Assessing smallholder sustainable intensification in the Ethiopian highlands

Campo de Dalías, located in southeastern Spain, is the greatest European exponent of greenhouse agriculture. The development of this type of agriculture has led to an exponential economic development of one of the poorest areas of Spain, in a short period of time. Simultaneously, it has brought about a serious alteration of natural resources. This article will study the temporal evolution of changes in land use, and the exploitation of groundwater. Likewise, this study will delve into the technological development in greenhouses (irrigation techniques, new water resources, greenhouse structures or improvement in cultivation techniques) seeking a sustainable intensification of agriculture under plastic. This sustainable intensification also implies the conservation of existing natural areas.

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Farmer adoption of sustainable intensification technologies in the maize systems of the Global South. A review

Agronomy for Sustainable Development ◽

10.1007/s13593-020-00658-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Eliot Jones-Garcia ◽

Vijesh V. Krishna

Keyword(s):

Global South ◽

Sustainable Intensification ◽

Empirical Literature ◽

Adoption Process ◽

Limited Information ◽

Research Strategies ◽

Adoption Studies ◽

Research Attention ◽

Socioeconomic Analysis ◽

Farmer Adoption

AbstractThis paper reviews the empirical literature on the determinants of farmer adoption of sustainable intensification technologies in maize agri-food systems of the Global South. The attributes of the technology and the dissemination institutions interact with farm/farmer-specific variables, leading to heterogeneous impacts, making the prediction of technology adoption challenging. However, most empirical studies oversimplify the adoption process and examine only the farm/farmer-specific variables as the determinants of adoption, thereby limiting the scope of learning on how the attributes of the technology and the dissemination system could have been altered to realize a more efficient and more inclusive technological change. We argue for a realignment of empirical adoption analysis for better implications through a conscious rejection of the assumption that the onus of technology performance rests solely with the farmer. Here we review the studies published between 2007 and 2018 on the adoption of sustainable intensification technologies in maize systems of the Global South to examine how the adoption models are currently dependent on the farm/farmer attributes vis-à-vis the attributes of technologies and disseminating institutions. The main findings from a synthesis of 137 adoption studies are threefold. (1) Limited information access and technologies not suitable for the small landholdings were the major constraints of farmer adoption of technologies. (2) The criticisms on the conventional adoption analysis concerning oversimplification and decontextualization of the decision-making process are reaffirmed. (3) The empirical adoption research needs to incorporate the attributes of technologies and the socio-institutional context to develop better research strategies toward inclusive agrarian development. We examine how the framework of the socioeconomic analysis can be reconstructed to facilitate the research and development (R&D) institutions to overcome the major hurdles of rapid and inclusive dissemination. Evaluation of the degree to which the attributes of technology favor its adoption requires increased research attention.

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Sustainable Intensification? Increased Production Diminishes Omega-3 Content of Sheep Milk

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12031228 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 1228

Author(s):

Nikolaos Voutzourakis ◽

Nikolaos Tzanidakis ◽

Sokratis Stergiadis ◽

Leonidas Rempelos ◽

Mick Eyre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acid ◽

Milk Composition ◽

Food Composition ◽

Sustainable Intensification ◽

Consumer Health ◽

Omega 3 ◽

Concentrate Supplementation ◽

Sheep Milk ◽

Fat Composition ◽

System Sustainability

Intensifying agricultural production alters food composition, but this is often ignored when assessing system sustainability. However, this could compromise consumer health and influence the concept of “sustainable diets”. Here, we consider the milk composition of Mediterranean dairy sheep, finding inferior fatty acid (FA) profiles with respect to consumer health as a result of a more intensive system of production. Semi-intensive management produced 57% more milk per ewe, with a 20% lower fat content (but inferior fat composition). The milk had a nutritionally poorer fatty acid (FA) profile, with an 18% lower omega-3 FA concentration (n-3) (19% fewer long-chain n-3s) and a 7% lower monounsaturated FA concentration but a 3% higher saturated FA (9% higher in C14:0) concentration compared to ewes under traditional, extensive management. A redundancy analysis identified close associations between fat composition and animal diets—particularly concentrate supplementation and cultivated pasture grazing—and n-3 was associated with grazing in diverse, native mountain pastures. This paper questions if identifying such key elements in traditional systems could be deployed for “sustainable intensification” to maintain food quality while increasing output.

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