Science and Technology Backyard: A novel approach to empower smallholder farmers for sustainable intensification of agriculture in China

Agricultural extension is an approach to rural development and agricultural transformation in which training, demonstration and technology transfer are key to reducing rural poverty, ensuring food security, and sustainably managing natural resources. During recent decades, different extension approaches have been tested and validated by the Ethiopian government and nongovernmental organizations to stimulate participation in the agricultural extension system (AES). The most recent was a German-funded project entitled "Integrated Soil Fertility Management Project" (ISFM +), which employed a novel approach to piloting and upscaling proven technology and best practice. The purpose of this study was to analyze and document the modalities of ISFM + and illustrate its effects on technology uptake and dissemination. The study used a mixed methods approach to collect data. ATLAS.ti and SPSS were used for data management and analysis. Farmer Research and Extension Groups and Farmer Field Schools were found to be central to the participation process. Also, the ISFM + was found to aid technology transfer and helped to increase grain and residue yields as well as farmer livelihoods. Based on these empirical findings, it is argued that the ISFM + approach and technology should be integrated and institutionalized in the mainstream AES in order to promote their extensive application.

Section: Structure and Approach Of Isfm + Extensionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Agricultural extension approach: evidence from an Integrated Soil Fertility Management Project in Ethiopia

Leta¹,

Schulz²,

Alemu³

2020

“…Scientific and Technology Backyard (STB), as a new model for knowledge transfer, established by CAU, is a successful development which connects farmers with researchers, government and industry, by training farmers to transfer new technologies and products to a broader farming community. Also, this model has established a channel to transfer the feedbacks of existing problems and new requirements to related stakeholders, e.g., government and industry [9] . With the efforts of STBs, the average yield of combined wheat and maize increased from 12.0 t$ha -1 in 2008 to 15.6 t$ha -1 in 2013 countywide in China (93074 households) [51] .…”

Section: Developing Regional Solutions For Agdmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite this progress, sustainable agricultural development in China has encountered many obstacles and constraints, including agricultural water shortage, cultivated land loss and soil degradation, low resource use efficiency in the food system (nutrients, water and other inputs) and environmental contamination [7][8][9] . For instance, China's grain production has doubled since 1978, however, along with this has come very substantial increases in use of input resources for agriculture, i.e., a threefold increase in the use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers, an 11-fold increase in use of phosphorus (P) fertilizers, and 50% increase in the use of irrigation water in croplands [10] .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Agriculture Green Development: a model for China and the world

Shen

Zhu

Jiao

et al. 2020

106

Realizing sustainable development has become a global priority. This holds, in particular, for agriculture. Recently, the United Nations launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Nineteenth National People's Congress has delivered a national strategy for sustainable development in China-realizing green development. The overall objective of Agriculture Green Development (AGD) is to coordinate "green" with "development" to realize the transformation of current agriculture with high resource consumption and high environmental costs into a green agriculture and countryside with high productivity, high resource use efficiency and low environmental impact. This is a formidable task, requiring joint efforts of government, farmers, industry, educators and researchers. The innovative concept for AGD will focus on reconstructing the whole crop-animal production and food production-consumption system, with the emphasis on high thresholds for environmental standards and food quality as well as enhanced human well-being. This paper addresses the significance, challenges, framework, pathways and potential solutions for realizing AGD in China, and highlights the potential changes that will lead to a more sustainable agriculture in the future. Proposals include interdisciplinary innovations, whole food chain improvement and regional solutions. The implementation of AGD in China will provide important implications for the countries in developmental transition, and contribute to global sustainable development.

“…Placing the empowerment of smallholders as a top priority has proved to be a major factor in the successful implementation of STBs in China [18] . One effective approach is scientist-farmer engagement in developing potential solutions for sustainable crop production [17] .…”

Section: Scientist-farmer Engagement To Develop Adaptive and Innovatimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In China an innovative model called Science and Technology Backyards (STBs) was established in 2010 to conduct technological innovation and knowledge transfer for the empowerment of smallholders in rural areas [17] . The net outcome was that it effectively linked the science community with the farmer community, thus making it a successful model to develop adaptive technology and improve technology adoption by smallholders in China [18] . The question is, what can STBs provide for African agricultural development and how can it be transferred to Africa?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Science and Technology Backyard model: implications for sustainable agriculture in Africa

Jiao¹,

Feyisa²,

Jasper³

et al. 2020

Sustainable food production to feed the growing population in Africa remains a major challenge. Africa has 64% of the global arable land but produces less than 10% of its food locally due to its inherently low soil nutrient concentrations. Poor soil fertility and a lack of fertilizer use are the major constraints to increasing crop yields in Africa. On average only about 8.8 kg NPK fertilizer is applied per hectare by African smallholder farmers. There is therefore considerable potential for increasing food production through sustainable intensification of the cropping systems. The low crop yields in Africa are also partly due to limited farmer access to modern agronomic techniques, including improved crop varieties, a lack of financial resources, and the absence of mechanisms for dissemination of information to smallholders. This study analyzed the Science and Technology Backyards (STBs) model and investigated its use for the transformation of agriculture in Africa. Some key lessons for sustainable crop intensification in Africa can be found from analysis of the STB model which is well established in China. These include (1) scientist-farmer engagement to develop adaptive and innovative technology for sustainable crop production, (2) dissemination of technology by empowering smallholders, especially leading farmers, and (3) the development of an open platform for multiple resource involvement rather than relying on a single mechanism. This review evaluates the benefits of the STB model used in China for adoption to increase agricultural productivity in Africa, with a perspective on sustainable crop intensification on the continent.