Is sustainable intensification possible? Evidence from Ethiopia

This paper explores the sustainable intensification possibilities facing smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. We examine the internal consistency of jointly achieving “sustainable” “intensification” by exploring the factors that lead to complementarity or tradeoffs in the outcomes. A cross-sectional sur...

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Main Authors: Mutyasira, Vine, Hoag, Dana, Pendell, Dustin L., Manning, Dale T.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: MDPI 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/98276
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author Mutyasira, Vine
Hoag, Dana
Pendell, Dustin L.
Manning, Dale T.
author_browse Hoag, Dana
Manning, Dale T.
Mutyasira, Vine
Pendell, Dustin L.
author_facet Mutyasira, Vine
Hoag, Dana
Pendell, Dustin L.
Manning, Dale T.
author_sort Mutyasira, Vine
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This paper explores the sustainable intensification possibilities facing smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. We examine the internal consistency of jointly achieving “sustainable” “intensification” by exploring the factors that lead to complementarity or tradeoffs in the outcomes. A cross-sectional survey of farms was examined in multiple regions of Ethiopia’s Highlands. The results show that some farmers can achieve both sustainability and intensification, while many do not, or cannot achieve both at the same time. We found that some actions have a common impact on both sustainability and intensification, while other factors only affect one outcome. Access to agricultural loans and farm mechanization significantly increases the likelihood of succeeding in sustainable intensification. Access to land will be critical for agricultural sustainability while access to farming information and technical services will drive agricultural intensification. Overall, opportunities to improve both sustainability and intensification are weak, but the opportunity to improve one without sacrificing the other are realistic. The results contribute to the ongoing debate on sustainable intensification and help policy makers explore alternatives for managing different intensification and sustainability scenarios to achieve agricultural development goals.
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spelling CGSpace982762023-12-27T19:47:59Z Is sustainable intensification possible? Evidence from Ethiopia Mutyasira, Vine Hoag, Dana Pendell, Dustin L. Manning, Dale T. intensification mixed farming crops livestock This paper explores the sustainable intensification possibilities facing smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. We examine the internal consistency of jointly achieving “sustainable” “intensification” by exploring the factors that lead to complementarity or tradeoffs in the outcomes. A cross-sectional survey of farms was examined in multiple regions of Ethiopia’s Highlands. The results show that some farmers can achieve both sustainability and intensification, while many do not, or cannot achieve both at the same time. We found that some actions have a common impact on both sustainability and intensification, while other factors only affect one outcome. Access to agricultural loans and farm mechanization significantly increases the likelihood of succeeding in sustainable intensification. Access to land will be critical for agricultural sustainability while access to farming information and technical services will drive agricultural intensification. Overall, opportunities to improve both sustainability and intensification are weak, but the opportunity to improve one without sacrificing the other are realistic. The results contribute to the ongoing debate on sustainable intensification and help policy makers explore alternatives for managing different intensification and sustainability scenarios to achieve agricultural development goals. 2018-11-13 2018-11-22T08:51:22Z 2018-11-22T08:51:22Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/98276 en Open Access MDPI Mutyasira, V., Hoag, D., Pendell, D.L. and Manning, D.T. 2018. Is sustainable intensification possible? Evidence from Ethiopia. Sustainability 10(11):4174.
spellingShingle intensification
mixed farming
crops
livestock
Mutyasira, Vine
Hoag, Dana
Pendell, Dustin L.
Manning, Dale T.
Is sustainable intensification possible? Evidence from Ethiopia
title Is sustainable intensification possible? Evidence from Ethiopia
title_full Is sustainable intensification possible? Evidence from Ethiopia
title_fullStr Is sustainable intensification possible? Evidence from Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Is sustainable intensification possible? Evidence from Ethiopia
title_short Is sustainable intensification possible? Evidence from Ethiopia
title_sort is sustainable intensification possible evidence from ethiopia
topic intensification
mixed farming
crops
livestock
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/98276
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AT hoagdana issustainableintensificationpossibleevidencefromethiopia
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AT manningdalet issustainableintensificationpossibleevidencefromethiopia