Community Area Based Development Approach (CABDA) Programme: An alternative way to address the current African food crisis?

Much of African smallholder farming faces weak service delivery and input supply, and a diminishing resource base, particularly in terms of soil and water conditions. Conventional interventions, whether through the state or markets, have had little success in improving these conditions. This paper describes an NGO programme - the Community Area-Based Approach (CABDA) - initiated 15 years ago and piloted in Ethiopia, Uganda and Malawi, which offers an alternative approach.