scholarly journals Promoting Agricultural Research and Development to Strengthen Food Security in South Asia

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghose Bishwajit
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Agricultural Education ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Security Issues ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Agricultural Research And Development ◽  
Sub Saharan

This study aims to highlight the status of agricultural R&D in South Asia and contends that creating an effective agricultural research and innovation systems is a vital element to ensure food security in this region. South Asia is home to around one-fourth of mankind and houses the largest proportion of undernourished people in the world. Despite a period of marked economic growth averaging 6% a year over the past two decades, it remains the world's second poorest region contributing a mere 2.2% in global annual GDP. Agriculture is the mainstay of South Asian economy employing around 60% of the total workforce and generating around 20% of total GDP. South Asia has the recognition of being the second most food-insecure region next only to sub-Saharan Africa. Though there is growing evidence that technological innovation has a key role to play in increasing agricultural production and strengthening food security, agricultural research and development (R&D) sector has failed to garner sufficient attention till now. This study also depicts the current situation of food security in South Asia and illustrates how agricultural education and innovation hold the master key to solve the food security issues for the world's most densely populated region.

Improving food security through agricultural research and development in Timor-Leste: a country emerging from conflict

Food Security ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lourenco Fontes Borges ◽  
Adalfredo do Rosario Ferreira ◽  
Deolindo Da Silva ◽  
Robert Williams ◽  
Rebecca Andersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Timor Leste ◽  
Agricultural Research And Development

South-South Cooperation for Social Development

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Hall
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Conditional Cash Transfer ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Cash Transfer ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan

Under President Lula (2003–2010), Brazil’s foreign aid program expanded significantly into the area of South-South cooperation. This included the “soft power” fields of social protection, food security, agricultural research, and humanitarian assistance, among others, with a particular emphasis on supporting Sub-Saharan Africa, notably but not exclusively Portuguese-speaking countries. Much of this aid was provided with the support of technical assistance from UN agencies such as UNDP and FAO and bilateral aid bodies, via trilateral agreements, under the coordination of Brazil’s International Cooperation Agency (ABC). South-South collaboration is considered to be morally superior to conventional aid arrangements, being supposedly demand-driven and “non-exploitative,” thus empowering recipients in the process. Brazilian policymakers sought to transfer national anti-poverty initiatives to Africa. This was based initially on the Bolsa Família conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, but other nutritional food security initiatives followed, such as boosting small farmer production as well as supporting agribusiness.

scholarly journals Spatial frameworks for prioritization of agricultural research and development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Rattalino Edreira ◽  
Jose Andrade ◽  
Kenneth Cassman ◽  
Martin van Ittersum ◽  
Marloes van Loon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Current Production ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract Food security interventions and policies need reliable estimates of actual crop production and the scope to enhance production on existing cropland. We assess the performance of two widely used “top-down” gridded frameworks (GAEZ and AgMIP) versus an alternative “bottom-up” approach that estimates extra production potential locally, for a number of representative sites, and then upscales the results to larger spatial scales (GYGA). Our results show that estimates from top-down frameworks are alarmingly unlikely, with estimated potential production being lower than current production at some locations. The consequences of using these coarse estimates to predict food security are illustrated by an example from sub-Saharan Africa. Our study shows that current foresights on food security, land use, and climate change and associate priority setting on AR&D based on yield potential and yield gaps derived from top-down approaches are subject to a high degree of uncertainty and would benefit from incorporating estimates from bottom-up approaches.

Food aid, domestic policy and food security: Contrasting experiences from South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa

Food Policy ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo del Ninno ◽  
Paul A. Dorosh ◽  
Kalanidhi Subbarao
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Domestic Policy ◽  
Food Aid ◽  
Sub Saharan

CHALLENGES AND LESSONS WHEN USING FARMER KNOWLEDGE IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN AFRICA

2009 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. A. VAN ASTEN ◽  
S. KAARIA ◽  
A. M. FERMONT ◽  
R. J. DELVE
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Farmer Knowledge ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Local Adaptations ◽  
Farmer Participatory Research ◽  
Agricultural Research And Development ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Environmentally Sound

SUMMARYFarmer participatory research (FPR) approaches are now considered mainstream and are especially applicable for developing appropriate technology options in complex, diverse and risk-prone regions, where local adaptations are crucial. Although the advantages of using farmer knowledge to guide scientific research are numerous and well documented, the challenges and potential pitfalls that befall biophysical researchers, in particular, when using FPR approaches have received much less attention, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Our experiences show that in certain cases, the methods used to collect farmer knowledge are flawed, leading to inaccurate or incomplete information being gathered. This potentially leads to the development and promotion of unsustainable, unprofitable or socially unacceptable technologies. This paper uses a series of examples to illustrate that discrepancies between farmer and researcher observations may occur because (i) farmers and scientists may not have sufficient insight into the systems complexity, (ii) farmers and scientists use different reference frameworks, and (iii) methodological errors may lead to farmers intentionally or unintentionally providing false or ‘desired’ information to achieve (short-term) benefits. This paper concludes by providing guidelines to improve the integration of farmer and scientific knowledge in order to develop appropriate technology options that are both environmentally sound and adaptable to local conditions.

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