Promoting the adoption of natural resource management technology in arid and semi-arid areas: Modelling the impact of spineless cactus in alley cropping in Central Tunisia

Alary, Véronique; Nefzaoui, A.; Jemaa, M. Ben

doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2007.02.003

Cited by 36 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…De plus, les techniques de réhabilitation pastorale, qui comprennent classiquement une mise en défens des parcours (Ferchichi et Abdelkebir, 2003), sont inadaptées compte tenu de l'absence d'alternative pour alimenter les troupeaux. Ce cas est une illustration des travers, voire de la nuisibilité, que peuvent engendrer des processus de transfert de technologie à caractère descendant (Russel et Ison, 2000) et qui ignorent les conditions économiques et sociales des populations « cibles » (Alary et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussion : Comment Concilier Utilisation Des Ressources Paunclassified

Quels liens entre élevages et écosystèmes naturels ?

Cialdella

Hostiou²,

Girard³

2010

Natures Sciences Sociétés

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Autant le comparatisme est une démarche scientifique féconde, autant celle-ci requiert des précautions méthodologiques. Les auteures proposent une méthode qui, par des typologies de plus en plus formalisées, met en regard des activités d'élevage en deux régions particulièrement contrastées. Au-delà de l'agronomie au sens large, la démarche est peut-être transférable à d'autres disciplines, par exemple en sciences sociales. En plus de cet intérêt méthodologique, le texte défend une thèse qui prend le contre-pied d'un postulat fréquent des politiques de développement dans les pays du Sud, selon lequel l'élevage extensif des producteurs locaux serait destructeur de l'environnement. En procédant à une analyse fine de pratiques d'élevage, les auteures démontrent que les risques écologiques liés à l'élevage extensif représentent davantage une exception qu'une règle, aussi bien en Amazonie brésilienne qu'en steppes tunisiennes. La RédactionMots-clés : écosystèmes tropical et aride ; ressources ; pratiques d'élevage ; stratégie d'élevage Résumé -Concilier développement de l'élevage et gestion d'écosystèmes reconnus comme biens communs est un enjeu pour de nombreux pays. Mais la manière dont les éleveurs utilisent réellement les écosystèmes, en particulier pour alimenter leurs troupeaux, reste peu explorée. Notre objectif est de qualifier la diversité des liens existant entre élevages et écosystèmes naturels en croisant deux situations d'élevage familial contrastées au niveau écologique et socioéconomique : petits ruminants en Tunisie, bovins laitiers au Brésil. En formalisant des types de pratiques et stratégies d'élevage, nous montrons que les écosystèmes locaux ne constituent pas toujours des ressources de même nature pour les éleveurs. Ces résultats nuancent leur responsabilité vis-à-vis de la dégradation des ressources dites naturelles et ouvrent de nouvelles questions de recherche pour concilier développement de l'élevage et gestion durable des ressources. Keywords:arid and tropical ecosystems; resources; livestock farming systems; strategic patterns; farmers' practices Abstract -What are the links between livestock farming and natural ecosystems? Crossed views on arid and tropical areas. Reconcile livestock farming development with management of ecosystems recognized as Common goods are at stake in many countries. But the actual way in which farmers use ecosystems and its vegetation to feed their herds remain underinvestigated. Qualifying the diversity of links between livestock farming and natural ecosystems is the objective of this article, by crossing two situations of familial livestock farming greatly contrasting each other regarding their ecological as well as socioeconomic conditions: small ruminant farming in southern Tunisia and dairy farming in Brazilian Amazonia. In both countries, herd feeding practices based on pasture are blamed for causing desertification and deforestation. We implemented a comprehensive and formalized approach, combining monitoring of livestock farming practices and an iterative ca...

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Section: Discussion : Comment Concilier Utilisation Des Ressources Paunclassified

Quels liens entre élevages et écosystèmes naturels ?

Cialdella

Hostiou²,

Girard³

2010

Natures Sciences Sociétés

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…A bio-economic model has been developed to identify the conditions for applying the 'spineless cactus-alley cropping system' in an agro-pastoral community of Central Tunisia. Findings suggested that extension services will play a crucial role in creating awareness among farmers of the impact of this technology on yields and income diversification (Alary et al 2007). …”

Section: Use Of Cacti For Degraded Landsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The arid and semi-arid areas of North Africa are becoming deserts (Alary et al 2007). Most research and development projects in these areas aim at developing alternative technologies to reduce land degradation and favor sustainable economic activities.…”

Section: Use Of Cacti For Degraded Landsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opuntia and Other Cacti: Applications and Biotechnological Insights

Shedbalkar

Adki

Jadhav

et al. 2010

Tropical Plant Biol.

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The cactus family is unusual among tropical plants. Cacti, known for their minimum water requirement, have been grown extensively in arid lands, for food, feeds and medicinal and therapeutic uses.Several food products have cacti as a main ingredient. Cacti biochemical analysis substantiate the high nutritive value of this plant family. Tissue cultures, including micropropagation, callus, and cell suspension cultures have been established for numerous cacti species. Genetic engineering has opened opportunities for gene isolation and integration of genes from other sources for cacti improvement. Cacti might be a store house of stress tolerant genes for other crops. Since cacti can be cultivated easily with minimum agriculture inputs, they hold great potential for cultivation and farming on degraded lands and for at least partial remediation of degraded lands. The present review outlines some of the older and more recent research on the properties and applications for Opuntia and other cacti especially as they might apply towards agricultural sustainability.

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“…The potential role of vetch (Vicia sativa) as green fodder or hay has been widely studied in West Asia (Abdel Moneim 1993;Larbi et al 2010a, b). Spineless cactus (Opuntia) is being increasingly promoted as a fodder source in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, by government agencies as well as other development programs (Alary et al 2007). Two important opportunities for value addition-lamb fattening (Hartwell et al 2010) and dairy processing (Hilali et al 2006)-have been studied, and traditional methods enhanced.…”

Section: Addressing Production Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The potential of small-scale rainfed agriculture to strengthen food security in Arab countries

Haddad¹,

Duwayri

Oweis

et al. 2011

Food Sec.

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In most Arab countries, domestic agricultural production is insufficient. The gap between production and demand is likely to increase due to climate change and other factors. This review paper examines the challenges and possible solutions to ensuring food security in the future. It focuses on rainfed agriculture, which accounts for two-thirds of the region's cropland, the bulk of its food staples, and almost all its rangelands. Given the scarcity of water and arable land, there are few opportunities in the region to expand cultivated area. But numerous effective, proven technologies are available that can increase productivity per unit area of land or volume of water. Crop technologies include, for example, new stress-tolerant varieties, supplemental irrigation and other techniques to increase water productivity, and conservation agriculture and other land management methods. Livestock nutrition and productivity could be increased with new forage or dual-purpose varieties, and greater use of alternative feed sources such as feed blocks made from crop by-products. The paper describes some of these technologies, and summarizes results obtained from on-station and on-farm testing. The key issue is poor adoption of available technologies. The priority for researchers and policy makers must therefore be to scale up investments in research and extension; encourage private sector participation; and create enabling policies to encourage technology adoption, market participation and more sustainable use of natural resources, by smallholder farmers.

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Promoting the adoption of natural resource management technology in arid and semi-arid areas: Modelling the impact of spineless cactus in alley cropping in Central Tunisia

Cited by 36 publications

References 15 publications

Quels liens entre élevages et écosystèmes naturels ?

Quels liens entre élevages et écosystèmes naturels ?

Opuntia and Other Cacti: Applications and Biotechnological Insights

The potential of small-scale rainfed agriculture to strengthen food security in Arab countries

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