LivestockPlus: Forages, sustainable intensification, and food security in the tropics

Rudel, Thomas K.; Paul, Birthe K.; White, Devin; Rao, Idupulapati M.; Hoek, Rein van der; Castro, Aracely; Boval, Maryline; Lerner, Amy M.; Schneider, Laura; Peters, Michael

doi:10.1007/s13280-015-0676-2

Cited by 30 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…In Colombia, these technologies have been widely promoted; nevertheless, adoption levels among farmers remain marginal (Rudel et al 2015) due to lack of knowledge and training, uncertainties on land ownership, low land prices, higher labor requirements and lack of capital, among other factors (Calle et al 2009;Calle et al 2013). Sector stakeholders, such as the Colombian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and Dairy, have proposed the development of differentiated beef products coming from more sustainable production systems (mainly silvopastoral systems [SPS]) as a strategy to up-scale adoption, assuming that higher end product prices will encourage farmers to implement these technological packages (Ruiz et al 2011), but so far, there have been no rigorous assessments of local consumer response for these products or estimations of potential price premiums.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable intensification of beef production in Colombia—Chances for product differentiation and price premiums

et al. 2019

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To promote the adoption of more sustainable cattle production systems in Colombia (mainly silvopastoral systems with improved forages), some sector stakeholders have proposed the development of differentiated, higher value beef products. However, there have been no rigorous estimations of local market potential and consumer preferences for these hypothetical products yet. On the other hand, while there are clear efforts concerning the environmental impacts of cattle production, its animal welfare implications have taken a secondary place. This research attempts to evaluate the consumer's response to both the environmental and animal welfare aspects of more sustainable food systems by (i) determining the characteristics of a consumer segment for sustainably produced beef using contingent valuation methods and (ii) estimating the marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for animal welfare compliance and the environmental benefits derived from sustainable intensification within the identified consumer segment, employing a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE). In addition, the study estimates the effect of information on consumer's MWTP for environmentally friendlier beef. Results show that consumers within the identified segment are willing to pay on average 40.2% more for beef certified with both animal welfare and eco-friendly standards, with an increase of nearly 10% after being provided with information of the sector's environmental impacts. These findings support some of the current climate change mitigation strategies in the national cattle industry while highlighting relevant opportunities and trade-offs in the context of a developing country.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable intensification of beef production in Colombia—Chances for product differentiation and price premiums

et al. 2019

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“…To alleviate these pressures, increased animal production and improved livestock breeding are needed to supply quality and safe food in sufficient quantities. Feeding more forage to livestock and improving fodder utilization can help save more basic grains for human consumption [31]. The rapid increase of fishery products has eased the pressures on China's land-based animal agriculture somewhat.…”

Section: Optimize Dietary Pattern Of Residentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Challenges and Strategies of Food Security under Rapid Urbanization in China

Wang

2019

Sustainability

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Food security has received wide attention in China for a long time due to the challenges of a huge population and limited farmland area. Under conditions of rapid urbanization, the food scenario has changed, creating major challenges for massive populations in China. This paper intends to reveal the impact of urbanization on food security and to propose strategies for mitigating the threats to it. Total grain production has continuously increased, but most of the grain production has been distributed in the northern region since 2006. Although the per capita rural income has increased significantly since 1980, the agricultural income ratio has consistently declined from 56.13% in 1983 to 26.61% in 2012. A dramatic shift in food consumption away from grain towards meat, poultry, eggs, milk and liquor has been found in both rural and urban areas. The faster agricultural water consumption growth in northern China over southern China helped close the gap. There has been net increase of cultivated land in northern China, whereas southern China has seen a net decrease. The medium- and low-level cultivation ratios of land were 52.84% and 17.69%, respectively, in 2015. This paper concluded that food security in China could be ensured by increasing production and optimizing consumption. It suggested that enhanced grain production capacity, strict water management, and land consolidation engineering as well as agricultural industrialization could be used for maintaining grain production. Food consumption itself can be managed by optimizing resident dietary pattern, reducing food waste, adjusting grain consumption structure and moderating food imports policy.

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“…Intensification with improved forage technologies can take two forms: simple improvements such as the introduction of new forage varieties on-farm and in the existing feeding regime, or more complex sets of new practices that integrate forages in production systems. Forages need to be integrated into cropping systems, especially with food crops, to not compromise smallholders' food security (Ates et al 2018;Maass et al 2015;Rudel et al 2015). Tropical forages can fulfill various objectives and roles in farming systems, and they can occupy different spatial and temporal niches.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical forage technologies can deliver multiple benefits in Sub-Saharan Africa. A meta-analysis

Paul

Koge

Maass

et al. 2020

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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Scarcity of quantity and quality feed has been a key constraint to productivity of smallholder crop-livestock systems. Tropical forages include a variety of annual and perennial grasses, herbaceous and dual-purpose legumes, and multipurpose trees and shrubs. They have been promoted in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for increasing livestock productivity and household income through higher quantity and quality of herbage, while contributing to soil improvement and higher food crop yields. For the first time, we quantitatively reviewed 72 experimental studies from across SSA to take stock of geographical distribution and forage technology focus of past research; quantify magnitudes of multidimensional impacts of forage technologies; and present variability in forage agronomy data. Improved forage technologies were classified into four groups: (i) germplasm, (ii) management, (iii) cropping system integration, and (iv) feeding regime. Mean weighted response ratios were calculated from 780 pairs of observations for 13 indicators across the five impact dimensions. Improved forage germplasm had on average 2.6 times higher herbage productivity than local controls, with strongest effect in grasses. Feeding regimes with improved leguminous forages increased milk yield by on average 39%, dry matter intake by 25%, and manure production by 24%. When forage technologies were integrated with food crops, soil loss was almost halved, soil organic carbon increased on average by 10%, and grain and stover yields by 60% and 33%, respectively. This study demonstrates the central role improved forages could play in sustainable intensification of crop-livestock systems in SSA. It highlights the need for multidisciplinary and systems-level approaches and studies to quantify synergies and tradeoffs between impact dimensions. Further research is needed to explain forage agronomic yield variability, unraveling interactions between genotype, on-farm environmental conditions, and management factors. Results from this review can inform development programs, prioritizing technologies proven successful for dissemination and indicating magnitudes of expected impacts.

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LivestockPlus: Forages, sustainable intensification, and food security in the tropics

Cited by 30 publications

References 24 publications

Sustainable intensification of beef production in Colombia—Chances for product differentiation and price premiums

Sustainable intensification of beef production in Colombia—Chances for product differentiation and price premiums

The Challenges and Strategies of Food Security under Rapid Urbanization in China

Tropical forage technologies can deliver multiple benefits in Sub-Saharan Africa. A meta-analysis

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