Sustainability of agroecological interventions in small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Guatemala

González-Esquivel, Carlos E.; Camacho-Moreno, Eleonora; Larrondo-Posadas, Lourdes; Sum-Rojas, Carlos; León-Cifuentes, Willian Erik de; Vital-Peralta, Eduardo; Astier, Marta; López-Ridaura, Santiago

doi:10.1080/14735903.2020.1770152

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Improving agricultural production efficiency has become the key to guaranteeing agricultural safety, increasing farmers' income and enhancing the international competitiveness of PLOS ONE agricultural products. Moreover, moderate-scale operation is the inevitable trend of agricultural modernization [37,39]. This study takes the apple industry as an example, calculates and analyzes the production efficiency of apples based on the Malmquist productivity index method of DEA, builds a threshold model based on the production efficiency measurement of apples, and studies the threshold effect of the scale of apple planting on the production efficiency of apples.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Production efficiency and change characteristics of China’s apple industry in terms of planting scale

et al. 2021

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The global population is rapidly increasing, the arable land area is losing in a large scale, and the water supply capacity is limited. Meanwhile, China is in a critical period of the transformation of apple industrial structure, and the improvement of apple production efficiency is an important way to increase farmers’ output and income, moderate-scale operation is the inevitable trend in agricultural modernization. However, few studies have explored the production efficiency of the apple industry from the perspective of planting scale. In China, there are seven major apple-producing provinces: Shaanxi, Shandong, Gansu, Henan, Shanxi, Hebei, and Liaoning. Therefore, based on provincial panel data of the seven main apple-producing areas in China, this study used the Malmquist productivity index and data envelopment analysis to measure the efficiency level of the apple industry. At the same time, the threshold regression model was used to analyze the characteristics of the change in apple planting scale and production efficiency. The results showed that apple production efficiency in different regions of China exhibited regional differences and time series fluctuations. Apple planting scale had a "double" threshold effect, and the impact on apple production efficiency showed a "negative effect–positive effect" trend. Therefore, the suggestion is to appropriately adjust the scale of operation, take measures according to local conditions, promote the upgrading of apple production technology, and realize the integration of apple production and sales by using “Internet +.”

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Production efficiency and change characteristics of China’s apple industry in terms of planting scale

et al. 2021

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“…These factors and the need to adjust experimental designs to the milpa's variable conditions makes this research more complex, laborious, and expensive than agronomic trials under monocultures. As an alternative to field trials, the milpa can be studied through farmer surveys, as was done by Lopez-Ridaura et al ( 2019) and Gonzaĺez-Esquivel et al (2020). Such studies can identify current management practices related to best outcomes, with the advantage that the practices are already locally adapted and can thus directly inform useful recommendations.…”

Section: Conducting Research On the Milpa System Is Complicatedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Still, the milpa can offer food security to families only if it produces enough and through technological interventions that farmers can implement. Those in turn must be developed and evaluated through participatory research and adapted to local conditions to increase yields and reduce crop losses (Gonzaĺez-Esquivel et al, 2020;Fonteyne et al, 2021;Saldivia Tejeda et al, 2020).…”

Section: Suggested Research Prioritiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of agronomic research on the milpa, the traditional polyculture system of Mesoamerica

et al. 2023

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The milpa system is the basis of traditional agriculture in Mesoamerica. It is based on a polyculture of maize (Zea mays L.), bean (Phaseolus spp.) and squash (Cucurbita spp.) and is associated with a great diversity of crops and wild species. The milpa has great cultural and historical importance but can also be highly productive and provide sufficient and healthy diets for smallholder farmers. The milpa system is practiced less and less however, mainly due to socioeconomic changes, but also due to a lack of agronomic knowledge adapted to current conditions. To provide a starting point for new agronomic research, we reviewed the scientific literature to identify the current knowledge on milpa agronomy and determine research priorities to further improve the system. Given the wide diversity of conditions under which milpa is practiced, agronomic research is lacking, but indicates that improvements to the milpa can be made in all aspects of the milpa. 176 research articles on the milpa system were found in databases, of which 61 treated agronomic research. The main agronomic topics described in literature are crop variety, soil fertility management, weed management and productivity. Most research has focused only on maize and studies reporting on the associated crops are scarce. More research on all aspects of the milpa is needed to understand and improve the agronomy of the system under the changing conditions of modern agriculture. Reducing the workload associated with the milpa, as well as soil fertility and weed management can be identified as research priorities.

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“…accelerate plant breeding for nutritional quality and biofortified crop varieties, and scale up seed production and distribution systems to reach more remote and risk-prone regions through innovative institutional arrangements (Simtowe et al, 2021;Tahir et al, 2020); . challenges to agricultural sustainability from conditions of climate change demand integration of natural sciences and social sciences research perspectives (González-Esquivel et al, 2020;Keil et al, 2020;Manalo et al, 2020); . industrial fortification is a proven strategy for enhancing the nutrient-intensity of major cereals among other crops, with considerable prospects for further advances (HarvestPlus, 2020;Prasanna et al, 2020).…”

Section: Reconceptualizing Cereal Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continuing cereals research for sustainable health and well-being

Poole

Donovan

Erenstein

2021

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability

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Cereals research over the past fifty years has led to huge improvements in production, productivity and food security. The current emphasis in agri-nutrition on micronutrients has cast doubt on the need to continue to invest in cereals. However, besides the essential dietary energy content of cereals such as wheat, maize and rice, we argue that there are two important factors to consider. First, the intrinsic micronutrient content of cereals is not often taken into account. As a major dietary component, cereal foods are already an important vehicle for enhanced nutrition, and these characteristics are amenable to further improvement through plant breeding and value chain interventions in processing, manufacturing and distribution. Second, while adverse effects are acknowledged for some people, cereals are a rich source of both dietary fibre and a range of bioactive food components that are also essential for good health and well-being. In particular, the role of the bioactives in combatting non-communicable diseases is becoming more evident. The development community must not assume that the research gains of the last five decades will be sufficient to guarantee future food security. Research into cereals should be implemented as a multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary activity encompassing whole food systems.

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Sustainability of agroecological interventions in small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Guatemala

Cited by 12 publications

References 27 publications

Production efficiency and change characteristics of China’s apple industry in terms of planting scale

Production efficiency and change characteristics of China’s apple industry in terms of planting scale

Review of agronomic research on the milpa, the traditional polyculture system of Mesoamerica

Continuing cereals research for sustainable health and well-being

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