Download or read book The Impact of Agroforestry based Soil Fertility Replenishment Practices on the Poor in Western Kenya written by Place, Frank and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2005 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is widely accepted that food production benefits from agricultural research, but whether that research benefits the poor is less certain. In 2000, the World Agroforestry Centre and the International Food Policy Research Institute began examining the impact of soil fertility replenishment technologies on the poor in western Kenya. This report is one of seven case studies that comprise a broader IFPRI-managed study designed to determine how agricultural research is benefiting poor people. The goal of this broader study is to identify the conditions under which agricultural research reduces poverty and to improve the targeting of research to the changing needs of the poor. The study develops methods for evaluating the impact of agricultural research on poverty in the context of different agricultural technologies and within different country, social, and institutional settings. It also establishes a foundation that allows agricultural research centers to assess the impact of their work, identify research priorities, and guide technological design to increase future impact on poverty.

Download or read book The Impact of Agroforestry based Soil Fertility Replenishment Practices on the Poor in Western Kenya written by Frank Place and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This case study explores the relationships between agroforestry-based soil fertility replenishment (SFR) systems (improved fallows and biomass transfer) and poverty reduction in rural western Kenya. It further examines the role that different dissemination approaches play in conditioning which segments of society gain access to information to the technologies and then uses them. The study made use of many different qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and samples from both pilot areas where researchers maintained a significant presence and nonpilot areas where farmers learned of the technologies through other channels. Adoption processes were analyzed quantitatively using almost 2,000 households while changes in impact indicators were measured for just over 100 households. Qualitative methods included case studies for 40 households, where researchers lived in the villages for six months, and focus group discussions involving 16 different groups. The findings showed that poverty is rampant among households and appeared to worsen during the study period. The poor were reached by many different information providers and liked certain aspects of almost all types of organizations, from government extension to community group-based methods. Access to information is mediated by social relationships of wealth, gender and status; nevertheless, poor farmers acquired a significant amount of knowledge about soil fertility management. Adoption rates are not outstanding but they are encouraging, with about 20% of all farmers using the technologies on a regular basis, and a sizable percentage of farmers newly testing. Unlike some agricultural technologies historically, SFR was found not to be biased toward people controlling and managing resources above a certain threshold. The study also found that the poor were using the agroforestry technologies to a much greater extent than they were fertilizer (about 33% of farmers not using any other soil fertility practice were trying the new systems). The technologies were almost always at least doubling yields of maize. Despite these promising signs, the systems were not found to be linked to improved household-level food security or poverty indicators, primarily because the size of the fields under the agroforestry systems was, on average, quite small.

Download or read book The Impact of Agroforestry based Soil Fertility Replenishment Practices on the Poor in Western Kenya written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Impact of Agroforestry based Soil Fertility Replenishment Practices on the Poor in Western Kenya written by Michelle Adato and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Improved Fallows in Kenya History Farmer Practice and Impacts written by Frank Place, Steve Franzel, Qureish Noordin, and Bashir Jama and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Science and Poverty written by Ruth Meinzen-Dick and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2004 with total page 31 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Agricultural research livelihoods and poverty written by Adato, Michelle and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2007-06-11 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Those who study global poverty and ways to reduce it face a perennial set of questions: Do advances in knowledge, research, and technology make a real difference in the lives of poor people? What effect does research have on the poor? Who benefits? The contributors to Agricultural Research, Livelihoods, and Poverty shed light on these questions through a collection of case studies that explore the types of impact that agricultural research has had on livelihoods and poverty in low-income countries.

Download or read book Crop Production Technologies written by Peeyush Sharma and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2012-01-05 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crop production depends on the successful implementation of the soil, water, and nutrient management technologies. Food production by the year 2020 needs to be increased by 50 percent more than the present levels to satisfy the needs of around 8 billion people. Much of the increase would have to come from intensification of agricultural production. Importance of wise usage of water, nutrient management, and tillage in the agricultural sector for sustaining agricultural growth and slowing down environmental degradation calls for urgent attention of researchers, planners, and policy makers. Crop models enable researchers to promptly speculate on the long-term consequences of changes in agricultural practices. In addition, cropping systems, under different conditions, are making it possible to identify the adaptations required to respond to changes. This book adopts an interdisciplinary approach and contributes to this new vision. Leading authors analyze topics related to crop production technologies. The efforts have been made to keep the language as simple as possible, keeping in mind the readers of different language origins. The emphasis has been on general descriptions and principles of each topic, technical details, original research work, and modeling aspects. However, the comprehensive journal references in each area should enable the reader to pursue further studies of special interest. The subject has been presented through fifteen chapters to clearly specify different topics for convenience of the readers.

Download or read book Linkages Between Land Management Land Degradation and Poverty in Sub Saharan Africa written by Nkonya, Ephraim and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most African countries strive for both poverty reduction and sustainable land management, yet information on the exact relationship between these goals is limited. This report seeks to fill the gap by demonstrating a strong linkage between poverty and land management. Using Uganda as a case study, the authors show that certain policies, such as investments in soil and water conservation and agroforestry, may simultaneously increase productivity and reduce poverty and land degradation. Other strategies, including development of rural roads, non-farm activities, and rural finance, may reduce poverty without significantly affecting productivity or land management. Some policies, however, will likely involve trade-offs among different goals and will need to have their negative impacts minimized. Those in government, NGOs, the private sector, or academia who are concerned about sustainably reducing poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa will benefit from this analysis of how to pursue these key development goals.

Download or read book Soil Management of Smallholder Agriculture written by Rattan Lal and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2014-11-24 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nearly two billion people depend on hundreds of millions of smallholder farmers for food security. Yet, these farmers' lives also hang in the balance due to their extreme vulnerability to the risks of soil degradation and depletion, soil exhaustion, climate change, and numerous biotic and abiotic stresses. Soil Management of Smallholder Agriculture

Download or read book Biological Approaches to Regenerative Soil Systems written by Norman Uphoff and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2023-10-27 with total page 630 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agriculture in the 21st century will need considerable modification to remain both productive and sustainable. Greater production is needed to meet the needs of our still-growing populations and to combat hunger and poverty. Declines in soil health and the pollution of water sources are making many of our production systems less tenable. These adverse trends are exacerbated more and more by the impacts of climate change. There are, fortunately, alternative methods available for agricultural practice that can countervail these constraints. Biological Approaches to Regenerative Soil Systems brings together the work of both researchers and practitioners to map out better approaches to contemporary agriculture that draw upon both old and new knowledge. It presents the science that underlies more biologically driven strategies as well as contemporary innovative experiences in diverse parts of the world. Both accepted research and these varied experiences encourage confidence that these approaches, not relying primarily on the introduction of new varieties and on exogenous inputs, can succeed. This book updates and revises a preceding volume Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems published by CRC Press in 2006. So much has been learned and done on this subject in the past decade and a half that a second edition was warranted. For instance, the first edition was published, knowledge about plant-soil microbiomes, which are a frequent focus in this book, has mushroomed. Because sustainability is a broad term and an end-state, the editors preferred to assemble expertise regarding regenerative agriculture, which is concerned with the means for achieving sustainability. The concept of regenerative soil systems, entities that are more complex and multifaceted than "soil" alone, also incorporates a concern with having more resilient agricultural systems, ones that are better able to cope with the multiple stresses of climate change that are foreseen for the decades ahead. The book’s chapters representing a wide range of disciplines were contributed by 84 scientists and practitioners from 20 countries. Although they come from persons with in-depth knowledge of their respective fields, the chapters are written to be accessible to readers who are not trained in the specialized subjects. Taken together, the chapters provide students, researchers, practitioners, planners, and policy makers with a comprehensive understanding of both the science and the steps needed to regenerate and sustain soil systems around the world for the long-term benefit of humankind and the environment.

Download or read book Adapting to Climate Uncertainty in African Agriculture written by Stephen Whitfield and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-08-20 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Future climatic and agro-ecological changes in Africa are uncertain and associated with high degrees of spatial and temporal variability and this change is differently simulated within divergent climate-crop models and in controlled crop breeding stations. Furthermore, uncertainty emerges in local contexts, not just in response to climatic systems, but to social, economic, and political systems, and often with implications for the appropriateness and adoption of technologies or the success of alternative cropping systems. This book examines the challenges of adaptation in smallholder farming in Africa, analysing the social, economic, political and climatic uncertainties that impact on agriculture in the region and the range of solutions proposed. Drawing on case studies of genetically modified crops, conservation agriculture, and other 'climate smart' solutions in eastern and southern Africa, the book identifies how uncertainties are framed 'from above' as well experienced 'from below', by farmers themselves. It provides a compelling insight into why ideas about adaptation emerge, from whom, and with what implications. This book offers a unique perspective and will be highly relevant to students of climate change adaptation, food security and poverty alleviation, as well as policy-makers and field practitioners in international development and agronomy.

Download or read book World Agroforestry Into the Future written by Dennis P. Garrity and published by World Agroforestry Centre. This book was released on 2006 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Impacts of Agricultural Research on Poverty Findings of an Integrated Economic and Social Analysis written by Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Michelle Adato, Lawrence Haddad, Peter Hazell and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on with total page 87 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Self Sufficient Agriculture written by Robert Tripp and published by Earthscan. This book was released on 2012-04-27 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Low external-input technology (or LEIT) is an increasingly prominent subject in discussions of sustainable agriculture. There are growing calls for self-sufficient agriculture in an era experiencing diminishing returns from reliance upon expensive synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. There are many reasons to support strategies for low external input farming, including a concern for environmental sustainability, increased attention to resource-poor farmers and marginal environments, and the conviction that a better use of local resources in small-scale agriculture can improve farm productivity and innovation. But despite the increased attention to self-sufficient agriculture, there is little evidence available on the performance and impact of LEIT.This book examines the contributions and limitations of low external input technology for addressing the needs of resource-poor farmers. For the first time a balanced analysis of LEIT is provided, offering in-depth case studies, an analysis of the debates, an extensive review of the literature and practical suggestions about the management and integration of low external input agriculture in rural development programmes.

Download or read book Shifting Cultivation and Environmental Change written by Malcolm F. Cairns and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-01-09 with total page 1405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shifting cultivation is one of the oldest forms of subsistence agriculture and is still practised by millions of poor people in the tropics. Typically it involves clearing land (often forest) for the growing of crops for a few years, and then moving on to new sites, leaving the earlier ground fallow to regain its soil fertility. This book brings together the best of science and farmer experimentation, vividly illustrating the enormous diversity of shifting cultivation systems as well as the power of human ingenuity. Some critics have tended to disparage shifting cultivation (sometimes called 'swidden cultivation' or 'slash-and-burn agriculture') as unsustainable due to its supposed role in deforestation and land degradation. However, the book shows that such indigenous practices, as they have evolved over time, can be highly adaptive to land and ecology. In contrast, 'scientific' agricultural solutions imposed from outside can be far more damaging to the environment and local communities. The book focuses on successful agricultural strategies of upland farmers, particularly in south and south-east Asia, and presents over 50 contributions by scholars from around the world and from various disciplines, including agricultural economics, ecology and anthropology. It is a sequel to the much praised "Voices from the Forest: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into Sustainable Upland Farming" (RFF Press, 2007), but all chapters are completely new and there is a greater emphasis on the contemporary challenges of climate change and biodiversity conservation.

Download or read book Agricultural Systems Agroecology and Rural Innovation for Development written by Sieglinde Snapp and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2017-02-17 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agricultural Systems, Second Edition, is a comprehensive text for developing sustainable farming systems. It presents a synthetic overview of the emerging area of agroecology applications to transforming farming systems and supporting rural innovation, with particular emphasis on how research can be harnessed for sustainable agriculture. The inclusion of research theory and examples using the principles of cropping system design allows students to gain a unique understanding of the technical, biological, ecological, economic and sociological aspects of farming systems science for rural livelihoods. This book explores topics such as: re-inventing farming systems; principles and practice of agroecology; agricultural change and low-input technology; ecologically-based nutrient management; participatory breeding for developing improved and relevant crops; participatory livestock research for development; gender and agrarian inequality at the local scale; the nature of agricultural innovation; and outreach to support rural innovation. The extensive coverage of subjects is complemented with integrated references and a companion website, making this book essential reading for courses in international agricultural systems and management, sustainable agricultural management, and cropping systems. This book will be a valuable resource for students of agricultural science, environmental engineering, and rural planning; researchers and scientists in agricultural development agencies; and practitioners of agricultural development in government extension programs, development agencies, and NGOs. Provides students with an enhanced understanding of how research can be harnessed for sustainable agriculture Incorporates social, biological, chemical, and geographical aspects important to agroecology Addresses social and development issues related to farming systems