Browsing by Subject "Farming systems"

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Is the system of rice intensification (SRI) pro poor? Labour, class and technological change in West Africa
(2021) Graf, Sarah Lena; Oya, Carlos
CONTEXT Increasing numbers of young people enter Sub-Saharan Africa's labour markets each year while industrial jobs only grow slowly. As 62% of Sub-Saharan Africans work in agriculture and as the rural population will continue to rise, agriculture will need to provide additional income- earning opportunities. In this context agricultural technologies should be promoted that can increase food production to answer rising demand and generate decent income-earning opportunities. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is widely promoted in West Africa and could address these needs – but recent findings from Asia present negative social impacts on workers. OBJECTIVE This paper explores the mechanisms that shape adoption patterns and impacts of SRI in different (West African) contexts through a labour lens. METHODS Our innovative theoretical framework integrates analytical and empirical categories from Farming Systems research and agrarian political economy. The mixed methods approach combines: (1) quantitative analysis of existing survey data from 857 agricultural households in Ghana, Benin and Mali; and (2) qualitative analysis of an in-depth case study in the Oti Region of Ghana. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION SRI increases yield and profitability in West African rice farming, especially when locally adapted. Farmers adjust SRI to fit lowland rice farming, where water cannot be controlled and to address labour constraints. Additional labour for transplanting (instead of broadcasting) – coinciding with an existing labour bottleneck – constrains SRI adoption. SRI is mainly practised by marginal and accumulating farmers and to a lesser extent by medium farmers. Accumulating farmers invest in agriculture, farm profit-oriented and overcome labour constraints by hiring. Thus, they can practise SRI on larger scale and their absolute benefits are higher. Nevertheless, they rely on hired labour to do so, which strengthens workers' bargaining position. Consequently, SRI benefits all: accumulating farmers who employ as well as marginal farmers and hired labourers. Contrary to findings from Asia, SRI seems to be relatively pro-poor in West Africa. SIGNIFICANCE While seasonal labour use remains a key constraint to technology adoption, labour intensive technologies can also contribute to increasing income-earning opportunities. The social outcomes of technological change will be shaped by both the existing agricultural practices and the social relations in which a new technology is adopted. Our theoretical framework can inform further research and the application of existing evidence to new contexts.
Sustainable growth of organic farming in the EU requires a rethink of nutrient supply
(2024) Reimer, Marie; Oelofse, Myles; Müller-Stöver, Dorette; Möller, Kurt; Bünemann, Else K.; Bianchi, Silvia; Vetemaa, Airi; Drexler, Dóra; Trugly, Bence; Raskin, Ben; Blogg, Hugh; Rasmussen, Anton; Verrastro, Vincenzo; Magid, Jakob; Reimer, Marie; Institute of Crop Science, Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 20, 77593, Stuttgart, Germany; Oelofse, Myles; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark; Müller-Stöver, Dorette; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark; Möller, Kurt; Institute of Crop Science, Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 20, 77593, Stuttgart, Germany; Bünemann, Else K.; Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Box 219, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070, Frick, Switzerland; Bianchi, Silvia; Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Box 219, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070, Frick, Switzerland; Vetemaa, Airi; Estonian Organic Farming Foundation (EOFF), Kungla 1a, 50403, Tartu, Estonia; Drexler, Dóra; Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Miklós Tér 1, 1033, Budapest, Hungary; Trugly, Bence; Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Miklós Tér 1, 1033, Budapest, Hungary; Raskin, Ben; Soil Association, Spear House, 51 Victoria Street, BS1 6AD, Bristol, UK; Blogg, Hugh; Soil Association, Spear House, 51 Victoria Street, BS1 6AD, Bristol, UK; Rasmussen, Anton; Innovation Centre for Organic Farming, Agro Food Park 26, 8200, Aarhus, Denmark; Verrastro, Vincenzo; Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari, Valenzano (IAM-B), Italy; Magid, Jakob; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark
The European Commission recently set a target of increasing the area of organic agriculture to 25% by 2030. To achieve this, it is imperative to understand current nutrient use patterns and identify sustainable nutrient supply opportunities. To that end, this study assessed the sustainability of the current nutrient origin and supply of 71 arable organic farms in 8 European regions. Deficient nutrient supply was found on 24%, 66%, and 56% of farms for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively. On average, we show a moderate surplus for nitrogen (28 kg ha −1 ), while phosphorus and potassium balances were close to zero (− 1 and 2 kg ha −1 , respectively). Large variation between countries and farm types shows a divide between more intensive systems relying on external inputs, and less intensive systems facing nutrient deficits and lower outputs. We show, for the first time, the extent of current use of external input types, where conventional manures supplied 17–26% of external nutrients and inputs from non-agricultural origin supplied 31–41%. A large proportion of nutrient sources within the last group are materials derived from urban wastes. The sustainable expansion of the organic sector will require increased use of locally available recycled fertilizers from urban wastes, and acceptance of such sources by organic farmers is shown to be high, provided they are considered safe.