Enhancing Crop Livestock Systems In Conservation Agriculture For Sustainable Production Intensification

Author : A. H. Kassam
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
Page : 56 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2010
Category : Agricultural conservation
ISBN : IND:30000111263012

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Enhancing Crop-livestock Systems in Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Production Intensification by A. H. Kassam Pdf

This is a story about how FAO assisted groups of farmers in five farming communities in the moist savanna zone of South Western Burkina Faso to enhance their crop-livestock systems through Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices, including crop diversification, using an innovative farmer discovery process, to bring about agricultural intensification and improvement in livelihoods. FAO worked with a range of stakeholders including the farmers and their communities to create convergence and enable a farmer-based discovery process to experiment with a set of fundamentally new principles and elements in their farming practices for integrated crop-livestock production intensification. The positive outcomes offer a real promise and an opportunity for bringing about a large scale impact on agricultural productivity and livelihoods in the moist savanna zone West Africa. This publication describes the multi-stakeholder process which led the successful outcomes, and the opportunity for a greater change that now exists and should be harnessed for sustainable agriculture development, nationally and regionally.

Author : P. Parvatha Reddy
Publisher : Springer
Page : 405 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2016-11-17
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9789811027024

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Sustainable Intensification of Crop Production by P. Parvatha Reddy Pdf

This book outlines a new paradigm, Sustainable Intensification of Crop Production (SICP), which aims to produce more from the same area of land by increasing efficiency, reducing waste, conserving resources, reducing negative impacts on the environment and enhancing the provision of ecosystem services. The use of ecologically based management strategies can increase the sustainability of agricultural production while reducing off-site consequences. The book also highlights the underlying principles and outlines some of the key management practices and technologies – such as minimum soil disturbance; permanent organic soil covers; species diversification; selection of suitable cultivars, planting time, age and spacing; balanced plant nutrition; agro-ecological pest management; efficient water management; careful management of farm machinery; and integrated crop-livestock production – required to implement SICP. The green revolution (by using high-yielding crop varieties, mono-cropping, fertilization, irrigation, and pesticides) has led to enormous gains in food production and improved world food security. In many countries, however, intensive crop production has had negative impacts on production, ecosystems and the larger environment, putting future productivity at risk. In order to meet the projected demands of a growing population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, farmers in the developing world must double food production, a challenge complicated by the effects of climate change and growing competition for land, water and energy. This book will be of immense value to all members of the scientific community involved in teaching, research and extension activities concerning sustainable intensification. The material can be used for teaching post-graduate courses, or as a useful reference guide for policy makers.

Author : Jules N. Pretty,Stella Williams,Camilla Toulmin
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 292 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2012-06-25
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781136529276

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Sustainable Intensification by Jules N. Pretty,Stella Williams,Camilla Toulmin Pdf

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.

Author : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
Page : 116 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2018-06-22
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9789251068717

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Save and Grow by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Pdf

The book offers a rich toolkit of relevant, adoptable ecosystem-based practices that can help the world's 500 million smallholder farm families achieve higher productivity, profitability and resource-use efficiency while enhancing natural capital.

Author : Williams, Timothy O.
Publisher : ILRI (aka ILCA and ILRAD)
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2024-06-27
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Sustainable Crop-Livestock Production for Improved Livelihoods and Natural Resource Management in West Africa by Williams, Timothy O. Pdf

Author : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
Page : 55 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2018-07-25
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9789251093818

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Agricultural mechanization by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Pdf

This paper is specifically about agricultural mechanisation: the opportunities provided by mechanisation for intensifying production in a sustainable manner, in value addition and agri-food value chain development, as well as the inherent opportunities implied for improved local economies and livelihoods. The establishment of viable business enterprises agro-processors, transport services, and so forth as a result of increased agricultural mechanisation in rural areas, is crucial to creating employment and income opportunities and, thereby, enhancing the demand for farm produce. Mechanisation plays a key role in enabling the growth of commercial agri-food systems and the efficiency of post-harvest handling, processing and marketing operations, and as such can be a major determinant in the availability and accessibility of food, the food prices paid by urban and rural poor, as well as contributing to increased household food security.

Author : Muhammad Farooq,Michele Pisante
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 627 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2019-10-29
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9783030231699

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Innovations in Sustainable Agriculture by Muhammad Farooq,Michele Pisante Pdf

This volume is a ready reference on sustainable agriculture and reinforce the understanding for its utilization to develop environmentally sustainable and profitable food production systems. It describes ecological sustainability of farming systems, present innovations for improving efficiency in the use of resources for sustainable agriculture and propose technological options and new areas of research in this very important area of agriculture.

Author : Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
Page : 56 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : IND:30000144032731

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Policy Support Guidelines for the Promotion of Sustainable Production Intensification and Ecosystem Services by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Pdf

This new paradigm results from the undisputed need to increase agricultural production in order to serve future generations with food, feed and industrial raw materials.

Author : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
Page : 140 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2019-05-16
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9789251314562

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Conservation Agriculture by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Pdf

Agriculture in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is diverse, and has great potential to revitalize the economy of the countries in the region via improved productivity (efficiency) and higher total yield for food, fodder and fibre crops. Conservation agriculture can rise to the major challenge of making sustainable intensification of production systems a reality. In order for farmers to transition to appropriate sustainable production systems, the provision of an adequate enabling environment and access to knowledge and services, including extension, mechanization, inputs and market intelligence, are crucial. This Guide is designed to provide coherent technical tools to Farmer Field Schools and extension service facilitators of conservation agriculture. Furthermore, the Guide is suitable for use within universities’ agriculture curricula.

Author : Mateete Bekunda,Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon,Jonathan Odhong
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 183 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2022
Category : Sustainable agriculture
ISBN : 1789248361

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Sustainable Agricultural Intensification by Mateete Bekunda,Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon,Jonathan Odhong Pdf

This book presents some of the improved agricultural technologies that were validated by the Africa RISING Project in East and Southern Africa (ESA), focusing on smallholder farmers in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia, and working in partnership with development (scaling) institutions. It consists of 11 chapters. Chapter 1 shows how gender concerns must be woven into all sustainable intensification (SI) interventions to produce equitable outcomes. It describes activities to enhance women's participation, measure the benefits, and transform gender relations. Chapter 2 describes the performance of new cereal and legume crop varieties introduced by Africa RISING into agroecosystems in which they had not been tested before. Chapter 3 presents technologies to diversify the common maize-dominated cropping systems and address human nutrition, improve soil organic matter, and maximize the benefits of applying fertilizer. Chapter 4 presents technologies for replacing the nutrients lost from cropped fields with external fertilizer sources in a manner that minimizes the consequences of too little or too much application. Chapter 5 is about soil conservation. Chapter 6 presents conservation agriculture, which can help smallholder farmers build better resilience to the consequences of climate change and variable weather. Improved technologies for drying, shelling, and hermetic storage of grain are presented in Chapter 7. Chapter 8 provides information to help farmers use outputs from crop production systems to formulate supplementary feed. Chapter 9 follows with technologies that allow well-planned nutrition-specific interventions (recipes) to utilize various livestock and crop products to enhance family nutrition, with specific attention paid to diets for children. Chapter 10 presents examples from the preceding chapters to illustrate the potential impacts of interconnected technologies. Lastly, Chapter 11 presents experiences and lessons learned from using these approaches to transfer and scale the technologies.

Author : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
Page : 86 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2018-10-30
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9789251300244

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Nitrogen inputs to agricultural soils from livestock manure by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Pdf

This report sheds light on the amount of nitrogen applied to agricultural soils from livestock manure at different scales, and the relevance of producing, refining and monitoring statistics for agronomic policy and planning.

Author : Norman Uphoff,Janice E. Thies
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 1397 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2023-10-27
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9781000891119

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Biological Approaches to Regenerative Soil Systems by Norman Uphoff,Janice E. Thies Pdf

Agriculture in the 21st century will need considerable modification to remain both productive and sustainable. Greater production is needed to meet the needs of our still-growing populations and to combat hunger and poverty. Declines in soil health and the pollution of water sources are making many of our production systems less tenable. These adverse trends are exacerbated more and more by the impacts of climate change. There are, fortunately, alternative methods available for agricultural practice that can countervail these constraints. Biological Approaches to Regenerative Soil Systems brings together the work of both researchers and practitioners to map out better approaches to contemporary agriculture that draw upon both old and new knowledge. It presents the science that underlies more biologically driven strategies as well as contemporary innovative experiences in diverse parts of the world. Both accepted research and these varied experiences encourage confidence that these approaches, not relying primarily on the introduction of new varieties and on exogenous inputs, can succeed. This book updates and revises a preceding volume Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems published by CRC Press in 2006. So much has been learned and done on this subject in the past decade and a half that a second edition was warranted. For instance, the first edition was published, knowledge about plant-soil microbiomes, which are a frequent focus in this book, has mushroomed. Because sustainability is a broad term and an end-state, the editors preferred to assemble expertise regarding regenerative agriculture, which is concerned with the means for achieving sustainability. The concept of regenerative soil systems, entities that are more complex and multifaceted than "soil" alone, also incorporates a concern with having more resilient agricultural systems, ones that are better able to cope with the multiple stresses of climate change that are foreseen for the decades ahead. The book’s chapters representing a wide range of disciplines were contributed by 84 scientists and practitioners from 20 countries. Although they come from persons with in-depth knowledge of their respective fields, the chapters are written to be accessible to readers who are not trained in the specialized subjects. Taken together, the chapters provide students, researchers, practitioners, planners, and policy makers with a comprehensive understanding of both the science and the steps needed to regenerate and sustain soil systems around the world for the long-term benefit of humankind and the environment.

Author : Udaya Sekhar Nagothu
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 306 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2018-05-11
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9781351403337

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Agricultural Development and Sustainable Intensification by Udaya Sekhar Nagothu Pdf

Sustainable Intensification (SI) has recently emerged as a key concept for agricultural development, recognising that yields must increase to feed a growing world population, but it must be achieved without damage to the environment, on finite land resources and while preserving social and natural capital. It also recognises that all initiatives must cope with the challenges of climate change to agricultural production, food security and livelihoods. This multidisciplinary book presents state-of-the-art reviews of current SI approaches to promote major food crops, challenges and advances made in technology, and the institutional and policy measures necessary to overcome the constraints faced by smallholder farmers. Adressing the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 2, the various chapters based on evidence and experiences of reputed researchers show how these innovations, if properly nurtured and implemented, can make a difference to food and nutrition security outcomes. Case studies from around the world are included, with a particular emphasis on Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The focus is not only on scientific aspects such as climate-smart agriculture, agroecology and improving input use efficiency and management, but also on institutional and policy challenges that must be met to increase the net societal benefits of sustainable agricultural intensification. The book is aimed at advanced students and researchers in sustainable agriculture and policy, development practitioners, policy makers and non-governmental and farmer organisations.

Author : Saidi Mkomwa,Amir H. Kassam
Publisher : CABI
Page : 537 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2022-01-11
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781789245745

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Conservation Agriculture in Africa by Saidi Mkomwa,Amir H. Kassam Pdf

Tillage agriculture has led to widespread soil and ecosystem degradation globally, and more particularly in the developing regions. This is especially so in Africa where traditional agricultural practices have become unsustainable due to severe exploitation of natural resources with negative impacts on the environment and food system. In addition, agricultural land use in Africa today faces major challenges including increased costs, climate change and a need to transform to more sustainable production intensification systems. Conservation Agriculture has emerged as a major alternative sustainable climate smart agriculture approach in Africa and has spread to many African countries in the past decade as more development and research, including in sustainable mechanization, has enabled its extension and uptake. It is key to transforming Africa's agriculture and food system given its ability to restore soil health, biodiversity and productivity of millions of smallholder farms as well as larger-scale farms. This book is aimed at all agricultural stakeholders in the public, private and civil sectors in Africa engaged in supporting the transformation of conventional tillage agriculture to Conservation Agriculture. The book will be of interest to: researchers, academics, students, development stakeholders, public and private sector investors and policy makers as well as institutional libraries across the world.

Author : Subhasis Mandal,Sendhil Ramadas,Rupak Goswami
Publisher : Frontiers Media SA
Page : 195 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2023-11-23
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9782832539385

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Socio-Economic Evaluation of Cropping Systems for Smallholder Farmers – Challenges and Options by Subhasis Mandal,Sendhil Ramadas,Rupak Goswami Pdf

The FAO estimated that five out of six farms in the world are operating less than two hectares of land, suggesting that small-holder farmers are producing over one-third of the global food. The cropping systems practiced by smallholder farmers play a vital role in agri-food production systems and help to reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and provide livelihoods to millions across the developing countries. The performance of these cropping systems has a direct impact on achieving the multiple Sustainable Development Goals (2030) of No Poverty (SDG 1), Zero Hunger (SDG 2), and Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3). System intensification is now widely recognized as an essential pathway to achieve food and nutrition security in developing countries. The numbers of smallholder farmers are rapidly increasing in both developing and underdeveloped countries, however, they are increasingly facing challenges to run profitably. Cropping system intensification (CSI) could be one of the ways to make such production systems more remunerative for these farmers.