Agricultural development and sustainable intensification

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Udaya Sekhar Nagothu ◽  
Esther Bloem ◽  
Andrew Borrell
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Sustainable Intensification

Food for All in Africa

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Conway ◽  
Ousmane Badiane ◽  
Katrin Glatzel
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Sustainable Intensification ◽  
Rural Poor ◽  
Agricultural Policies ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Agricultural Transformation

Africa requires a new agricultural transformation that is appropriate for Africa, that recognizes the continent's diverse environments and climates, and that takes into account its histories and cultures while benefiting rural smallholder farmers and their families. This book describes the key challenges faced by Africa's smallholder farmers and presents the concepts and practices of sustainable intensification as opportunities to sustainably transform Africa's agriculture sector and the livelihoods of millions of smallholders. The way forward, the book indicates, will be an agriculture sector deeply rooted within sustainable intensification: producing more with less, using fertilizers and pesticides more prudently, adapting to climate change, improving natural capital, adopting new technologies, and building resilience at every stage of the agriculture value chain. This book envisions a virtuous circle generated through agricultural development rooted in sustainable intensification that results in greater yields, healthier diets, improved livelihoods for farmers, and sustainable economic opportunities for the rural poor that in turn generate further investment. It describes the benefits of digital technologies for farmers and the challenges of transforming African agricultural policies and creating effective and inspiring leadership. The book demonstrates why we should take on the challenge and provides ideas and methods through which it can be met.

Agri-environment policy for grain production in China: toward sustainable intensification

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-qiang Jiao ◽  
Gang He ◽  
Zhen-ling Cui ◽  
Jian-bo Shen ◽  
Fu-suo Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Nutrient Use Efficiency ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Chemical Fertilizer ◽  
Sustainable Intensification ◽  
Environmental Cost ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Grain Production ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the historical pattern of environmental cost due to grain production in China and to provide further implications of technologies and policies for the transformation of China’s agricultural development toward sustainable intensification. Design/methodology/approach The data sets about grain production, arable land and chemical fertilizer use in China were collected from FAO, NBSC, and IFA. Greenhouse gas emissions were estimated using life cycle assessments. The policies concerning grain production and the environment were collected from the Ministry of Agriculture, and the State Council of China. Findings China has produced enough food to feed its growing population, but has neglected the resource-environmental costs of grain production since 1978. Consequently, China’s grain production is always accompanied with a high cost of resource and environment sustainability. However, from 2006 to 2015, the growth rate of grain production has surpassed that of chemical fertilizer consumption, resulting in improvement in nutrient use efficiency and decreasing trends of environmental cost for grain production. This could be partially attributed to technology innovations, such as Soil-Testing and Fertilizer-Recommendations (STFR), soil quality and crop management improvement, and so on, and policy supports (policies of STFR, soil quality improvement, and high-yield construction). This indicated that China’s grain production is starting to transform from high-input and high-output model to “less for more.” Originality/value This study is the first to determine the detailed, historical role of technological innovation and agri-environmental policy on the sustainability of grain production in China. The findings should have significant implications for technology and policy for the transformation of China’s agriculture development to sustainable intensification.

scholarly journals Is Sustainable Intensification Possible? Evidence from Ethiopia

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vine Mutyasira ◽  
Dana Hoag ◽  
Dustin Pendell ◽  
Dale Manning
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Sustainable Intensification ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Ongoing Debate ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Farm Mechanization ◽  
Multiple Regions ◽  
Development Goals

This paper explores the sustainable intensification possibilities facing smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. We examine the internal consistency of jointly achieving “sustainable” “intensification” by exploring the factors that lead to complementarity or tradeoffs in the outcomes. A cross-sectional survey of farms was examined in multiple regions of Ethiopia’s Highlands. The results show that some farmers can achieve both sustainability and intensification, while many do not, or cannot achieve both at the same time. We found that some actions have a common impact on both sustainability and intensification, while other factors only affect one outcome. Access to agricultural loans and farm mechanization significantly increases the likelihood of succeeding in sustainable intensification. Access to land will be critical for agricultural sustainability while access to farming information and technical services will drive agricultural intensification. Overall, opportunities to improve both sustainability and intensification are weak, but the opportunity to improve one without sacrificing the other are realistic. The results contribute to the ongoing debate on sustainable intensification and help policy makers explore alternatives for managing different intensification and sustainability scenarios to achieve agricultural development goals.

scholarly journals Socio-cognitive constraints and opportunities for sustainable intensification in South Asia: insights from fuzzy cognitive mapping in coastal Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sreejith Aravindakshan ◽  
Timothy J. Krupnik ◽  
Sumona Shahrin ◽  
Pablo Tittonell ◽  
Kadambot H. M. Siddique ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Mental Models ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Cognitive Mapping ◽  
Sustainable Intensification ◽  
Sensitivity Index ◽  
Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping ◽  
Coastal Bangladesh ◽  
Development Interventions ◽  
Farm Types

AbstractAppreciating and dealing with the plurality of farmers’ perceptions and their contextual knowledge and perspectives of the functioning and performance of their agroecosystems—in other words, their ‘mental models’—is central for appropriate and sustainable agricultural development. In this respect, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) aim to eradicate poverty and food insecurity by 2030 by envisioning social inclusivity that incorporates the preferences and knowledge of key stakeholders, including farmers. Agricultural development interventions and policies directed at sustainable intensification (SI), however, do not sufficiently account for farmers’ perceptions, beliefs, priorities, or interests. Considering two contrasting agroecological systems in coastal Bangladesh, we used a fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM)-based simulation and sensitivity analysis of mental models of respondents of different farm types from 240 farm households. The employed FCM mental models were able to (1) capture farmers’ perception of farming system concepts and relationships for each farm type and (2) assess the impact of external interventions (drivers) on cropping intensification and food security. We decomposed the FCM models’ variance into the first-order sensitivity index (SVI) and total sensitivity index (TSI) using a winding stairs algorithm. Both within and outside polder areas, the highest TSIs (35–68%) were observed for effects of agricultural extension on changes in other concepts in the map, particularly food security and income (SI indicators), indicating the importance of extension programs for SI. Outside polders, drainage and micro-credit were also influential; within polders, the availability of micro-credit appears to affect farmer perceptions of SI indicators more than drainage. This study demonstrated the importance of reflection on the differing perspectives of farmers both within and outside polders to identify entry points for development interventions. In addition, the study underscores the need for micro-farming systems-level research to assess the context-based feasibility of introduced interventions as perceived by farmers of different farm types.

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