources, including land and finance. A TechnoServe program is helping women rice farmers like Rahma Umar increase their incomes and opportunities through improved rice production.