Reducing agro-environmental trade-offs through sustainable livestock intensification across smallholder systems in Northern Tanzania

Paul, Birthe K.; Groot, J.C.J.; Birnholz, Celine A.; Nzogela, Beatus; Notenbaert, An Maria Omer; Woyessa, K.; Sommer, Rolf; Nijbroek, Ravic; Tittonell, Pablo

doi:10.1080/14735903.2019.1695348

Cited by 36 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…To increase their productivity in such an environment, they require being supplemented with concentrates and/or improved fodders (Stewart 2002). Similar to South-Kivu province, livestock feeding and husbandry in Babati (Tanzania) were reported to be mainly extensive, with relatively large herds of local cattle, few improved breeds, daytime grazing, little purchased feed, feeding on crop residues and low productivity (Paul et al 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of smallholder cattle production systems in South-Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

et al. 2021

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In South-Kivu province, cattle farming is an integral component of farmers’ livelihoods and one of the few income-generating opportunities for smallholders. However, very few studies have been conducted to characterize smallholders’ cattle production systems. This study documents cattle production systems to better understand their current situation, constraints they face and opportunities they offer. For that purpose, an investigation was conducted based on a structured survey questionnaire and participatory interviews with 863 farmers in South-Kivu province. Collected data were analysed using factorial analysis of mixed data and clustering techniques. The results revealed three types of smallholder cattle farms differing mainly in their herds’ sizes and landholding. The first category is the most common and includes farmers raising small herds (6.3 ± 6.7 cattle) of local breeds in herding system (in this work, “herding system” refers to a rearing system for which the farmer drives and stays with his animals on pastures and fallow land during the day) and grazing fodder in community pastures, fallow lands and roadside grasses, while land constitutes a scarce resource. In the second category, some farmers have small tracts of land (< 5 ha) and others have large tracts (> 5 ha), but all have medium-size herds (45.1 ± 19.4 cattle) made up of local breeds, which they rear in herding system. They also exploit community pastures, fallow land and roadside fodder for animal feeding. The third and last category includes farmers with large cattle herds (78.1 ± 28.1 cattle) of local, crossbred and exotic breeds raised free range in the fenced paddocks on vast areas of land (> 5 ha) found in high-altitude regions. However, while being different according to the above-considered characteristics, the three categories of cattle farming remain extensive pastoral farms dominated by male farmers. Agriculture and/or animal husbandry are their main source of income while their livestock are also composed of goats and poultry, beside cattle. Still, the three farming groups require more inputs and improvement strategies for increased productivity in the challenging environment characterized by low land accessibility and high demand for milk and meat. Fodder cultivation and crop-livestock integration through agro-ecological systems as well as access to credit and extension services are the proposed strategies for the improvement of this economic sector.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of smallholder cattle production systems in South-Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

et al. 2021

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“…The agricultural practices have impacts on the environment and the climate change, but have, also, implications from the global warming, and this brings several challenges for the farmers and policymakers [76]. To deal with the new contexts faced by the agricultural sector will be needed robust policies [77] and institutions [78], including non-governmental [79], at local, regional, national, and international levels. Indeed, the public institutions and the cooperatives, for example, are crucial for a better organisation of the sector and to increase the compliance with the strategies designed for the agriculture.…”

Section: Environmental Impacts and Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated-Smart Agriculture: Contexts and Assumptions for a Broader Concept

Martinho

Guiné

2021

Agronomy

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The innovative technologies developed in the different fields of science (nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, genetic modification, etc.) opened new and infinite possibilities for the several stakeholders that carry out their activities in the different economic sectors. For agriculture, these new approaches are particularly relevant and may bring interesting contributions, considering the specificities of the sector, often dealing with contexts of land abandonment and narrow profit margins. Nonetheless, the question in these unstopped evolutions is about the interlinkages with sustainability. In this context, the objectives of this study are to highlight the main insights from the available scientific literature about the interrelationships between the new trends in the agriculture and the sustainability. To achieve these aims, a search on the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS) and Scopus databases was carried out, on 15 May 2021, for the topics ‘smart agriculture’ and ‘sustainability’. A total of 231 documents (102 from WoS and 129 from Scopus) were obtained, remaining 155 documents after removing the duplicated, which were surveyed through systematic review following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach. As main insights, the concerns of the researchers with the impacts on the sustainability from the transformations in the farming organization are highlighted. On the other hand, it was shown the relevance and the new opportunities, including in terms of food supply, arising from the precision agriculture, agricultural intelligence, vertical/urban farming, circular economy, internet of things, and crowdfarming. We suggest the new and wider concept of ‘integrated-smart agriculture’, better than ‘climate-smart agriculture’.

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“…It provides synergy across productivity and increases income. The mitigation of climate change was another benefit due to future development of low-carbon agriculture [35]. Crop production accounts for only 13% of GHG emissions in circular agriculture, and it was mainly from the heavy fertilizer use.…”

Section: Post-optimization Benefits/effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Optimization Scheme of Balancing GHG Emission and Income in Circular Agriculture System

Sheng

Jing

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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With the rapid development of circular agriculture in China, balancing agricultural income and environmental impact by adjusting the structure and scale of circular agriculture is becoming increasingly important. Agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gas and income earned from agriculture drives sustainable agricultural development. This paper built a multi-objective linear programming model based on greenhouse gas emission and agricultural product income and then optimized the structure and scale of circular agriculture using Beiqiu Farm as a case study. Results showed that greenhouse gas emission was mainly from manure management in livestock industry. While the agriculture income increased by 64% after optimization, GHG emission increased by only 12.3%. The optimization made full use of straw, manure and fodder, but also minimized soil nitrogen loss. The results laid a generalized guide for adjusting the structure and scale of the planting and raising industry. Measures for optimizing the management of manure were critical in achieving low agricultural carbon emissions in future agricultural development efforts.

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Reducing agro-environmental trade-offs through sustainable livestock intensification across smallholder systems in Northern Tanzania

Cited by 36 publications

References 49 publications

Characterization of smallholder cattle production systems in South-Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Characterization of smallholder cattle production systems in South-Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Integrated-Smart Agriculture: Contexts and Assumptions for a Broader Concept

An Optimization Scheme of Balancing GHG Emission and Income in Circular Agriculture System

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