Sustainable intensification in African agriculture

Pretty, Jules; Toulmin, Camilla; Williams, S. B.

doi:10.3763/ijas.2010.0583

Cited by 889 publications

(652 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Similarly, migration is no longer as attractive to farmers as it used to be because the competition for unskilled work has increased between ruralites and the urban poor (field data, 2008-2010) as also noted by other scholars in similar sub-Saharan settings (Bryceson 2002;Cleaver 2005;Ellis and Freeman 2005). Intensification is still a possibility, but in the short term it demands an increase in the supply of labor and in the long term greater agricultural expertise to make management sustainable (Pretty et al 2011), both of which are currently in short supply in the communities we have studied (Andersson 2012). Hence.…”

Section: Seasonal Pattern Of Hardship and Copingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living without buffers—illustrating climate vulnerability in the Lake Victoria basin

2012

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Exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity are essential, albeit theoretically vague, components of climate vulnerability. This has triggered debate surrounding how these factors can be translated into, and understood in, an empirical context subject to present and future harm. In this article, which draws on extensive fieldwork in the Lake Victoria Basin of Kenya and Tanzania, we illustrate how exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity play out in the context of climate vulnerability and discuss how they interact in situ. Using a mixed methods approach including survey data, rainfall data and a suite of participatory methods, such as focus groups and interactive mapping of seasonal calendars, we identify how climate-induced stressors affect smallholder farmers' well-being and natural resources. Drawing on the seasonal calendar as a heuristic, and climate vulnerability terminology, we illustrate when, where and how these climate-induced stressors converge to constrain farmers' livelihoods. Our analysis indicates that farmers in the basin face a highly uncertain future with discernible, but differentiated, adaptation deficits due to recurring, and potentially worsening, patterns of hardship.

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Section: Seasonal Pattern Of Hardship and Copingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living without buffers—illustrating climate vulnerability in the Lake Victoria basin

2012

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“…Cereal yields in SSA hover around 1000 kg per hectare (Hazell & Wood, 2008) while just 5% of agricultural land is irrigated (Rockstrom, Lannerstad, & Falkenmark, 2007). Moreover, production per capita remains at 1960 levels in Africa (Pretty, Toulmin, & Williams, 2011) while the sector accounts for 65% of full-time employment, and 61% of rural households in SSA depend on agriculture for their livelihoods (Pretty et al, 2011;World Bank, 2008). Meanwhile, 50% of global population increase is expected to occur in SSA in the coming decades (UNDESA, 2013) and, globally, there is new focus on increasing agricultural investments in Africa to improve both local and global food security while considering ecosystem health (see Pretty & Bharucha, 2014 for a review of sustainable intensification).…”

Section: Agricultural Intensification In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional suitability for agricultural intensification: a spatial analysis of the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania

Nijbroek

Andelman

2015

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability

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“…Wairegi et al 2010), yet plantain has been relatively neglected and can be considered an "orphan crop" (Pretty et al 2011). It was not mentioned in a recent paper on crop yield gaps in Africa (Tittonell and Giller 2013), perhaps because only a small proportion (2 %) of production is traded internationally (Lassois et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving plantain (Musa spp. AAB) yields on smallholder farms in West and Central Africa

Norgrove

Häuser

2014

Food Sec.

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Plantain is an important staple in West and Central Africa, where it is predominantly grown by smallholder farmers. On-farm data are rare but yields are considered to be low. We collated actual yields in the region, reviewed regional plantain research published from 1976 to 2013, then estimated what yields would be attainable on smallholder farms if the proven, best-fit innovations were adopted. Mean actual yields reported ranged from 2.9 to 8.9 Mg ha −1 with a mean of 5.7 Mg ha −1 for False horn plantain and 4.5 to 10.2 Mg ha −1 with a mean of 7.8 Mg ha −1 for French plantain. Experiments found dealt with: cultural practices, particularly intercropping; abiotic factors such as fertiliser, mulch application and irrigation; biotic factors, predominantly sucker sanitation methods, but including three controlled yield loss studies on nematodes and black sigatoka; landrace comparisons and the introduction of improved cultivars, predominantly those exhibiting black sigatoka-tolerance. We conclude that intercropping should be retained according to farmer preference as there was no evidence of yield reductions for plantain. Boiling water treatment of suckers should be universally recommended. Inputs, whether mulch or K fertiliser up to 300 kg ha −1 , should be applied as both reduced plant losses and increased bunch mass. With the highest yielding local landrace type, on-farm yields could be increased from 7.8 Mg ha −1 to 35.5 Mg ha −1 with purchased inputs or to 23.7 Mg ha −1 without purchased inputs.

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Sustainable intensification in African agriculture

Cited by 889 publications

References 52 publications

Living without buffers—illustrating climate vulnerability in the Lake Victoria basin

Living without buffers—illustrating climate vulnerability in the Lake Victoria basin

Regional suitability for agricultural intensification: a spatial analysis of the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania

Improving plantain (Musa spp. AAB) yields on smallholder farms in West and Central Africa

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