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The negative impacts of the restructuring of the abattoir industry in Great Britain on small abattoirs Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Jeremy R Franks
This study examines the reasons why between 1979 and 2020 the number of abattoirs licenced to slaughter red blood livestock species in Great Britain fell from 1146 to 200, average throughput per abattoir increased, larger abattoirs specialised in the species slaughtered, and family owned abattoirs have been replaced by international companies owning multiple slaughterhouses and food processing factories
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Breaking barriers to adoption: A multi-stakeholder platform approach to promoting improved common bean varieties among farmers in Malawi Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Ivy Kadakoma Rambiki, Alexander Phiri, Ruth Magreta, Eliud Birachi, Catherine Larochelle, Mercy Mutua, Jean Claude Rubyogo, Wilson Nkhata
Farmers’ low adoption rate of improved common bean varieties is the root cause of other challenges that stakeholders in Malawi's common bean value chain face in marketing, seed production, processing, and consumption. As a result, it is ideal to address the issue of low uptake by encouraging farmers to adopt improved varieties to make more significant contributions to the common bean value chain. The
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Spatial and economic dynamics of bean crops in an important production hub in Brazil Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Gabriela Gomes Mantovani, Wander Plassa, Tiago Santos Telles
Beans are a traditional grain crop consumed by humans that is of great importance for food security and farmers in terms of income in Brazil. Paraná is one of the largest bean-producing states in the country, but the area needed for its production is being lost, changing the dynamics of bean cultivation, and generating social and economic impacts. The objective of this study was to verify the spatiotemporal
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Understanding the dynamics of hybrid seed adoption among smallholder chilli farmers in Indonesia Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-16 Apri Laila Sayekti, Abdul Muis Hasibuan, Randy Stringer, Di Zeng
In the realm of agricultural research, considerable attention has been directed toward the adoption of hybrid seeds; however, the evolution of adoption behaviors over time remains an area of limited comprehension. This study contributes to the existing literature by elucidating the determinants that underlies the dynamic of hybrid seed adoption among smallholder chilli farmers in Indonesia. By categorizing
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Maize seed aid and seed systems development: Opportunities for synergies in Uganda Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-09 Jason Donovan, Rachel C. Voss, Irene Bayiyana, Pieter Rutsaert
In the name of food security, governments and NGOs purchase large volumes of maize seed in non-relief situations to provide at reduced or no cost to producers. At the same time, efforts to build formal maize seed systems have been frustrated by slow turnover rates – the dominance of older seed products in the market over newer, higher performing ones. Under certain conditions, governments and NGO seed
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An innovation systems approach to understanding forage adoption intensity in the dairy systems of Kenya and Ethiopia Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2023-05-07 Rosie Morrison, Nils Teufel, Alan Duncan, Andrew Barnes
The adoption of cultivated forages in smallholder dairy systems offers a cost-effective way to increase the productivity of livestock. The Kenyan and Ethiopian governments have both stated an ambit...
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The individual empowerment Index (IEI): A new approach for empowerment measures Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2023-04-03 Florent Mahoukede Kinkingninhoun Medagbe, Anne Floquet, Gaudiose Mujawamariya, Roch Lambert Mongbo
Over the last three decades, many research works have been conducted to define and measure the complex and composite concept of empowerment. However, an individual empowerment tool is still needed,...
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Informing the design of a multistakeholder platform in Ghana using stakeholder analysis and social network analysis Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2023-03-21 T. B. Aremu, C. Y. Freeman, A. Laamari, Y. Iddrisu, W. K. Atakora, P. S. Bindraban
The fertiliser value chain in Ghana faces many challenges that limit its potential contribution to food production and food security in the country. This has necessitated discussions on the need to...
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Sustainable intensification and household dietary diversity in maize-based farming systems of Zambia and Zimbabwe Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2023-03-21 Hambulo Ngoma, Esau Simutowe, Mark Manyanga, Christian Thierfelder
With only four years before the end date for the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition, the need to identify nutrition-sensitive and sustainable agricultural interventions that can address h...
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The role of forest extraction in the livelihood strategies of Indonesian smallholder cattle farmers Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2023-03-14 Eko Nugroho, Rico Ihle, Simon J Oosting, Wim Heijman
The understanding of the role of using forest resources in the livelihood strategies of smallholder farmers is limited. Rural household surveys often omit this aspect. From a survey of 600 Indonesi...
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Are common bean traders efficient? An empirical evidence from Malawi Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2023-03-06 Moses Chitete, Wisdom Richard Mgomezulu, Mercy Bwanaisa, Horace Phiri, Joseph Dzanja
Efficient agricultural markets can be a bedrock for diverse economy-wide benefits ranging from improvements in resource use to price stabilisation. However, as is the case with most developing and ...
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Beef cattle production systems and constraints among subsistence farmers across the Fijian windward–leeward divide Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2023-03-05 Shelvindra Singh, Archibold Garikayi Bakare, Paul Ade Iji, Titus Jairus Zindove
The objective of the study was to describe beef production systems and constraints among subsistence farmers across the Fijian windward–leeward divide. Data were collected from a total of 200 beef ...
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Multiplier effects of some complementary agricultural practices: Evidence from rice in Ecuador Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2023-02-28 Silverio Alarcón, Victor H Lema
Rice is a crop that contributes significantly both to food security and to ensure adequate income levels for farmers. This motivates efforts in many countries to disseminate techniques that increas...
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Commercial uses of antitranspirants in crop production: A review Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2023-02-07 Wiza Mphande, Aidan D Farrell, Peter S Kettlewell
Global food security is at risk due to the predicted climate change, making it imperative for agronomists to provide adaptive technologies that will sustain and improve food production. Rainfed agr...
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Conservation agriculture practices improve crop productivity and farm profitability when adopted by Bangladeshi smallholders in the Eastern Gangetic Plain Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2023-01-12 M. A. Monayem Miah, Richard W. Bell, Enamul Haque, Md. Wakilur Rahman, Md. Abdur Rouf Sarkar, M. A. Rashid
In research settings in the Eastern Gangetic Plain, Conservation Agriculture (CA) reduces operational costs, including cost for machinery, labour and fuel, while increasing yields, profit and soil ...
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Gender and access to complex and gender-biased agricultural technology information and knowledge: Evidence from smart-valleys in West Africa Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2023-01-12 Florent Mahoukede Kinkingninhoun Medagbe, Anne Floquet, Roch Lambert Mongbo, Kossi Nounagnon Augustin Aoudji, Gaudiose Mujawamariya, Nestor René Ahoyo Adjovi
This paper identifies some ways to effectively transfer complex and gender-biased technology information and knowledge (TIK) to both men and women by analyzing the diffusion of Smart-valleys techno...
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What factors influence the likelihood of rural farmer participation in digital agricultural services? experience from smallholder digitalization in Northern Ghana Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-12-26 Abdul-Rahim Abdulai, Krishna Bahadur KC, Evan Fraser
Participation in digital services is critical for the inclusiveness of digitalization in smallholder Africa. However, farmers engagement with digitalization services needs further explorations due ...
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What does CGIAR do to address climate change? Perspectives from a decade of science on climate change adaptation and mitigation Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-12-03 Andreea C. Nowak, Laura Cramer, Tonya Schuetz, Allison Poulos, Yuling Chang, Philip Thornton
CGIAR consists of a network of international publicly funded agricultural research for development institutes. Over five decades it has worked to increase food abundance, reduce hunger and poverty ...
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Assessing German farmers’ trade-offs between disease resistance and yield in winter wheat varieties Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-11-25 Kerstin K Zander, Pascal Blaise, Karin Holm-Müller
Disease resistant crop varieties are important for both disease control and for reducing chemical pesticide use. However, there is often a trade-off between disease resistance and yield. While the ...
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The key to the development of agricultural cooperatives in Romania from the perspective of those who run them Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-11-10 Eduard Alexandru Dumitru, Marius Mihai Micu, Cristina Maria Sterie
Cooperatives are known worldwide as important institutional commitments to overcome the constraints faced by small farmers in developing countries. We conducted an in-depth investigation in order t...
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UK agriculture at a crossroads Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-11-08 Jeremy R. Franks
UK farming is at a crossroads. Its continued dependency on decoupled direct payments, shortage of investment finance, difficulties in changing cost structure and the reduced scope to differentiate ...
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Digital traceability to enhance circular food systems and reach agriculture emissions targets Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-11-01 Katie Kennedy Freeman, Vivian Valencia, Jorge Marzaroli, Hannah HE van Zanten
How can digital tools increase national circularity measures in agriculture towards GHG reduction and other national goals? During the 26th Conference of Parties (COP) held in November 2021, it was...
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Research and development for sorghum and millets in Sub-Saharan Africa: What have we learned? Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-10-30 Alastair Orr, Eva Weltzien, Fred Rattunde
The past two decades of R & D for sorghum and millets in SSA have generated a wealth of new evidence. A synthesis of this evidence identified six strategic lessons. These were that demand is not be...
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Farmers’ perception of consumer information and adoption intention towards organic rice farming: Evidence from community enterprise in rural Thailand Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-10-27 Harry Jay Cavite, Chanhathai Kerdsriserm, Christopher Llones, Nuttanan Direksri, Suneeporn Suwanmaneepong
Organic production has gained increased attention worldwide because of its sustainable way of producing food crops apart from its significant contribution to agricultural development. While some po...
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Are positive farmers more productive? Investigating the relationship between positivity ratio and agricultural productivity Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-10-03 Shira Bukchin-Peles
Lagging agricultural productivity performance in developing countries is a significant barrier to economic development and achieving food security. Rather than focusing on commonly researched socio...
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Assessing impacts of COVID-19 and their responses among smallholder farmers in Brazil, Madagascar and Tanzania Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-09-27 Katharina Löhr, Paschal Mugabe, Ana Paula Dias Turetta, Jonathan Steinke, Camilo Lozano, Michelle Bonatti, Luca Eufemia, Larissa Hery Ito, Alexandra Konzack, Stefan Kroll, Charles Peter Mgeni, Dina Ramanank’ Andrasana, Sophia Tadesse, Masoud Yazdanpanah, Stefan Sieber
This study investigates the impacts of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on smallholder farmers and their coping strategies in three contrasting Low- and Middle-Income Countries. The case stu...
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Adoption; a relevant concept for agricultural land management in the 21 century? Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-09-16 Catherine Allan, Penelope Cooke, Vaughan Higgins, Peat Leith, Melanie Bryant, Geoff Cockfield
This review seeks to understand the implications of using “adoption” to evaluate agricultural soil management outreach in the twenty-first century. The act of changing from one practice to another ...
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Because error has a price: A systematic review of the applications of DNA fingerprinting for crop varietal identification Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-09-04 Michael Euler, Vijesh V. Krishna, Moti Jaleta, David Hodson
Several recent studies that employed DNA fingerprinting to identify crop varieties on farmers' fields revealed a significant mismatch between perceived and actual adoption. Varietal misidentificati...
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Gender, wheat trait preferences, and innovation uptake: Lessons from Ethiopia and India Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-08-29 Lone Badstue, Vijesh V Krishna, Moti Jaleta, Hom Gartaula, Olaf Erenstein
During the post-Green Revolution era, numerous improved wheat varieties were released and disseminated to enhance tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses and increase productivity. Still, in the w...
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Support for “we” visions and for broadening the scope in the debate on alternative forms of agriculture Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-08-08 Philippe C. Baveye
In recent years, the need for profound changes in agricultural practices has become increasingly acknowledged, and it has given rise to an intense, and rapidly intensifying, debate among experts an...
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Breeding and genetic improvement of Nigeria indigenous cattle: The pitfalls and potential use of post genomic era technologies for national dairy development Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-08-04 A.B. Sikiru, B.O. Otu, O.J. Makinde, S. Saheed, S.S.A. Egena
Cattle are one of the most important livestock species in Nigeria because they provide multiple services to farmers and contributes to the national economy. In order to advance the benefits of catt...
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Strengths and weaknesses of organized crop seed production by smallholder farmers: A five-country case study Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-07-26 B Dey, B Visser, HQ Tin, A Mahamadou Laouali, N Baba Toure Mahamadou, C Nkhoma, S Alonzo Recinos, C Opiyo, S Bragdon
In many countries, smallholder farmers play a key role in food crop seed production. So far, the community roles, operational structures, seed production efficiency, aspects of sustainability, and ...
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Cotton, fragile economic lifeline for West African smallholders Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-07-21 Henk J.W. Mutsaers, Paul W.M. Kleene, Oumar Guiguindé
Cotton production in francophone W. Africa is in danger of collapse in coming years, due to stagnating yields, increasing costs, and depressed prices, with dramatic effects for smallholder producer...
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Does the climate-smart village extension model enhance farmer empowerment? Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-07-21 H Galiwango, RF Miiro, N Turyahabwe, A Egeru
Climate smart villages (CSVs) are new and promising approaches to tackle the negative repercussions of climate change and to tackle the food insecurity that affects close to one billion people glob...
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Food security, food insecurity, and Canada’s national food policy: Meaning, measures, and assessment Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-07-12 B. James Deaton, Alexander Scholz
We review the Canadian federal government‘s recently enacted Food Policy for Canada (FPC). Three arguments are developed. First, the development and vision statement of the FPC implies that improvi...
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Commercialisation of the sweetpotato value chain: Impacts on women producers in Mozambique Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-06-01 Sarah Mayanja, Netsayi Mudege, Katherine A Snyder, Norman Kwikiriza, Eliah Munda, Janet Achora, Fredrick Grant
Traditionally, sweetpotato is a woman's crop grown primarily for food in Mozambique. With the introduction of Vitamin A rich varieties, efforts were made to commercialize the crop. This study asses...
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The role of small abattoirs in the delivery of the UK's new agricultural policy objectives Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-05-26 Jeremy Franks, Rachel Peden
This study examines the impacts of the reduction in the network of private kill abattoirs on the delivery of public goods supported under the redesigned UK agriculture policy. An online survey was used to gather information about farmers selection and use of abattoirs, and a telephone survey of abattoir owners and managers complemented the farmer survey. Of the 300 respondents, 185 used abattoirs for
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Banana seed exchange networks in Burundi – Linking formal and informal systems Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-05-25 Innocent Nduwimana, Serigne Sylla, Yanru Xing, Alice Simbare, Celestin Niyongere, Karen A. Garrett, Aman Bonaventure Omondi
Seed system network analysis can reveal exchange connections between stakeholders and test scenarios such as those of seed systems shocks. We investigated the seed exchange network structure, disease surveillance risk, and gender contribution in Burundi, under two banana disease risk scenarios. Two sites where banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) is endemic in Cibitoke Province were compared with a site
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Drought's implications on agricultural skills in South Africa Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-05-22 Chenaimoyo L.F. Katiyatiya, Jabulani Majaha, Obert C. Chikwanha, Kennedy Dzama, Nkgaugelo Kgasago, Cletos Mapiye
Drought is an inevitable feature of South Africa's climate. Its slow onset and recurrence threaten livelihoods dependent on agriculture. Responses to drought have mostly been ex-post impact management with little ex-ante resilience building in vulnerable areas. Implementation of ex-ante strategies has been severely challenged by lack of skilled human capital to predict and respond timely and effectively
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Changing gender role declines maize yield, but remittances offset: Findings from migrant households in the central Himalayas, Nepal Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-04-28 Kishor Atreya, Hom Gartaula
In this paper, we investigate the interplay between labor out-migration, changes in gender roles, and their effects on the maize farming system. The paper unravels these interactions using the data collected from 1053 migrant households in the mountains of Nepal. The result shows that household size positively and the number of 17–60-year-old household members negatively influence maize yield. Remittance
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Productivity and constraints of small-scale crop farming in the summer rainfall region of South Africa Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-04-05 VN Mathinya, AC Franke, GWJ Van De Ven, KE Giller
The South African policy sphere hails the commercialisation of small-scale farming as the answer to a myriad of socio-economic, ecological and political challenges of rural livelihoods. Yet the low agricultural productivity of this sector challenges the realisation of this pathway. Through comparison with large-scale farmers, this review sought to elicit the main reasons for differences in productivity
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Understanding the capacity of key actors and their role in the seed potato systems: The case of Eritrea Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-03-28 Fitsumberhan Ghebremeskel Ghebreagziabiher, Denis Griffin, John Burke, Monica Gorman
Understanding the combined effects of the biophysical, socioeconomic, and institutional components of a seed system can help to improve the effectiveness of seed system interventions. This study examined whether and how institutional factors are contributing to the inadequate supply of quality seed potato in Eritrea and identified where and how bottlenecks within the seed systems might improve the
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Rural development and transformation of the rice sector in Myanmar: Introduction of best management practices for sustainable rice agriculture Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-03-23 Helena Wehmeyer, Arelene Malabayabas, Su Su San, Aung Myat Thu, Myat Su Tun, Aye Aye Thant, Melanie Connor
Myanmar has experienced considerable economic and social changes since its political transition in the early 2010s. Its agriculture sector has demonstrated rapid intensification and modernization. Agricultural best management practices (BMPs), e.g., drum seeders and laser land levelling, were introduced to rice farmers in Bago Region in 2012 to increase sustainable production and counter negative environmental
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The global rice agriculture towards 2050: An inter-continental perspective Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-03-21 Parshuram Samal, Suresh Chandra Babu, Biswajit Mondal, Sarba Narayan Mishra
The growth in rice consumption has either slowed down or become negative in all the continents although additional per capita demand for rice exists in Africa. The future additional rice demand will mainly come from the population growth in Africa and Asia. The production growth during the past led by growth in yield has helped in meeting rice demand around the globe. However, Africa continues to lag
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Technology, rurality and gender… false friends, but not enemies! Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Hayet Kerras, Susana Bautista, María Dolores de-Miguel Gómez
Guaranteeing gender equality in the access and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has become today a determining element in the achievement of food security and as a consequence of the achievement of rural development, which constitutes one of the goals of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Indeed, the fight against digital gender gaps and other
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Soil biodiversity and nature-mimicry in agriculture; the power of metaphor? Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-03-07 Mirjam M Pulleman, Wietse de Boer, Ken E Giller, Thom W Kuyper
Attention to soil biodiversity and its importance for sustainable food production has markedly increased in recent years. In particular, the loss of soil biodiversity as a consequence of intensive agriculture, land degradation and climate change has raised concerns due to the expected negative impacts on ecosystem services, food security and human health. The result is a strong demand for ‘nature-based’
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Is it possible to attain the same soil organic matter content in arable agricultural soils as under natural vegetation? Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-02-21 David S. Powlson, Paul R. Poulton, Margaret J. Glendining, Andy J. Macdonald, Keith W.T. Goulding
Clearing natural vegetation to establish arable agriculture (cropland) almost invariably causes a loss of soil organic carbon (SOC). Is it possible to restore soil that continues in arable agriculture to the pre-clearance SOC level through modified management practices? To address this question we reviewed evidence from long-term experiments at Rothamsted Research, UK, Bad Lauchstädt, Germany, Sanborn
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Copy competitively-tested adaptations of wild species, maybe, but not natural ecosystems tested only by persistence Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-02-14 R Ford Denison
Some aspects of nature are better potential models for agriculture than others. Natural ecosystems have not competed against each other the way wild plants have, so individual adaptations have been improved more consistently over time, relative to ecosystem-level patterns and processes. Wild plants have also been improved by competitive natural selection for longer than humans or most ecosystems have
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Monodominant natural vegetation provides models for nature-based cereal production Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-02-11 J Lenné, D Wood
Nature-based solutions, principally diverse systems, are increasingly being promoted as the solution to future food production as they are perceived to be more productive, resilient and ecologically based. This ‘paradigm of in-field diversity’ approach is inciting a growing perception that monocultures, the source of most global food production, are ecologically dysfunctional and highly vulnerable
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Options for diversifying agricultural systems to reduce pesticide use: Can we learn from nature? Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-02-10 Wopke van der Werf, Felix Bianchi
There is increasing demand for farmers to reduce their use of anthropogenic inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. It is often suggested that nature offers alternative ways to suppress pests, but what might these be? One prominent difference between most natural and agricultural systems is the diversity of plants and associated biota such as arthropod herbivores, predators and parasites, both above-
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The use of epic narratives in promoting ‘natural agriculture’ Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-02-10 Lídia Cabral, James Sumberg
This paper profiles some key promoters of nature-based and natural systems agriculture – Masanobu Fukuoka, Wes Jackson, Jerome Irvin Rodale and Robert Rodale, and Allan Savory. The focus is on ‘narratives with epic elements’ that have been constructed around these personalities, and how these have helped gain legitimacy and influence for themselves, their ideas, and their organisations. Similar processes
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Technology, infrastructure and enterprise trade-off: Strengthening smallholder farming systems in Tamil Nadu State of India for sustainable income and food security Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-02-07 R Jayakumara Varadan, Sravya Mamidanna, Shalander Kumar, SK Zamir Ahmed, I Jaisankar
The complexities of smallholder farming systems pose a challenge in demonstrating the potential benefits or risks of new technologies and policies. Using Integrated Analysis Tool, a rule-based dynamic simulation model, this study tried to improve the performance of major farming systems in the Tamil Nadu State of India. Amongst the four major farming systems viz. Black gram-based (BFS), Paddy-based
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Future agricultures: The promise and pitfalls of a (re)turn to nature Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-02-04 James Sumberg
This paper introduces the Outlook on Agriculture Special Issue on biomimicry and nature-based solutions. It provides a selective overview that will help frame and situate the collection, with a particular focus on agriculture and food production. The relationship between agriculture and nature is a central concern, and particularly how this relationship is framed by those promoting the idea that to
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Restoring social and ecological relationships in the agroecosystems of Canada's prairie region Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-02-01 Joanne Thiessen Martens
Ecosystem restoration is proposed as one aspect of the transformative changes required to meet global sustainability goals. In the prairie region of Canada, where the widespread and relatively recent conversion of natural ecosystems to farmland displaced Indigenous peoples and made way for a thriving agricultural sector, I propose that ecosystem restoration requires two intertwined transition processes:
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Mimicking nature to reduce agricultural impact on water cycles: A set of mimetrics Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-01-27 Meine van Noordwijk, Pieter van Oel, Catherine Muthuri, Usha Satnarain, Rika Ratna Sari, Paulina Rosero, Margaret Githinji, Lisa Tanika, Lisa Best, Gildas Geraud Comlan Assogba, George Kimbowa, Federico Andreotti, Elisabeth Lagneaux, Charles Nduhiu Wamucii, Arief Lukman Hakim, Andrew Miccolis, Ali Yansyah Abdurrahim, Ai Farida, Erika Speelman, Gert Jan Hofstede
Metrics of hydrological mimicry (‘mimetrics’) reflect similarity in ecological structure and/or functions between managed and natural ecosystems. Only the land-surface parts of hydrological cycles are directly visible and represented in local knowledge and water-related legislation. Human impacts on water cycles (HIWC) can, beyond climate change, arise through effects on local and regional hydrological
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High-density grazing in southern Africa: Inspiration by nature leads to conservation? Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-01-24 A C Franke, E Kotzé
High-density grazing is a form of rangeland management aiming to strategically mimic the ways grasslands are utilized by grazers in natural situations. It aims to regenerate grasslands by improving soil and vegetation productivity and diversity. More recently, high-density grazing systems have been promoted as a key approach to mitigating climate change by increasing the amount of carbon sequestered
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Perils of production with perennial polycultures Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-01-17 Robert S. Loomis
Perennial grains and polyculture were proposed (Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 20 (1), March 2005) as alternatives to annual grain systems. The authors criticized current annual systems as unsustainable and pointed to native prairies as a model sustainable system with no added input and little negative environmental impact. That portrayal is short-sighted. All previous efforts to breed perennial
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Progress Towards Perennial Grains for Prairies and Plains Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-01-13 K.G. Cassman, D.J. Connor
Perennial grain crops have been proposed as environmentally sustainable alternatives to annual grain crop systems that currently dominate the world's major breadbaskets. Proponents emphasize the potential of perennial grains to mimic natural systems and thereby reduce soil erosion, nutrient losses, and degradation of soil quality although need for adequate grain yield is also recognized as a prerequisite
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Regenerative agriculture as a biomimetic technology Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2022-01-07 Bart Gremmen
As populations increase and economic affluence expand, conventional farmers will be unable to meet the demand for food. Two main scenarios offer different solutions. The first scenario aims to further intensify scientific- and technology-driven agriculture research. The second scenario aims to radically switch to nature-based solutions in agricultural systems. There seem to be two interpretations of
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Characterizing cassava farmer typologies and their seed sourcing practices to explore opportunities for economically sustainable seed business models in Rwanda Outlook Agric. (IF 3.0) Pub Date : 2021-11-30 Fleur Kilwinger, Samuel Mugambi, Rhys Manners, Marc Schut, Silver Tumwegamire, Athanase Nduwumuremyi, Sylvie Bambara, Marthe Paauwe, Conny Almekinders
The overdependency on local cassava varieties and informal seed sources by farmers in Rwanda has contributed to the spread of cassava viral diseases. The use of improved planting materials made available through formal seed sources, that assure seed quality, is one way to prevent future disease outbreaks. In order to increase the availability of, and farmers access to, such materials there is increasing