The floating garden agricultural system of the Inle lake (Myanmar) as an example of equilibrium between food production and biodiversity maintenance

Agricultural production, food systems and population health are intimately linked. While there is a strong evidence base to inform our knowledge of what constitutes a healthy human diet, we know little about actual food production or consumption in many populations and how developments in the food and agricultural system will affect dietary intake patterns and health. The paucity of information on food production and consumption is arguably most acute in low- and middle-income countries, where it is most urgently needed to monitor levels of under-nutrition, the health impacts of rapid dietary transition and the increasing ‘double burden’ of nutrition-related disease. Food availability statistics based on food commodity production data are currently widely used as a proxy measure of national-level food consumption, but using data from the UK and Mexico we highlight the potential pitfalls of this approach. Despite limited resources for data collection, better systems of measurement are possible. Important drivers to improve collection systems may include efforts to meet international development goals and partnership with the private sector. A clearer understanding of the links between the agriculture and food system and population health will ensure that health becomes a critical driver of agricultural change.

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Organic Farming: To Pursue or Not to Pursue? An Exploratory Study Based on Evidence from Bangladesh

10.20944/preprints201806.0399.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Rubaiya Murshed ◽

Mohammad Riaz Uddin

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Food Production ◽

Proper Time ◽

Agricultural System ◽

Middle Income ◽

Major Barrier ◽

Production Methods ◽

Rice Market ◽

Organic Rice ◽

Income Constraint

In the field of agricultural food production, the transition between organic and inorganic farming methods has been an issue of much debate. The debate, on one hand, stresses the urgency for the transition in order to preserve environment and health; and, on the other hand, emphasizes the pressure of maintaining food production for a large growing population. Thus, the dilemma is how to find an agricultural system that would balance between obtaining food security and ensuring a safe sustainably environment-friendly food production system. This article focuses on the debate, in the context of Bangladesh, and questions whether it is the proper time, and stage in the development process, to attempt the transition from inorganic conventional food production methods to organic food production methods. This article contemplates why the organic rice market is not expanding in Bangladesh, and attempts to explain the slow growth of the market through the two main factors of income constraint and lack of awareness among people about the environmental and health detriments of inorganic farming methods. The study is exploratory in nature, and finds that it is not mainly the lack of awareness but the income constraint that can be principally attributed to the slow expansion of the organic rice market in Bangladesh. Through exploring consumers’ awareness about organic farming methods and their demand for organic products, this study shows how income as the major constraint, besides price, affects consumers demand for organic and inorganic rice in Bangladesh. Income being identified as the major barrier reveals the potential of the organic rice market to grow in the future, as Bangladesh continues its journey towards becoming a middle-income country.

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The contribution of small-scale food production in urban areas to the sustainable development goals: a review and case study

Sustainability Science ◽

10.1007/s11625-020-00792-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (6) ◽

pp. 1585-1599 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Elizabeth Nicholls ◽

Adrian Ely ◽

Linda Birkin ◽

Parthiba Basu ◽

Dave Goulson

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Food Production ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Small Scale ◽

Agricultural System ◽

United Nations General ◽

Development Goals

Abstract Food production depends upon the adequate provision of underpinning ecosystem services, such as pollination. Paradoxically, conventional farming practices are undermining these services and resulting in degraded soils, polluted waters, greenhouse gas emissions and massive loss of biodiversity including declines in pollinators. In essence, farming is undermining the ecosystem services it relies upon. Finding alternative more sustainable ways to meet growing food demands which simultaneously support biodiversity is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity. Here, we review the potential of urban and peri-urban agriculture to contribute to sustainable food production, using the 17 sustainable development goals set by the United Nations General Assembly as a framework. We present new data from a case study of urban gardens and allotments in the city of Brighton and Hove, UK. Such urban and peri-urban landholdings tend to be small and labour-intensive, characterised by a high diversity of crops including perennials and annuals. Our data demonstrate that this type of agricultural system can be highly productive and that it has environmental and social advantages over industrial agriculture in that crops are usually produced using few synthetic inputs and are destined for local consumption. Overall, we conclude that food grown on small-scale areas in and near cities is making a significant contribution to feeding the world and that this type of agriculture is likely to be relatively favourable for some ecosystem services, such as supporting healthy soils. However, major knowledge gaps remain, for example with regard to productivity, economic and employment impacts, pesticide use and the implications for biodiversity.

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Creating Urban and Building Space for Agricultural Space Towards Sustainable Jakarta

ComTech Computer Mathematics and Engineering Applications ◽

10.21512/comtech.v4i2.2526 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 882

Author(s):

Albertus Prawata

Keyword(s):

Food Production ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Agricultural System ◽

Controlled Environment ◽

Traffic Jam ◽

The People ◽

Controlled Environment Agriculture ◽

The Many ◽

The City ◽

Growing Population

Agricultural sector will be one of the many sectors affected by the rapid growing population in the cities. The agricultural crisis would lead to more dependence on imports for food. Another problem caused by the rapid growing population is the relocation of agriculture industries to the countryside. This will result inhigher price for food, air pollution, and traffic jam. Indoor controlled environment agriculture is one of the strategies that can help the city, so it can produce its own food and create sustainable lifestyle. This paper focuses on how to create Jakarta, one of the big cities in South East Asia, into a city based on agricultural system that can ensure food safety and make a sustainable urban lifestyle without damaging the environment. Also, it discusses the possibilities of converting the urban or building space into agricultural space, which can support the food production for the people of Jakarta.

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Resilience of Primary Food Production to a Changing Climate: On-Farm Responses to Water-Related Risks

Water ◽

10.3390/w12082155 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 2155 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tim Hess ◽

Jerry Knox ◽

Ian Holman ◽

Chloe Sutcliffe

Keyword(s):

Food Production ◽

Optimal Allocation ◽

Agricultural Drought ◽

Agricultural System ◽

Collaborative Partnerships ◽

Catchment Scale ◽

Related Risk ◽

Managerial Strategies ◽

The Right ◽

The Impact

Water is a fundamental component in primary food production, whether it be rainfall, irrigation used to water crops, or for supplying drinking water for animals, while the amount of water in the soil determines it capacity to support machinery and animals. We identify that UK agriculture is exposed to five main water-related risks: agricultural drought, scarcity of water resources, restrictions on the right to abstract water, excess soil water, and inundation. Projected milder, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers by the end of the century will change the frequency, persistence, or severity of each of these risks. This paper critically reviews and synthesizes the scientific literature on the impact of these risks on primary food production and the technological and managerial strategies employed to build resilience to these changing risks. At the farm scale, the emphasis has been on strategies to build robustness to reduce the impact of a water-related risk. However, collaborative partnerships allow for a more optimal allocation of water during times of scarcity. Enhancing cross-scale interactions, learning opportunities, and catchment-scale autonomy will be key to ensuring the agricultural system can build adaptive and transformational capacity.

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Transition from Animal-Based to Plant-Based Food Production to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agriculture—The Case of Denmark

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12198228 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (19) ◽

pp. 8228

Author(s):

Adam A. Prag ◽

Christian B. Henriksen

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Food Production ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Meat Consumption ◽

Agricultural System ◽

Dairy Production ◽

Gas Emissions ◽

Planetary Health

Curbing emissions from agriculture, and especially from livestock production, is essential in order to fulfil the Paris Agreement. Shifting to a diet lower in meat consumption has been emphasized in several studies. Based on the Planetary Health Diet developed by the EAT-Lancet Commission, this study investigates the effect on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions of transitioning the Danish agricultural system, which currently relies mainly on meat and dairy production, towards increased focus on plant-based foods, combined with replacement or reduction of imported feed and carbon sequestration on previous agricultural land. The study finds a large potential for reducing emissions from Danish agriculture through implementation of the Planetary Health Diet, with reductions of up to 21.7 Mt CO2e (CO2 equivalents) (92.9%) under the most ambitious conditions. This demonstrates the potentially large benefits from transitioning towards a more plant-based European agricultural sector and underscores the need for European and national policies incentivizing this transition.

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ANALISIS DAMPAK PERUBAHAN IKLIM TERHADAP PRODUKSI TANAMAN PANGAN PADA LAHAN KERING DAN RANCANG BANGUN SISTEM INFORMASINYA

Informatika Pertanian ◽

10.21082/ip.v25n1.2016.p69-80 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 69 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yayan Apriana ◽

Erni Susanti ◽

NFn Suciantini ◽

Fadhlullah Ramadhani ◽

Elza Surmaini

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Food Production ◽

Upland Rice ◽

Agricultural System ◽

Dry Land ◽

Maize Production ◽

Impact Of Climate Change ◽

Software Analysis ◽

South Sulawesi ◽

The Impact

Changes in the frequency and severity of extreme climate events and in the variability of weather patterns will have significant consequences for stability of agricultural system. Research objectives were to a) analyze the Impact of Climate Change on Food Crops in Dryland b) develop a software prototype analysis of the impact of climate change on food production, especially upland rice and maize on dry land; c) create a simulation with multiple scenarios of the impact of climate change on dry land. The study was conducted in South Sulawesi, West Nusatenggara and East Nusatenggara.The activities were carried out by projecting precipitation using scenarios: a) SRESA2 (Scenarios of climate change by assuming economic growth is lower and population growth remains high so the rate of greenhouse gas emissions increased, b) SRESB1 (scenario of climate change by assuming mitigation efforts through expanding efficient use of energy and technology improvements so that the emission levels are lower) and making projections of production of upland rice and maize using Decission Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) as resource information in the preparation of prototype software information Systems Climate Change Impacts on Crop Production (SIDaPi TaPa). The system was built based on the analysis simulation model projections of production output DSSAT. Based on SRES scenarios A2, the decline in rainfall increased until 2050 in several districts, in South Sulawesi, West Nusatenggara and East Nusatenggara.Treatment of adaptation through SRESB1 scenarios could be effective to anticipate a decrease in rainfall in some regions, either in 2025 or 2050. In general, the region experiencing a decrease in rainfall will also decrease in production of both upland rice and maize production. The decline in upland rice production by SRESA2 scenario until 2050 was between 20-25%, and by a scenario adaptation SRESB1 the decline in production could be minimized to only between 7 -10%.The decline in maize production in the plot until 2050 by SRESA2 was between 9-15%, using scenarios to reduce production SRESB1 was only 5-8%. SIDAPI TAPA is a software analysis of the impact of climate change on food production, especially upland rice and maize on dry land in South Sulawesi, West Nusatenggara and East Nusatenggara.

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Early Agricultural Modes of Production in Mesoamerica

Modes of Production and Archaeology ◽

10.5744/florida/9780813054308.003.0004 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Guillermo Acosta Ochoa

Keyword(s):

Food Production ◽

Radical Change ◽

Agricultural System ◽

Mode Of Reproduction ◽

Agricultural Communities ◽

Ecological History ◽

Basin Of Mexico ◽

New Findings ◽

Human Modification ◽

History Of

The revolution in food production has been a recurring topic in archaeology. This chapter discusses some of the processes preceding the origins of food production and presents new findings from the State of Chiapas and the Basin of Mexico. The domestication of plants can be traced back to the early Holocene (ca. 10,000–8,000 BCE), but it is only in the period between 6,000 and 5,000 BCE when a radical change in the human modification of the environment, the emergence of the first sedentary societies in the Basin of Mexico, and the appearance of an extensive agricultural system in the lowlands of Middle America took place. These changes cannot be explained exclusively from the analysis of the mode of production. The mode of reproduction and the ecological history of the first agricultural communities should also be taken into account.

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The effects of relief food aid on food production and consumption patterns of communal farmers in Chigodora community, Case study: Zimbabwe.

Review of Social Sciences ◽

10.18533/rss.v2i3.73 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 24 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Trylee Nyasha Matongera

Keyword(s):

Social Services ◽

Food Production ◽

Research Study ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Hiv And Aids ◽

Consumption Patterns ◽

Food Aid ◽

Agricultural System ◽

Key Informants ◽

Production And Consumption

The research study focuses on the effects of relief food aid on food production and consumption patterns of communal farmers in Chigodora Ward 15, Mutare District. The researcher adopted a descriptive research design. Data collection instruments used in this research study included questionnaires, interviews as well as published documents. Questionnaires targeted households in selected villages. The researcher used a cluster sampling strategy in selecting villages and random sampling technique was used to select households from the selected villages. Interviews targeted key informants such as the Agritex Extension Officer, Mutare Rural District Council Social Services Director, and Chitakatira Health Care leader, Ward 15 Councilor, Plan International Selection Director and The Village Heads. Key informants were selected using purposive sampling technique. The researcher found out that relief food aid beneficiaries in Chigodora Ward 15 receive maize, beans, cooking oil and porridge on a monthly basis. Plan international is the only humanitarian organization which supplies food in the community. Since the involvement of food aid agencies in Chigodora, production of indigenous crops such as finger millet, sorghum and rapoko decreased. New crops such as peas are now grown. The major factors driving the persistence of relief food are HIV and AIDS, climate change, lack of fair distribution of farming inputs, the restructuring of the agricultural system and dependency syndrome. Short term impacts of relief food aid on food production and access include impacts on local taste, promotes laziness and compromises access to local foods. Long term impacts mentioned were, overall decrease in food production, disincentives on farmers to produce and exposure to low quality and unsafe products. The suggest the government of Zimbabwe needs to adequately assist and empower communal farmers to produce enough food from their fields through modern technologies as well as providing farmers with loans for inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and equipment to improve productivity.

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