Integrated systems research in nutrition-sensitive landscapes

Groot, Jeroen; Kennedy, Gina; Remans, Roseline; Carmona, Natalia Estrada; Raneri, Jessica E.; DeClerck, Fabrice; Alvarez, Stéphanie; Masingaidze, Nester; Timler, Carl J.; Stadler, Minke; Mena, Trinidad del Rio; Horlings, L.G.; Inge, Brouwer; Cole, Steven M.; Descheemaeker, Katrien

doi:10.4324/9781315618791-18

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Optimal nutritionsensitive production diversity might be different from optimal environment-sensitive production diversity. Finally, Groot et al highlighted the importance of considering the landscape-level for a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of how communities, within a landscape, produce, access, and consume foods [57]. Indeed, previous studies have shown that the relationship between farm-level and landscape-level crop diversity might not be straightforward [58].…”

Section: Agricultural Production Diversity At the Farm-levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Construction and Interpretation of Production and Market Metrics Used to Understand Relationships with Dietary Diversity of Rural Smallholder Farming Households

et al. 2021

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Indicators of agricultural production diversity and market access and/or participation have often been used to try to understand how agricultural production and markets influence dietary diversity of rural smallholder households. Based on a standardized search strategy, 37 studies investigating the association between an indicator of agricultural production diversity and any indicator of dietary diversity were reviewed. The characteristics of the indicators of agricultural production diversity, as well as indicators of market access and/or participation, were assessed. This review demonstrated the wide range of indicators; four types and 14 subtypes of indicators of agricultural production diversity were found in the 37 studies, and three types and 14 subtypes of indicators of market access and/or participation were found in 25 studies. While diversity of measurement ideas allows flexibility, it precludes comparability with other studies and might make it difficult to build a robust body of evidence of the impact of agriculture at farm household level on food security, diet, and nutrition.

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Section: Agricultural Production Diversity At the Farm-levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Construction and Interpretation of Production and Market Metrics Used to Understand Relationships with Dietary Diversity of Rural Smallholder Farming Households

et al. 2021

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“…They can also reduce resource requirements from field and farm experimental research, and they can help to formulate management recommendations (Jones et al, 2017). Agricultural systems modeling has been applied to questions of system intensification and diversification beyond single crops and minimizing trade-offs and exploiting synergies between system components (Groot et al, 2017). Trade-offs influence the adoptability, impact, and sustainability of possible innovations and future pathways.…”

Section: Systems Modeling For Reducing Agro-environmental Trade-offsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved feeding and forages at a crossroads: Farming systems approaches for sustainable livestock development in East Africa

et al. 2020

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Dairy development provides substantial potential economic opportunities for smallholder farmers in East Africa, but productivity is constrained by the scarcity of quantity and quality feed. Ruminant livestock production is also associated with negative environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air pollution, high water consumption, land-use change, and loss of biodiversity. Improved livestock feeding and forages have been highlighted as key entry point to sustainable intensification, increasing food security, and decreasing environmental trade-offs including GHG emission intensities. In this perspective article, we argue that farming systems approaches are essential to understand the multiple roles and impacts of forages in smallholder livelihoods. First, we outline the unique position of forages in crop-livestock systems and systemic obstacles to adoption that call for multidisciplinary thinking. Second, we discuss the importance of matching forage technologies with agroecological and socioeconomic contexts and niches, and systems agronomy that is required. Third, we demonstrate the usefulness of farming systems modeling to estimate multidimensional impacts of forages and for reducing agro-environmental trade-offs. We conclude that improved forages in East Africa are at a crossroads: if adopted by farmers at scale, they can be a cornerstone of pathways toward sustainable livestock systems in East Africa.

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“…They can also reduce resource requirements from field and farm experimental research, and they can help to formulate management recommendations (Jones et al, 2017). Agricultural systems modeling has been applied to questions of system intensification and diversification beyond single crops, and minimizing trade-offs and exploiting synergies between system components (Groot et al, 2017). Trade-offs influence the adoptability, impact and sustainability of possible innovations and future pathways.…”

Section: Farming Systems Approaches and Trade-off Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Extrapolation of results from analyzing case study farms to farming systems and types might become difficult as there are many factors at play including land sizes, management, off-farm activities and farmers' objectives (Ripoll-Bosch et al, 2012). The outscaling potential of results, underpinning analysis with changes in policy, institutions and markets, and the science-policy interface are areas that need more future attention (Groot et al, 2017). Mixed methods data collection and modeling can also be more time and resource intensive.…”

Section: Bringing Research To Impact -Reflections On the Use Of Farmimentioning

confidence: 99%

At a crossroads: potential impacts and trade-offs of improved livestock feeding and forages in smallholder farming systems of East Africa

Paul¹

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1.1 Background Livestock are a resource of significant benefit to society in the form of food, income, nutrients, employment, insurance, traction, and clothing (Herrero et al., 2013). By 2050, the total demand for meat, milk and eggs is projected to almost double mostly in the developing world due to population growth, urbanization, income increase and change in dietary preferences-the 'livestock revolution' (Alexandratos and Bruinsma, 2012; Delgado et al., 1999; FAO, 2009). Dairy development provides economic opportunities for millions of poor smallholder farmers (Udo et al., 2011). Livestock is also associated with negative environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air pollution, high water consumption, loss of biodiversity and land degradation (de Vries and de Boer, 2010; Herrero et al., 2015; Steinfeld et al., 2006). Improved livestock feeding and forages have previously been highlighted as a triple-win strategy towards achieving climate-smart agriculture, increasing food security and resilience, and decreasing GHG intensities (Bryan et al., 2013; Peters et al., 2013; Thornton and Herrero, 2010). Tropical forages include a wide variety of sown or planted grasses, herbaceous or dual-purpose legumes and shrubs that are integrated into different agricultural systems to increase livestock productivity which is often constrained by quantity and quality feed (Rao et al., 2015). Livestock feeding and forages are thus at multiple crossroads: at a point where crucial decisions regarding future pathways are made, where productivity and environmental impacts meet, and where scientific disciplines including agronomy, soil and animal science intersect. However, knowledge on quantity and quality of feed gaps, and the potential impacts and trade-offs of improved livestock feeding practices on productivity, environment and livelihood dimensions across various crop-livestock systems in East Africa is limited and fragmented. 1.1.1 Mixed crop-livestock systems and dairy development in East Africa Global livestock systems can be distinguished as follows: a) pastoral and agro-pastoral with larger livestock herds, mainly composed of local breeds, which are grazed on public, private or communal land; b) intensive crop-livestock systems based on stall-feeding of 1-5 cross-bred or exotic cattle, forage cultivation and concentrate supplementation; c) semi-intensive mixed crop-livestock systems where animals split their time between enclosures and grazing and/or being tethered; d) others including forest-based, urban and landless systems. In pastoral and agro-pastoral systems, the main objective is meat production with milk as a by-product, whereas in intensive and semi-intensive mixed croplivestock systems dairy is often the focus (McDermott et al., 2010; Robinson et al., 2011; Seré and Steinfeld, 1996). Mixed crop-livestock systems, where crops and livestock are produced on the same farm, are widespread in developing countries. Two-thirds of the global population are engaged in these 22 Napier grass (Pennisetum...

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Integrated systems research in nutrition-sensitive landscapes

Cited by 3 publications

References 1 publication

Construction and Interpretation of Production and Market Metrics Used to Understand Relationships with Dietary Diversity of Rural Smallholder Farming Households

Construction and Interpretation of Production and Market Metrics Used to Understand Relationships with Dietary Diversity of Rural Smallholder Farming Households

Improved feeding and forages at a crossroads: Farming systems approaches for sustainable livestock development in East Africa

At a crossroads: potential impacts and trade-offs of improved livestock feeding and forages in smallholder farming systems of East Africa

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