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Originally published in The National: When Barack Obama was running for US president in 2008, you could find Obama-chewing gum in Kenya, Obama fabric in Benin and a hit radio song about Mr Obama in Ghana. To say that Africans were enthusiastic about a possible president with Kenyan ties would be a serious understatement. Now, […]
November 27, 2012
Originally published on CFR.org: Emerging Voices features regular contributions from scholars and practitioners highlighting new research, thinking, and approaches to development challenges. This article is from Stephanie Hanson, director of policy and outreach at One Acre Fund. She explains the specific obstacles facing Africa’s female farmers and One Acre Fund’s model for addressing them. Meet […]
August 4, 2011
Originally published in The National: In western Kenya, where plentiful rain has fallen this year, smallholder farmers are just beginning to harvest their maize. Many of the farmers that I know are expecting the best harvests of their lives. The towering maize stalks in their fields will yield 10 to 20 bags of produce per […]
January 9, 2011
Originally published in The National: South Sudan went to the polls yesterday to vote on whether to secede from the north, the culmination of a peace process that ended decades of civil war. Balloting will last a week, but it appears a foregone conclusion that the country will vote for independence. No one is sure, […]
August 5, 2010
It’s the beginning of August, which in Kenya means maize harvesting, and–because it’s an even-numbered year–circumcision ceremonies. On almost every drive I take out to the field, I’ll see several groups of adolescent boys, running along the side of the road and singing. Several days before the actual ceremony, boys go to the homes of […]
August 3, 2010
Originally published in GlobalPost: BUNGOMA, Kenya — Food security and agricultural development have become hot topics. U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration has rolled out its “Feed the Future” initiative. The World Bank started a multi-donor trust fund for food security in April. Africa, with the world’s lowest crop yields and its greatest potential to produce […]
July 26, 2010
Originally published on The New Security Beat: Driving from Kigali into rural Rwanda, the hills that flank either side of the paved road are covered with bananas, maize, coffee, and beans under cultivation. Most Rwandans are farmers, using any bit of available land to feed their families and generate income. In this country—the most densely […]
January 2, 2010
Originally published in GlobalPost: TYAZO, Rwanda — Africa tends to burst into international news whenever a new conflict starts or an old one resurges. Africans across the continent lament this crisis coverage, complaining that the positive trends and stories in Africa go unnoticed. However in June 2010, the soccer World Cup will descend on South […]
May 28, 2008
Originally published on CFR.org: Introduction Global food prices have skyrocketed in the past year, sparking riots in 2008 in cities from Egypt to Haiti. Rising prices pose a particular threat in sub-Saharan Africa, where conflicts and drought exacerbate the affects of high prices. Though sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to become an agriculture powerhouse, crop […]
Stephanie Hanson 
December 4, 2012
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