Sustainable Intensification

Sustainable Intensification

Author: Jules N. Pretty

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-06-25

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1136529276

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Continued population growth, rapidly changing consumption patterns and the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation are driving limited resources of food, energy, water and materials towards critical thresholds worldwide. These pressures are likely to be substantial across Africa, where countries will have to find innovative ways to boost crop and livestock production to avoid becoming more reliant on imports and food aid. Sustainable agricultural intensification - producing more output from the same area of land while reducing the negative environmental impacts - represents a solution for millions of African farmers. This volume presents the lessons learned from 40 sustainable agricultural intensification programmes in 20 countries across Africa, commissioned as part of the UK Government's Foresight project. Through detailed case studies, the authors of each chapter examine how to develop productive and sustainable agricultural systems and how to scale up these systems to reach many more millions of people in the future. Themes covered include crop improvements, agroforestry and soil conservation, conservation agriculture, integrated pest management, horticulture, livestock and fodder crops, aquaculture, and novel policies and partnerships.


Agricultural Extension Reform in Africa

Agricultural Extension Reform in Africa

Author: Steven Were Omamo

Publisher: ILRI (aka ILCA and ILRAD)

Published: 2002-01-01

Total Pages: 24

ISBN-13: 9789291461189

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Agricultural extension systems across Africa are under great pressure to become more efficient and effective.


Measuring Productivity in African Agriculture

Measuring Productivity in African Agriculture

Author: Simeon Ehui

Publisher: ILRI (aka ILCA and ILRAD)

Published: 2002-01-01

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 9789291461202

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This paper argues that partial productivity measures are inappropriate and at times misleading for assessing the performance of agricultural production technologies and systems. This is especially true where substantial changes in resource stock and flows accompany the production process. Superlative-index based total factor productivity measures are a more appropriate technique to compare production efficiency and sustainability of alternative systems. Mathematical formulations of intertemporal and interspatial total factor productivity measures with and without considering changes in resource stock and flows are shown. Then three case studies from sub-Saharan Africa in which this approach was applied are reviewed. These studies show that total factor productivity measures are biased if changes in resource stock and flows are not appropriately accounted for in intertemporal comparisons, and differences in input intensity are not accounted for in interspatial comparisons.