scholarly journals “Illegal” Gold Mining Operations in Ghana: Implication for Climate-Smart Agriculture in Northwestern Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Yenglier Yiridomoh
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Illegal Mining ◽  
Smart Agriculture

Globally, climate-smart agriculture is highly recognized as an approach for sustainable agriculture and food systems. In Africa and other developing countries, climate-smart agriculture is observed to reposition and modify agricultural systems for improved food and nutritional security. Despite the relevance of the approach to sustainable agricultural planning, illegal gold mining in many parts of the society is placing constraints to its implementation and adoption through its contest with agricultural land for space and activities. Illegal gold mining is on the rise due to the lucrativeness of the non-regulated gold rush opportunities with hard consequences on sustainable agriculture and resilience food systems. As a result, this study seeks to investigate illegal gold mining and its environmental implication for climate-smart agriculture in Ghana. The study used a single case study using a mixed-methods approach to research. The study adopted purposive and systematic sampling techniques to select the study communities and respondents, respectively. Questionnaire and interviews were used to gather the primary data from respondents at the household level, as the unit of analysis. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis reveal that known agricultural practices such as terracing, crop rotation, use of domestic waste/manure, and irrigation of crops were affected adversely by activities of illegal mining. The study recommends the need for conscious efforts from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to sustain the ban on illegal mining with intensified monitoring and supervision while a systematic scheme involving relevant stakeholders is developed and implemented to ban illegal mining in Ghana completely. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture needs to develop an approach to support the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices by smallholder farmers to meet the food demand of their households.

scholarly journals Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture for Restoring the Soil Health and Increasing Rice Productivity as Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 748 (1) ◽  
pp. 012039
Author(s):  
Tualar Simarmata ◽  
M Khais Proyoga ◽  
Diyan Herdiyantoro ◽  
Mieke R Setiawati ◽  
Kustiwa Adinata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Water Efficiency ◽  
Rice Productivity ◽  
Rice Intensification ◽  
Significant Yield

Abstract Climate change (CC) is real and threatens the livelihood of most smallholder farmers who reside along the coastal area. The CC causes the rise of temperature (0.2-0.3°C/decade) and sea level (SRL = 5 mm/year), drought and floods to occur more frequently, the change of rainfall intensity and pattern and shifting of planting season and leads to the decreasing of crop yield or yield loss. Most of the paddy soil has been exhausted and degraded. About 50% of the rice field along the coastline is effected by high salinity and causes significant yield losses. The research was aimed to summarize the results of the system of organic based aerobic rice intensification (known as IPATBO) and of two climate filed school (CFS) in Cinganjeng and Rawapu that situated along the coastline of Pangandaran and Cilacap. Both IPATBO and CFS have adopted the strategy of climate-resilient sustainable agriculture (CRSA) for restoring the soil health and increasing rice productivity, and as well as to empower the farmer community. The implementation of IPATBO (2010-2020) in the different areas has increased the soil health, fertilizers, and water efficiency (reduce inorganic by 25-50%, and water by 30-40%) and increased rice productivity by at least 25-50%. Both CFS in Ciganjeng and Rawaapu were able to improve soil fertility, increase rice productivity, and farmer capacity. This result concludes the agro-ecological based CRSA and CFS can be adopted for the increasing the resilient of agricultural practices and farmers in adapting to climate change

scholarly journals The Impacts of Climate Change on Agricultural Production and Sustainable Agriculture of Smallholder Farmers in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1100-1107
Author(s):  
Nguyen Van Phu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
The World

Climate change is one of the greatest threats to human beings, and agriculture is one of the fields that is most negatively affected by climate change. Farmers around the world and global food supply chains are impacted by the more extreme weather phenomena and increased damage of diseases and pests caused by climate change. Today, almost all agricultural enterprises and farms consider climate change a serious long-term risk for their production. Agricultural land systems can produce significant greenhouse gases (GHGs) by the conversion of forests to crop- and animal lands, and also through the weak management of crops and livestock. Around the world, cultivation and cattle production accounts for 25% of global GHG emissions (Javeline, ‎2014). However, under suitable conditions, agriculture can create environmental conditions that can help minimize pollution and the negative effects of climate change including carbon absorption by green plants in forests, and fields for watershed protection and biodiversity conservation. Sustainable agriculture helps farmers to adapt, maintain, and improve productivity without applying harmful techniques. In turn, this allows farms to manage and mitigate climate-related risks in their supply chains. The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) has found new ways to incorporate smart climate cultivation methods into all farming practices to help farms and enterprises carry out agriculture sustainably.

scholarly journals “Now we’ve all turned to Eating Processed Foods”: A Photovoice Study of the Food and Nutrition Security Implications of ‘Galamsey’ in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanson Nyantakyi-Frimpong ◽  
Aaron Kobina Christian ◽  
John Ganle ◽  
Richmond Aryeetey
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Processed Foods ◽  
Mining Communities ◽  
Food And Nutrition

Abstract Small-scale mining, referred to as galamsey in Ghana, is an important source of income for many rural populations. Although concerns have been raised in the media about the significant threats galamsey poses to the environment, health, and livelihoods, there is a representational paucity of evidence regarding its links with local food systems, particularly from the perspective of affected mining communities. The current study explored community perceptions and experiences of galamsey and its perceived effects on food security and livelihoods in the East Akyem Municipality in the Eastern region of Ghana. Primary data was collected using photovoice, photo exhibition, and interviews. Results show that galamsey has Resulted in degradation of, otherwise, fertile agricultural land, and contamination of freshwater sources. This has resulted in reduced cultivable land, reduced crop production, shortage of essential staple foods, increases in food prices, and increased consumption of ultra-processed foods. There is also perception of increased exposure to heavy metals like mercury in locally produced food. Given the adverse health consequences of both food/nutrition insecurity, and increased consumption of processed foods, it is important that public and policy discussions to minimize the effects of galamsey in Ghana should include considerations about food and nutrition insecurity in mining communities.

Structural equation model of young farmers' intention to adopt sustainable agriculture: a case study in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Apurbo Sarkar ◽  
Hongyu Wang ◽  
Airin Rahman ◽  
Jony Abdul Azim ◽  
Waqar Hussain Memon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Northern Region ◽  
Interpersonal Behavior ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
The Government

Abstract This paper aims to assess young farmers' willingness to adopt sustainable agriculture (SA) by implementing the expanded theory of planned behavior (TPB) within the northern region of Bangladesh. The outcomes attained specified that attitudes toward SA, perceived behavior control and perceived self-identity have progressive and fundamental impacts on adoption behavior and affect farmers' intentions to adopt SA's particular production mechanism. On the other hand, the social interface view toward SA is not significantly associated with the Bangladeshi farmer's adoption intention. The results also show that interconnections between social and familial pressure are not significant for sustainable farming practice adoption intentions. However, the interconnections among the psychosocial factors have a crucial role in formulating the TPB to forecast the intentional behavior for adopting SA practices. Thus, the government should highlight the advantages of several sustainable agricultural practices and circulate more detailed information regarding SA tactics to improve the knowledge gap of smallholder farmers. Furthermore, training facilities should be extended to improve the attitude and perceived self-identity of young farmers. Moreover, the formulation of structural information sharing platforms and agricultural value chain facilities should also help shape young farmers' interpersonal behavior in adopting SA practices.

Will the European Green Deal Make Agriculture More Sustainable?

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 198-200
Author(s):  
Robin Blake
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
The Face ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Growing Population

The concept of sustainable agriculture involves meeting society?s current food and material needs without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same, and is a core theme of the green deal. Sustainability is closely linked to resilience, i.e. the capacity of food systems over time to provide sufficient, adequate, and accessible food to all, in the face of various and even unforeseen challenges. Food systems cannot expect to be resilient to challenges such as climate change and COVID-19 if they are not sustainable. Historically, solutions to produce more food sustainably focussed on bringing more land into agriculture, exploiting new or underutilised resources, and adopting new technologies. However, it is now recognised that we need to do more with less, and use what we have wisely and with the best scientific and ecological investments, especially in Europe. Pressures on land use from a growing population to build houses, transport, and infrastructure, as well as protecting habitats for recreation and biodiversity, mean that simply finding more agricultural land is not an option.

Farmland preservation and sustainable agriculture: Grassroots and policy connections

2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43
Author(s):  
K.S. Korfmacher
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Farmland Preservation ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Federal Policies ◽  
Support Organizations ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Policies And Programs

AbstractOver the long run, a sustainable food production system requires both a sufficient base of agricultural land and agricultural practices that do not degrade the land. However, current policies and programs for protecting agricultural land are not systematically integrated with those promoting sustainable agriculture. There are various ways that policymakers, agricultural support organizations, and researchers could better integrate farmland preservation and sustainable agriculture efforts. This paper suggests several approaches for developing such connections including: coordinating local, state, and federal policies, conducting related research, and developing integrated outreach and education programs.

scholarly journals Factors Influencing Sustainable Agricultural Practices among Smallholder Farmers in Ogun State of Nigeria

2020 ◽  
pp. 17-24
Author(s):  
Samuel Olusola Oyewole ◽  
Samson Olayemi Sennuga
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Ogun State ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Sustainable Agricultural Practices

The importance of adopting Sustainable Agricultural Practices (SAPs) approach to improve food production cannot be overemphasized in policy development and research agenda of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates how socio-demographic factors influence farm-level decision process associated with the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices among smallholder farmers in Ogun State. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 196 farmers. Primary data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaires. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Likert scale rating and multivariate probit model. The results showed that majority of the farmers were male with mean age of 35 years cultivating an average farm size of 5.8 hectares. The use of improved variety was adopted by 95.41% and this was rank first among the practices adopted by the farmers. Agroforestry was rank second and adopted by 85.71% of the respondents. The extent of adoption by the respondents showed that 94.39 and 72.45 were practicing the use of improved variety and agroforestry regularly. The factors influencing adoption of sustainable practices were age, education, farm size, farming experience and membership of social organization. The result further revealed that young farmers are more likely to adopt sustainable agricultural practices as option to increase productivity and reduce vulnerability of environment to ecological problems. This suggests that campaign for adoption of sustainable agricultural practices should target young farmers. However, this is not to discriminate older farmers in the sustainable agriculture policy agenda. The study established that there are complementary and substitute effects between the sustainable agricultural practices. This showed that policy changes that affect adoption of a given practice can have spillover effect on the other. Hence, extension services and promotion agenda should always emphasize the effects between different practices to enhance farmers’ choice.

scholarly journals Towards New Soil Management Strategies for Improving Soil Quality and Ecosystem Services in Sustainable Agriculture: Editorial Overview

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ugo De Corato
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Natural Soil ◽  
Soil Biodiversity

The major issues related to indiscriminate land use are overall related to topsoil depletion, groundwater contamination, plant disease outbreaks, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, global vision focused on the environmental impact and use of eco-friendly strategies are increasing. The design of new agroecosystems and food systems are fundamental to make more sustainability in soil management systems by improving the release of advanced ecosystems services for farmers. Sustainable agriculture utilizes natural renewable resources in the best way due to their intrinsic features by minimizing harmful impact on the agroecosystems. Farmers should sustain or even increase the soil organic matter (SOM) content overall in depleted, semiarid and arid soils. Nutrients recycled from agro-waste into the soil using residual biomass sources should be endorsed by diversified agriculture and governmental policies in which livestock and crop production are spatially integrated. Many good agricultural practices that growers may use to promote soil quality and soil health by minimizing water use and soil pollution on farms are yet available from past years. Exploration of the natural soil biodiversity and manipulation of soil microbiota by continuous amendment with compost, biochar and digestate represents a pre-requisite to develop more efficient microbial consortia useful for soils and crops. On the other hand, more attention is proven regarding the sustainable use of useful microorganisms employed as pure inoculants in rhizosphere. Among them, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and biological control agents cover the major groups of tailored inoculants in order to rationalize the internal recycling of nutrients and their energy recovery, or to improve the soil quality and plant health thanks to their diversified mechanisms of action and complex interactions between SOM, microbiota and plant roots in the rhizosphere.

Determinants of Adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices by Smallholder Farmers in Buhera and Chiredzi Districts of Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-44
Author(s):  
Olga Mapanje ◽  
Moses M. N. Chitete ◽  
Wisdom Mgomezulu ◽  
Bernard C. G. Kamanga
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Household Head ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Probit Analysis ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Gender Education ◽  
Smart Agriculture ◽  
Land Size ◽  
And Training

This study was set to assess factors that drive adoption of six climate smart agriculture technologies in Buhera and Chiredzi districts of Zimbabwe using a sample size of 240 households. Multivariate probit analysis was used to determine factors that influence smallholder farmers' decision to adopt climate smart agriculture technologies. The study finds that age, gender, education of household head, household size, membership to social group, land size, land ownership, and training influence adoption of the six climate smart agriculture technologies. Therefore, policies that allow an improvement in land size and ownership should be given full support by both government and NGO community. The study further recommends that there should be more trainings on benefits of various climate smart agriculture technologies. Farmers should further be encouraged to participate in social groups for easy access to extension information on climate smart agriculture.

Land Use Change and Climate-Smart Agriculture in the Sahel

2021 ◽  
pp. 208-230
Author(s):  
Suzanne Cotillon ◽  
Gray Tappan ◽  
Chris Reij
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Degraded Land ◽  
Smart Agriculture

In the 1970s and 1980s, the Sahel experienced recurrent drought and famine. Farmers and their development partners reacted to this crisis by developing climate-smart agricultural practices and changes in land use, including water-harvesting techniques to restore degraded land to productivity. In several densely populated parts of the Sahel, farmers began to protect and manage woody species that regenerated naturally on their farmland. Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) is a foundational practice that produces multiple benefits, such as maintaining or improving soil fertility, which raises crop yields, and increasing the production of tree-based fodder, fruit, and firewood. In Niger’s Maradi and Zinder Regions alone, farmers have applied FMNR practices on 4.2 million hectares. The findings presented in this chapter suggest that the future of agriculture in the Sahel will be largely determined by whether low-income smallholder farmers will manage to improve soil fertility, which will depend on maintaining substantial densities of on-farm trees thus increasing tree cover.

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