Sustainable agricultural systems and food security

1991 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Swaminathan
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Research ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Monitoring Tools ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Agricultural Research And Development ◽  
Sustainable Agricultural Systems

Food and nutrition security involves physical and economic access to balanced diets and safe drinking water to all human beings. The challenges faced by scientists working on sustainable agricultural systems in industrialized and developing nations are different, with the former being concerned with defending the high yield levels already obtained and the latter, struggling to raise substantially the productivity per units of land, water, labour and energy without ecological harm. The new paradigm of agricultural research and development based on concurrent attention to issues of ecological sustainability, economic viability and social equity needs for its adoption intensive research on blending traditional and frontier technologies. It also needs new measurement and monitoring tools and genetic resources and enhancement centres.

scholarly journals Technical Change and Agricultural Productivity

2020 ◽  
pp. 219-238
Author(s):  
Christopher Cramer ◽  
John Sender ◽  
Arkebe Oqubay
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Green Revolution ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
High Yield ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Ecological Zones ◽  
Agricultural Research And Development ◽  
Public Agricultural Research

The evidence does not support gloomy generalizations about an irreversible African environmental crisis or pessimistic arguments that barriers to adopting Green Revolution technologies are insuperable. Although evidence on agricultural technology in Africa is often unreliable, food output and grain yields do appear to have risen strongly in some African economies.. Huge variations in crop yields, including within similar agro-ecological zones, suggest massive potential for policies to promote a rapid increase in yields. Agricultural research and development (R&D) within African countries—and production on many large-scale farms—has shown that dramatically higher yields are possible. Crop yield improvements—with the aid of suitable high-yield varieties (HYVs), public agricultural research spending, and especially investment in irrigation—are possible without draconian resettlement schemes, without wasteful extension service spending, and without recourse to micro-finance schemes. The methods underpinning commonly produced estimates of yields are unreliable, calling into question conventional wisdom that small farms are more efficient than larger farms.

Agricultural diversification and food security in low- and middle-income countries: Where is the evidence?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Waha ◽  
Francesco Accatino ◽  
Cecile Godde ◽  
Cyrille Rigolot ◽  
Jessica Bogard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Access ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Agricultural Diversification ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Food Utilisation ◽  
Farm Scale

<p>Diversity and diversification in agricultural systems are often presented in the literature as having multiple benefits such as enhancing resilience, increasing food production and decreasing risks in production systems and is often postulated to benefit food and nutrition security in low- and middle-income countries. Our study aims to provide an overview of the potential for agricultural diversification to improve food security status as reported in recently published research articles analysing the diversity-food security relationship. We consider results for different scales, from individual to global and for different food security dimensions: availability, access, stability and utilisation.</p><p>We carried out a literature review that includes exhaustive, comprehensive searching. We search for peer-reviewed publications in the Web of Science core collection (v.5.32) written in English, between 2010 and February 2020 on the association between diversity in agricultural systems and at least one dimension or measure of food security. From the original list of articles we exclude all publications that (1) focus on a study area outside a low- to middle income country; (2) do not include at least one metric of farm-, regional-, or global-level diversity as specified with the search terms; (3) do not explicitly measure at least one food security dimension, or (4) were exclusively focussed on describing drivers and trends in diversity or food security.</p><p>We find that a total number of 87 research articles assessed a total of 328 diversity-food security relationships using one or more statistical modelling approach. About half of them are positive (54%) and mostly refer to the diversity-food access relationship on the individual, household and farm scale as this was the food security dimension and spatial scale most analysed. Of all results for food access 60% were positive relationships and only 4% were negative relationships with the remainder having no or ambiguous relationships. Twenty-nine studies used household dietary diversity as a measure of food access and 10 studies used at least one food access indicator that is a validated proxy for nutrient adequacy. Positive relationships were more often reported for food availability (65%) than for food utilisation (33%) also because for food utilisation there are a lot of mixed findings for different measures of anthropometric and nutritional status. The most common spatial scale assessed was the household and farm scale (58%).</p><p>There is no food security dimension that primarily has a negative relationship with agricultural diversity but there is a considerable number of relationships that are found to be neutral or ambiguous. Diversity can be an important driver of food security, but the magnitude of the contribution depends on the  socio-economic and biophysical characteristics of the local farming system. We conclude that farmers mostly see diversification as a potential strategy to improve livelihoods, agricultural production and/or food and nutrition security where other strategies are more expensive but not as a desirable characteristic of the agricultural systems at all costs especially in the presence of other strategies that can achieve the same outcome.</p>

scholarly journals Adaptabilitas Varietas Inpara di Lahan Rawa Pasang Surut Tipe Luapan Air B pada Musim Kemarau

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Koesrini , ◽  
Muhammad Saleh ◽  
Dan Siti Nurzakiah
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Block Design ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Rice Farming ◽  
Type B ◽  
Marginal Lands ◽  
Rice Varieties ◽  
Tidal Swamp ◽  
Randomized Complete Block Design ◽  
Agricultural Research And Development

Tidal swamp lands are marginal lands with considerable potentials for rice farming. The key solution to overcome swampy lands constraints are nutrient and water managements as well as the use of adaptive rice varieties. Inpara (inbred swampy land rices) varieties have been released by the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD) which are adaptive to swampy land conditions. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the adaptability of Inpara varieties in tidal swamp lands with type B overflow. The field experiment was carried out in Karang Bunga village, Barito Kuala District, South Kalimantan Province, in the  dry season  from April to August 2016. The research was arranged in randomized complete block design, with 3 replicates. The varieties tested, i.e., Inpara 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and check varieties Margasari, Ciherang, and Mekongga. The results showed that the adaptability varied among varieties tested. Inpara 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9 had high yield and good adaptation on tidal swamp land yielded 3.475-4.299 ton ha-1. These varieties produced between 38.5 to 71.3% higher than Margasari and 51.4 to 87.2% higher than Mekongga. Inpara 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9 could be used as a main varieties in the tidal swamp lands.<br /><br />Keywords: rice, swampy land, variety

scholarly journals Diversity, Physicochemical and Technological Characterization of Elite Cassava (Manihot esculentaCrantz) Cultivars of Bantè, a District of Central Benin

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abadjayé Faouziath Sanoussi ◽  
Laura Yéyinou Loko ◽  
Hyacinthe Ahissou ◽  
Adidjath Koubourath Adjahi ◽  
Azize Orobiyi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physicochemical Properties ◽  
Physicochemical Analysis ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
Staple Food ◽  
Total Sugars ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Scientific Analysis ◽  
Food And Nutrition

Cassava is one of the staple food crops contributing significantly to food and nutrition security in Benin. This study aimed to assess the diversity of the elite cassava cultivars of Bantè district, determine the physicochemical properties of the most preferred ones as well as the sensory attributes of their major derived products (gari and tapioca), and compare them with the farmers’ and processors’ perception on their technological qualities. The ethnobotanical investigation revealed existence of 40 cultivars including 9 elites that were further classified into three groups based on agronomics and technological and culinary properties. Clustered together, cultivarsIdilèrou, Monlèkangan,andOdohoungbocharacterized by low fiber content, high yield of gari and tapioca, and good in-ground postmaturity storage were the most preferred ones. Their physicochemical analysis revealed good rate of dry matters (39.8% to 41.13%), starch (24.47% to 25.5%) and total sugars (39.46% to 41.13%), low fiber (0.80% to 1.02%), and cyanide (50 mg/kg) contents. The sensory analysis of their gari and tapioca revealed very well appreciated (taste, color, and texture) products by the consumers. The confirmation by scientific analysis of the farmers’ perception on qualities of the most preferred cultivars indicated that they have good knowledge of their materials.

scholarly journals The New Competitive Soybean Varieties Created at Agricultural Research and

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugen MUREȘANU ◽  
Raluca MÄ‚RGINEAN
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Hybrid Population ◽  
Maturity Group ◽  
Agricultural Research And Development ◽  
New Varieties ◽  
White Colour ◽  
Selection Of

The superiority of the next-generation of soybean varieties regarding the majority of the main characteristics among the old soybean varieties created at A.R.D.S. Turda, Romanian soybean varieties from the Official Catalogue of varieties of Agricultural and Vegetables species in Romania and even from the foreign soybean varieties registered in the Catalogue it is obvious. The new soybean varieties Darina TD, Cristina TD and Malina TD are the most recent creations of Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda in the field of soybean breeding. The new cultivars were obtained through individually repeted selection of hybrid population accomplished by crossing the cultivars T93- 8966 x Amurskaja, Zefir x Lena and Amurskaja x Simson. The new varieties are characterized by a growing season adequate to the ecological conditions of the area. Their growing season rank is appropriate with the needs of the area, with a maturity group OO, Darina TD, Cristina TD and Malina TD growing season is 122 days, 124 days and 123 days, respectively. Darina TD has a reddish pubescence easily distinguieshed from the eather soybean varieties whose pubescence is grey. At Cristina TD soybean variety the hilum colour is an important characteristic by which, at maturity, the Cristina TD variety may be distinguished from the rest of A.R.D.S. Turda soybean varieties whose hilum are brown, black and grey. Due to the white colour of flowers, during flowering Malina TD is easily distinguished from the others soybean varietie. A high yield potential as compared to the maturity group to which they belong, very high resistance to lodging, shattering, bacterial blight and mildew. This characteristics and features corroborated with high insertion of the basal pods, ensures suitable conditions for mechanized harvesting. Besides this features, the new soybean varieties have remarkable qualitative traits, high protein and oil content. The characteristics and features of the soybean cultivars Darina TD, Cristina TD and Malina TD created at A..R..D.S. Turda recommend them as the most adequate cultivars for the Transylvania Plain.

scholarly journals Biodiverse food plants in the semiarid region of Brazil have unknown potential: A systematic review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Cristine Medeiros Jacob ◽  
Maria Fernanda Araujo Medeiros ◽  
Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
Hymenaea Courbaril ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition

AbstractFood biodiversity presents one of the most significant opportunities to enhance food and nutrition security today. The lack of data on many plants, however, limits our understanding of their potential and the possibility of building a research agenda focused on them. Our objective with this systematic review was to identify biodiverse food plants occurring in the Caatinga biome, Brazil, strategic for the promotion of food and nutrition security. We selected studies from the following databases: Web of Science, Medline/PubMed (via the National Library of Medicine), Scopus and Embrapa Agricultural Research Databases (BDPA). Eligible were original articles, published since 2008, studying food plants occurring in the Caatinga. We assessed the methodological quality of the studies we selected. We reviewed a total of fifteen studies in which 65 plants that met our inclusion criteria were mentioned. Of this amount, 17 species, including varieties, subspecies, and different parts of plants, had data on chemical composition, in addition to being mentioned as food consumed by rural communities in observational ethnobotanical studies. From the energy and protein data associated with these plants, we produced a ranking of strategic species. The plants with values higher than the average of the set were: Dioclea grandiflora Mart. ex Benth (mucunã), Hymenaea courbaril L. (jatobá), Syagrus cearensis Noblick (coco-catolé), Libidibia ferrea (Mart. ex Tul.) L.P.Queiroz (jucá), Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Roem. & Schult.) T.D.Penn. (quixabeira). We suggest that the scientific community concentrates research efforts on tree legumes, due to their resilience and physiological, nutritional, and culinary qualities.

Policy atlas on food and nutrition security: Kenya

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Marivoet ◽  
John M. Ulimwengu ◽  
Leysa Maty Sall
Keyword(s):  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition
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