Exploring future changes in smallholder farming systems by linking socio-economic scenarios with regional and household models

We explore how smallholder agricultural systems in the Kenyan highlands might intensify and/or diversify in the future under a range of socio-economic scenarios. Data from approximately 3000 households were analyzed and farming systems characterized. Plausible socio-economic scenarios of how Kenya m...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Herrero, Mario, Thornton, Philip K., Bernués, A., Baltenweck, Isabelle, Vervoort, Joost M., Steeg, Jeannette van de, Makokha, S., Wijk, Mark T. van, Karanja, S., Rufino, Mariana C., Staal, Steven J.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/34420
_version_ 1855534627290087424
author Herrero, Mario
Thornton, Philip K.
Bernués, A.
Baltenweck, Isabelle
Vervoort, Joost M.
Steeg, Jeannette van de
Makokha, S.
Wijk, Mark T. van
Karanja, S.
Rufino, Mariana C.
Staal, Steven J.
author_browse Baltenweck, Isabelle
Bernués, A.
Herrero, Mario
Karanja, S.
Makokha, S.
Rufino, Mariana C.
Staal, Steven J.
Steeg, Jeannette van de
Thornton, Philip K.
Vervoort, Joost M.
Wijk, Mark T. van
author_facet Herrero, Mario
Thornton, Philip K.
Bernués, A.
Baltenweck, Isabelle
Vervoort, Joost M.
Steeg, Jeannette van de
Makokha, S.
Wijk, Mark T. van
Karanja, S.
Rufino, Mariana C.
Staal, Steven J.
author_sort Herrero, Mario
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description We explore how smallholder agricultural systems in the Kenyan highlands might intensify and/or diversify in the future under a range of socio-economic scenarios. Data from approximately 3000 households were analyzed and farming systems characterized. Plausible socio-economic scenarios of how Kenya might evolve, and their potential impacts on the agricultural sector, were developed with a range of stakeholders. We study how different types of farming systems might increase or diminish in importance under different scenarios using a land-use model sensitive to prices, opportunity cost of land and labour, and other variables. We then use a household model to determine the types of enterprises in which different types of households might engage under different socio-economic conditions. Trajectories of intensification, diversification, and stagnation for different farming systems are identified. Diversification with cash crops is found to be a key intensification strategy as farm size decreases and labour costs increase. Dairy expansion, while important for some trajectories, is mostly viable when land available is not a constraint, mainly due to the need for planting fodders at the expense of cropland areas. We discuss the results in relation to induced innovation theories of intensification. We outline how the methodology employed could be used for integrating global and regional change assessments with local-level studies on farming options, adaptation to global change, and upscaling of social, environmental and economic impacts of agricultural development investments and interventions.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace34420
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2014
publishDateRange 2014
publishDateSort 2014
publisher Elsevier
publisherStr Elsevier
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace344202025-11-12T04:29:42Z Exploring future changes in smallholder farming systems by linking socio-economic scenarios with regional and household models Herrero, Mario Thornton, Philip K. Bernués, A. Baltenweck, Isabelle Vervoort, Joost M. Steeg, Jeannette van de Makokha, S. Wijk, Mark T. van Karanja, S. Rufino, Mariana C. Staal, Steven J. livestock farming systems We explore how smallholder agricultural systems in the Kenyan highlands might intensify and/or diversify in the future under a range of socio-economic scenarios. Data from approximately 3000 households were analyzed and farming systems characterized. Plausible socio-economic scenarios of how Kenya might evolve, and their potential impacts on the agricultural sector, were developed with a range of stakeholders. We study how different types of farming systems might increase or diminish in importance under different scenarios using a land-use model sensitive to prices, opportunity cost of land and labour, and other variables. We then use a household model to determine the types of enterprises in which different types of households might engage under different socio-economic conditions. Trajectories of intensification, diversification, and stagnation for different farming systems are identified. Diversification with cash crops is found to be a key intensification strategy as farm size decreases and labour costs increase. Dairy expansion, while important for some trajectories, is mostly viable when land available is not a constraint, mainly due to the need for planting fodders at the expense of cropland areas. We discuss the results in relation to induced innovation theories of intensification. We outline how the methodology employed could be used for integrating global and regional change assessments with local-level studies on farming options, adaptation to global change, and upscaling of social, environmental and economic impacts of agricultural development investments and interventions. 2014-01 2014-01-29T07:14:04Z 2014-01-29T07:14:04Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/34420 en Open Access application/pdf Elsevier Herrero, M., Thornton, P.K., Bernués, A., Baltenweck, I., Vervoort, J., Steeg, J. van de, Makokha, S., Wijk, M.T. van, Karanja, S., Rufino, M.C. and Staal, S.J. 2014. Exploring future changes in smallholder farming systems by linking socio-economic scenarios with regional and household models. Global Environmental Change 24:165-182.
spellingShingle livestock
farming systems
Herrero, Mario
Thornton, Philip K.
Bernués, A.
Baltenweck, Isabelle
Vervoort, Joost M.
Steeg, Jeannette van de
Makokha, S.
Wijk, Mark T. van
Karanja, S.
Rufino, Mariana C.
Staal, Steven J.
Exploring future changes in smallholder farming systems by linking socio-economic scenarios with regional and household models
title Exploring future changes in smallholder farming systems by linking socio-economic scenarios with regional and household models
title_full Exploring future changes in smallholder farming systems by linking socio-economic scenarios with regional and household models
title_fullStr Exploring future changes in smallholder farming systems by linking socio-economic scenarios with regional and household models
title_full_unstemmed Exploring future changes in smallholder farming systems by linking socio-economic scenarios with regional and household models
title_short Exploring future changes in smallholder farming systems by linking socio-economic scenarios with regional and household models
title_sort exploring future changes in smallholder farming systems by linking socio economic scenarios with regional and household models
topic livestock
farming systems
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/34420
work_keys_str_mv AT herreromario exploringfuturechangesinsmallholderfarmingsystemsbylinkingsocioeconomicscenarioswithregionalandhouseholdmodels
AT thorntonphilipk exploringfuturechangesinsmallholderfarmingsystemsbylinkingsocioeconomicscenarioswithregionalandhouseholdmodels
AT bernuesa exploringfuturechangesinsmallholderfarmingsystemsbylinkingsocioeconomicscenarioswithregionalandhouseholdmodels
AT baltenweckisabelle exploringfuturechangesinsmallholderfarmingsystemsbylinkingsocioeconomicscenarioswithregionalandhouseholdmodels
AT vervoortjoostm exploringfuturechangesinsmallholderfarmingsystemsbylinkingsocioeconomicscenarioswithregionalandhouseholdmodels
AT steegjeannettevande exploringfuturechangesinsmallholderfarmingsystemsbylinkingsocioeconomicscenarioswithregionalandhouseholdmodels
AT makokhas exploringfuturechangesinsmallholderfarmingsystemsbylinkingsocioeconomicscenarioswithregionalandhouseholdmodels
AT wijkmarktvan exploringfuturechangesinsmallholderfarmingsystemsbylinkingsocioeconomicscenarioswithregionalandhouseholdmodels
AT karanjas exploringfuturechangesinsmallholderfarmingsystemsbylinkingsocioeconomicscenarioswithregionalandhouseholdmodels
AT rufinomarianac exploringfuturechangesinsmallholderfarmingsystemsbylinkingsocioeconomicscenarioswithregionalandhouseholdmodels
AT staalstevenj exploringfuturechangesinsmallholderfarmingsystemsbylinkingsocioeconomicscenarioswithregionalandhouseholdmodels