Download or read book Agro Ecological Intensification of Agricultural Systems in the African Highlands written by Bernard Vanlauwe and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-12-17 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is an urgent need to increase agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa in a sustainable and economically-viable manner. Transforming risk-averse smallholders into business-oriented producers that invest in producing surplus food for sale provides a formidable challenge, both from a technological and socio-political perspective. This book addresses the issue of agricultural intensification in the humid highland areas of Africa – regions with relatively good agricultural potential, but where the scarce land resources are increasingly under pressure from the growing population and from climate change. In addition to introductory and synthesis chapters, the book focuses on four themes: system components required for agricultural intensification; the integration of components at the system level; drivers for adoption of technologies towards intensification; and the dissemination of complex knowledge. It provides case studies of improved crop and soil management for staple crops such as cassava and bananas, as well as examples of how the livelihoods of rural people can be improved. The book provides a valuable resource for researchers, development actors, students and policy makers in agricultural systems and economics and in international development. It highlights and addresses key challenges and opportunities that exist for sustainable agricultural intensification in the humid highlands of sub-Saharan Africa.

Download or read book AGROECOLOGICAL INTENSIFICATION OF AGRICU written by Bernard Vanlauwe and published by . This book was released on 2013-12-20 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Challenges and Opportunities for Agricultural Intensification of the Humid Highland Systems of Sub Saharan Africa written by Bernard Vanlauwe and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-10-07 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The humid highlands in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are characterized by high population densities and require intensification. The Consortium for Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA) has set up a research for development platform in various mandate areas in DR Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda, aiming to identify improved production, market, and nutrition options and facilitating the access for development partners to these options. This platform is supported by capacity building, multi-stakeholder dialogue, and monitoring and evaluation efforts. The conference, facilitated by CIALCA, aimed to (i) take stock of the state-of the art in agricultural intensification in the highlands of SSA and (ii) chart the way forward for agricultural research for development in the humid highlands of SSA, and more specifically in the recently launched Humidtropics Consortium Research Programme, through keynote, oral and poster presentations, and strategic panel discussions.

Download or read book Agricultural Intensification and Efficiency in the West African Savannahs written by I. Okike and published by ILRI (aka ILCA and ILRAD). This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Sustainable Intensification written by Jules N. Pretty and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-06-25 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Continued population growth, rapidly changing consumption patterns and the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation are driving limited resources of food, energy, water and materials towards critical thresholds worldwide. These pressures are likely to be substantial across Africa, where countries will have to find innovative ways to boost crop and livestock production to avoid becoming more reliant on imports and food aid. Sustainable agricultural intensification - producing more output from the same area of land while reducing the negative environmental impacts - represents a solution for millions of African farmers. This volume presents the lessons learned from 40 sustainable agricultural intensification programmes in 20 countries across Africa, commissioned as part of the UK Government's Foresight project. Through detailed case studies, the authors of each chapter examine how to develop productive and sustainable agricultural systems and how to scale up these systems to reach many more millions of people in the future. Themes covered include crop improvements, agroforestry and soil conservation, conservation agriculture, integrated pest management, horticulture, livestock and fodder crops, aquaculture, and novel policies and partnerships.

Download or read book Integrated Natural Resource Management in the Highlands of Eastern Africa written by Laura Anne German and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-06-17 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book documents a decade of research, methodological innovation, and lessons learned in an eco-regional research-for-development program operating in the eastern African highlands, the African Highlands Initiative (AHI). It does this through reflections of the protagonists themselves—AHI site teams and partners applying action research to development innovation as a means to enhance the impact of their research. The book summarizes the experiences of farmers, research and development workers and policy and decision-makers who have interacted within an innovation system with the common goal of implementing an integrated approach to natural resource management (NRM) in the humid highlands. This book demonstrates the crucial importance of "approach" in shaping the outcomes of research and development, and distils lessons learned on what works, where and why. It is enriched with examples and case studies from five benchmark sites in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, whose variability provides the reader with an in-depth knowledge of the complexities of integrated NRM in agro-ecosystems that play an important role in the rural economy of the region. It is shown that the struggle to achieve sustainable agricultural development in challenging environments is a complex one, and can only be effectively achieved through combined efforts and commitment of individuals and institutions with complementary roles.

Download or read book Sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia written by Benjamin Karikari and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2024-04-17 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Interactions of Human Mobility and Farming Systems on Biodiversity and Soil Quality in the Western Highlands of Cameroon written by Tankou, Christopher Mubeteneh and published by Langaa RPCIG. This book was released on 2014-01-16 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Population growth and the drop in the returns from the major cash crop (coffee) for small farmers are the main drivers that have influenced the farming systems and mobility of farmers in the Western Highlands of Cameroon. The main objective of the research that led to this book was to determine the interactions between farming systems and human mobility in this region of Cameroon. A comparative study was conducted through household and field surveys in three villages and conceptualized based on the systems approach. The different types of mobility were influenced by household social factors, the quest for 'high valued' farm plots and hired labour. Urban-rural migration contributed to occupation diversification and social mobility. The sustainability factor was a function of land use intensity, intensity of off-farm inputs, the household adjustment factor and mobility of the household. The sacred groves were rich in plant diversity of varied ecological and economic importance. Nitrogen mining was common at all levels of the farming system. These determinants and types of mobility claims are pertinent to the research area; the sustainability results of the farming systems reflect the reality on the ground; the nutrient flux evaluated at the crop and farm levels constitute a valuable database for future research.

Download or read book Agroecological practices are widely used by African farmers written by Viability Project Team, and published by CIFOR. This book was released on 2023-02-28 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Intercropping Systems in Sustainable Agriculture written by Paulo Mazzafera and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2021-03-30 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Agile Data Oriented Research Tools to Support Smallholder Farm System Transformation written by James Hammond and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-05-09 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Smallholder farming systems contribute a substantial quantity of the food consumed in many lower and middle-income countries and contribute to the national and local economies. Despite the importance of smallholder farming, a transformation is needed in order to deliver food security and decent incomes for the farmers themselves and at the national level. This transformation must also be sustainable in terms of environmental impacts and social equity in order to be successful in the long term. The pressures of population growth, climate change, and land fragmentation compound the problem. Addressing these overlapping issues is a big challenge. One obstacle is the lack of good quality granular data linking these issues together. Household surveys are the workhorse method for gathering such data, but there are well-known problems that prevent household survey data from building up a “big picture” and delivering insights beyond the geographical boundary of each individual study. Such obstacles include the lack of access to datasets, differences in survey design, and respondent biases. Agile, data-oriented research tools can help to overcome these challenges. We use the term “agile” to imply methods that do not attempt exhaustive measurements, which are designed to be easy to use, and which entail some degree of flexibility in terms of adaptation to local conditions and integration with other tools or methods. Often these methods also nudge the behavior of tool users towards best practices. In recent years various research tools and approaches have been published which fit within our definition of “agile data-oriented research tools”. The domains these tools function in include monitoring and evaluation, intervention targeting, tailored information delivery, citizen science, credit scoring, and user feedback collection; all with the over-arching aim to improve data quality and access for those studying the sustainable development of smallholder farming systems. The goal of this Research Topic is to better define that niche, the ecosystem of tools and current practices, and to explore how such approaches can provide the underpinning knowledge required for the transformation of smallholder farming systems. One example of an agile data-oriented research tool is the Rural Household Multi-Indicator Survey (RHoMIS). It is a modular, digital system for building household surveys addressing the common topics in smallholder development. It was purposefully designed to give a broad overview of the farm system whist keeping survey duration to a minimum, to be user-friendly in implementation, and to be sufficiently flexible to function in a broad variety of locations and projects. Since 2015 it has been used by 30 organizations in 32 countries to interview over 34,000 households. The tool and database are open access and a community of practice is developing around the tool. We particularly welcome contributions that engage with the RHoMIS tool and data. However, we also describe the tool in order to provide an example of what is meant by an agile data-oriented research tool, and welcome contributions focusing on other tools or methodologies. We encourage the submission of manuscripts addressing the above topic, and those which fit within one of the following three sub-themes: (i) Perspectives or review articles which explore the niche, best practices, or promising approaches in agile data-oriented research tools for smallholder farm system transformation. Also, technology and code articles that describe new tools are welcomed. (ii) Original research articles presenting analyses based on data derived from agile data-oriented tools used at the project level. Examples include impact evaluations, adoption studies, targeting studies, or adaptive management, and should reflect on the additional benefit leveraged by the agile method applied. (iii) Original research articles that make use of the large amounts of data generated by such agile methods and/or link between agile data and other data sources. Examples include meta-analyses of data from multiple studies, layering data collected from different agile tools, or linking agile data to remote sensing or large-scale modeling outputs.

Download or read book Farming Systems and Food Security in Africa written by John Dixon and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-12-09 with total page 896 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Knowledge of Africa’s complex farming systems, set in their socio-economic and environmental context, is an essential ingredient to developing effective strategies for improving food and nutrition security. This book systematically and comprehensively describes the characteristics, trends, drivers of change and strategic priorities for each of Africa’s fifteen farming systems and their main subsystems. It shows how a farming systems perspective can be used to identify pathways to household food security and poverty reduction, and how strategic interventions may need to differ from one farming system to another. In the analysis, emphasis is placed on understanding farming systems drivers of change, trends and strategic priorities for science and policy. Illustrated with full-colour maps and photographs throughout, the volume provides a comprehensive and insightful analysis of Africa’s farming systems and pathways for the future to improve food and nutrition security. The book is an essential follow-up to the seminal work Farming Systems and Poverty by Dixon and colleagues for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Bank, published in 2001.

Download or read book A Systems Approach to Agroecology written by Pablo Tittonell and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-10-14 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As agroecology gains momentum in the international research-for-development arena, there is an urgent need for methods and tools to support the codesign and evaluation of agroecological systems and their transitions. The social and ecological complexity of agroecosystems, their dynamics, uncertainties and sustainability, calls for a holistic, systemic approach to agroecology. As such, several questions arise for example: how do we deal with heterogeneity, landscapes, biodiversity or learning processes in agroecosystems analysis? How do we categorise diversity or analyse trade-offs in social-ecological interactions? How do we conceptualise, codesign and monitor agroecological transitions? This book sets out to answer these questions by building on the valuable ‘classics’ in agroecology. The book presents a systems perspective that underpins a combination of methodologies, ranging from participatory tools and field observations to mathematical simulation modelling. Researchers, advanced students and transdisciplinary practitioners will find in this book insights and methods to design research and (co-) innovation processes to foster agroecological transitions.

Download or read book Water security and sustainable development in an uncertain world written by Miguel R. Peña and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-10-05 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Sustainable Intensification to Advance Food Security and Enhance Climate Resilience in Africa written by Rattan Lal and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-10-10 with total page 665 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This 32-chapter volume represents the core of several oral and poster presentations made at the conference. In addition to Introduction and Conclusion sections, the book is thematically divided into 7 sections, namely, 1) Land Use and Farming Systems, 2) Effects of Climate Change on Crop Yield, 3) Soil Nutrient and Water Management for Carbon Sequestration, 4) Rehabilitation of Degraded Lands through Forestry and Agroforestry, 5) Management of Animal Production for Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 6) Smallholder Adaptation to Climate Change, and 7) Economic, Social and Policy Issues. It addresses these themes in the context of sustainable intensification (SI). It implies increasing agronomic production from the existing land while improving/restoring its quality and decreasing the C or environmental footprint. Simply put, SI means producing more from less.

Download or read book Market Orientation Rural Out migration Crop Production and Household Food Security written by Ochieng, Justus and published by kassel university press GmbH. This book was released on 2014-01-01 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The research presented in this volume analyses the impact of market orientation on agricultural production and household food security; identifies determinants of farmer groups marketing; and investigates the effect of rural out-migration on agricultural intensification considering the case of banana and legume based systems in Central Africa. Based on a comprehensive field survey, the results show that market orientation enhances input use, yields, and food security by increasing rural households’ dietary diversity. They also demonstrate that the quality of marketing performance increases with the age of the farmer groups, the strengths of their internal structures and the extent of member participation in product bulking. Under the given conditions, policies that promote market orientation particularly by improving road infrastructure, provision of market information, and extension services would address production, marketing and food insecurity challenges while smart input subsidy programs targeting poor households can create additional employment and discourage massive rural out-migration. Besides, a transition of farmer groups into formal business entities could considerably support their marketing performance and hence their production efficacy.

Download or read book Agroforestry and Climate Change written by Manoj Kumar Jhariya and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2019-07-05 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides an abundance of valuable information on emerging eco-friendly technology and its potential role in combating climate change via agroforesty. The volume begins by describing the recent understanding of the scenario of climate change and its issues and challenges and provides an in-depth analysis of the potential of agroforestry toward climate change mitigation and adaptation. Chapters address a wide range of techniques and methods for mitigating the negative aspects of climate change through agroforesty, such as vermicomposting, carbon sequestration, horticulture techniques, nutrient sequestration and soil sustainability, conservation of medicinal plant resources, silvipastoral systems, phytoremediation techniques, and more. The book also looks at livelihood security and the role of agroforestry. Key features: Provides updated information and recent developments in the field of climate change and agroforestry Looks at a variety of eco-friendly methods being employed to help mitigate climate change through agroforesty Provides recommendations and suggestions to build harmony between agroforestry and climate change Discusses new insights on the role of agroforestry toward combating climate change as well as maintaining the sustainability of ecosystems