scholarly journals Balancing production and culture: Sustainable agriculture in the Amazon

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Gandarilla ◽  
Giovanni A Carosso ◽  
Mohammed A Mostajo-Radji

Sustainable food production in developing countries is challenging, as it requires balancing scalability with respect for local culture and traditions. Bolivia represents a particularly interesting example; with over 36 recognized indigenous groups encompassing over 70% of the country’s population in a relatively small territory, Bolivia is considered one of the most diverse countries in the world (Ferreira et al., 2019). Agriculture in Bolivia employs over 5% of the country’s population and represents over 14% of its GDP. Yet, the introduction of new agribusiness approaches has often been met with resistance by the local communities. For example, the use of transgenic seeds in Bolivia is forbidden by law, with a single exception in soybean production (Avila and Izquierdo, 2006). As result, Bolivia is at a disadvantage in relation to its neighbors in agricultural production. In addition, high costs of transport and export of produce due to the landlocked nature of the country, compounded by logistic difficulties of exporting through a third country, highlight the need of policies that facilitate a larger and more efficient food production.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0255186
Author(s):  
Guoping Ding ◽  
Prince Asare Vitenu-Sackey ◽  
Wenshu Chen ◽  
Xiaofeng Shi ◽  
Jun Yan ◽  
...  

In many developing countries, the deficiency in public and private investment has resulted in lower growth rates and stagnation in productivity. The need for a new paradigm of foreign investment and aid in agricultural production is becoming exigent in developing countries. Given the decline in per capita arable land, the rise in production costs, and the increase in population and urbanization, major changes in agriculture have been proposed to boost agricultural production. This present study endeavours to contribute to the existing literature by proving whether foreign capital and economic freedom could catapult food production into the much-anticipated growth. In that regard, we performed GLS with correlated disturbances, system GMM dynamic panel data estimators and D-H causality test. The study found that foreign capital as a whole plays a positive role in food production in developing and least developed countries, but FDI is insignificant in least-developed countries. Moreover, economic freedom plays a positive role in food production in least-developed countries but negative in developing countries. Policymakers and governments should create an enabling environment for sustainable food production.


Author(s):  
José Miguel Mulet

Although the consumption of organic food is increasing in Europe and other parts of the world, it is still a minor option. The total agriculture land used for organic production in Europe is less than 6% and less than 1% worldwide. Contrary to what most consumers think there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that organic food has better nutritional value or that its production is more sustainable. In addition, productivity is very low and concomitantly the price is higher. This report reviews the presence of pseudoscience and the exclusion of technology from the European organic regulations and proposes some improvements that would help to make organic food production a real alternative and attain its objectives of providing healthier and sustainable food production.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 814
Author(s):  
Riccardo Testa

Agriculture has always played a key role in feeding the world population and ensuring the development of sustainable food production systems [...]


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Tolnay ◽  
Arijit Nath ◽  
Andras Koris

Over the last decades due to rapid development of human civilization along with revolution in technology, some burning issues about generation of environmental contaminant, management of by-products from technologies, high consumption of natural resources and conservation of natural resources have been dramatically raised. Without any contradiction, impacts in overall ecosystem as well as human civilization have negative effects. These evoked lots of scientific and industrial researches, and implemented several stricter environmental legislations on the development of sustainable ecosystem. Thus, sustainability has become an emerging topic all over the world, as evidenced by the growing body of scientific publications in the last 20 years with one order of magnitude increase since the start of the new century. The study attempts to perform a review ty is an emerging topic all over the world of the sustainable development from the food industry’s perspective. At present, the agro-food sector produces high amount of carbon dioxide, food waste, packaging waste, wastewater, etc. and it is still consuming a lot of water, land, oxygen and energy. Furthermore, taken into consideration the increasing number of the world’s population, there has been an enhancing interest experienced towards sustainable development among food manufacturers in the last decades. The article highlights the paramount areas of sustainable production, which offers new directions towards the increasing number of human beings for the future survival. The paper also gives an overview of the main perspectives contra constraints of sustainable food production, offers innovative food products from sustainable food waste and by-product, and focuses on the growing importance of sustainable food production in life cycle assessment methodology as well.


1995 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-29
Author(s):  
D. I. Ferreira

The world is facing major problems with regard to food production. Agricultural land suffers from various conditions which make it less efficient for crop production while the rapid population growth, especially in developing countries, raises concern for sustainable food production. The Green Revolution has failed to secure sustainable food production and it is hoped that biotechnology will facilitate the transition to more sustainable agriculture. Excellent progress has been made with both Cell Biology (tissue culture) and Molecular Biology (genetic engineering).


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. eabc8259
Author(s):  
Izabela Delabre ◽  
Lily O. Rodriguez ◽  
Joanna Miller Smallwood ◽  
Jörn P. W. Scharlemann ◽  
Joseph Alcamo ◽  
...  

Current food production and consumption trends are inconsistent with the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature. Here, we examine how, and under what conditions, the post-2020 biodiversity framework can support transformative change in food systems. Our analysis of actions proposed in four science-policy fora reveals that subsidy reform, valuation, food waste reduction, sustainability standards, life cycle assessments, sustainable diets, mainstreaming biodiversity, and strengthening governance can support more sustainable food production and consumption. By considering barriers and opportunities of implementing these actions in Peru and the United Kingdom, we derive potential targets and indicators for the post-2020 biodiversity framework. For targets to support transformation, genuine political commitment, accountability and compliance, and wider enabling conditions and actions by diverse agents are needed to shift food systems onto a sustainable path.


foresight ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 399-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Pinstrup‐Andersen ◽  
Marc J. Cohen

Although global food production has consistently kept pace with population growth, the gap between food production and demand in certain parts of the world is likely to remain. More than 800 million people in developing countries lack access to a minimally adequate diet. Continued productivity gains are essential on the supply side, because global population will increase by 73 million people a year over the next two decades. In this article we assess the current global food situation, look at the prospects through to the year 2020, and outline the policies needed to achieve food security for all. Emphasis is on the role that agricultural biotechnology might play in reaching this goal.


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