Are farmers searching for an African green revolution? Exploring the solution space for agricultural intensification in southern Mali
Development actors, including the African Union, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and bilateral donors, promote a technology-driven sustainable intensification of agriculture as a way to feed a growing world population and reduce rural poverty. A broader view of smallholder agriculture...
| Autores principales: | , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Cambridge University Press
2019
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| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/98856 |
| _version_ | 1855538435241017344 |
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| author | Ollenburger, M. Crane, Todd A. Descheemaeker, Katrien K. Giller, Kenneth E. |
| author_browse | Crane, Todd A. Descheemaeker, Katrien K. Giller, Kenneth E. Ollenburger, M. |
| author_facet | Ollenburger, M. Crane, Todd A. Descheemaeker, Katrien K. Giller, Kenneth E. |
| author_sort | Ollenburger, M. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Development actors, including the African Union, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and bilateral donors, promote a technology-driven sustainable intensification of agriculture as a way to feed a growing world population and reduce rural poverty. A broader view of smallholder agriculture in the context of rural livelihoods suggests that technological solutions alone are unlikely to meet these goals. Analysis of the solution space for agricultural interventions in a high potential area of southern Mali shows that intensification can lift most farm households out of extreme poverty and guarantee their food self-sufficiency. However, the most effective options do not fit the usual definition of sustainable intensification, increasing production per unit land while protecting the natural environment. Cropland expansion combined with the good yields seen in on-station experiments can nearly eliminate extreme poverty, while the biggest impact may come from taking advantage of peak seasonal prices for crops like groundnut. Other profitable alternatives can include meat production with small ruminants or sales of milk from cows. However, off-farm employment opportunities like gold mining outperform currently attainable agricultural options in terms of profitability. Options for rural households should fit within the households’ socio-ecological niches and respond to their priorities in order to be successful. Given the relatively low impact of (sustainable) intensification technologies alone, a rethinking of the role of agricultural research in development is needed in order to align interventions with farmer priorities and meet development goals. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace98856 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publishDateRange | 2019 |
| publishDateSort | 2019 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| publisherStr | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace988562024-11-15T08:53:03Z Are farmers searching for an African green revolution? Exploring the solution space for agricultural intensification in southern Mali Ollenburger, M. Crane, Todd A. Descheemaeker, Katrien K. Giller, Kenneth E. agriculture farming systems intensification Development actors, including the African Union, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and bilateral donors, promote a technology-driven sustainable intensification of agriculture as a way to feed a growing world population and reduce rural poverty. A broader view of smallholder agriculture in the context of rural livelihoods suggests that technological solutions alone are unlikely to meet these goals. Analysis of the solution space for agricultural interventions in a high potential area of southern Mali shows that intensification can lift most farm households out of extreme poverty and guarantee their food self-sufficiency. However, the most effective options do not fit the usual definition of sustainable intensification, increasing production per unit land while protecting the natural environment. Cropland expansion combined with the good yields seen in on-station experiments can nearly eliminate extreme poverty, while the biggest impact may come from taking advantage of peak seasonal prices for crops like groundnut. Other profitable alternatives can include meat production with small ruminants or sales of milk from cows. However, off-farm employment opportunities like gold mining outperform currently attainable agricultural options in terms of profitability. Options for rural households should fit within the households’ socio-ecological niches and respond to their priorities in order to be successful. Given the relatively low impact of (sustainable) intensification technologies alone, a rethinking of the role of agricultural research in development is needed in order to align interventions with farmer priorities and meet development goals. 2019-04 2018-12-20T13:32:18Z 2018-12-20T13:32:18Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/98856 en Limited Access Cambridge University Press Ollenburger, M., Crane, T., Descheemaeker, K. and Giller, K.E. 2018. Are farmers searching for an African green revolution? Exploring the solution space for agricultural intensification in southern Mali. Experimental Agriculture |
| spellingShingle | agriculture farming systems intensification Ollenburger, M. Crane, Todd A. Descheemaeker, Katrien K. Giller, Kenneth E. Are farmers searching for an African green revolution? Exploring the solution space for agricultural intensification in southern Mali |
| title | Are farmers searching for an African green revolution? Exploring the solution space for agricultural intensification in southern Mali |
| title_full | Are farmers searching for an African green revolution? Exploring the solution space for agricultural intensification in southern Mali |
| title_fullStr | Are farmers searching for an African green revolution? Exploring the solution space for agricultural intensification in southern Mali |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are farmers searching for an African green revolution? Exploring the solution space for agricultural intensification in southern Mali |
| title_short | Are farmers searching for an African green revolution? Exploring the solution space for agricultural intensification in southern Mali |
| title_sort | are farmers searching for an african green revolution exploring the solution space for agricultural intensification in southern mali |
| topic | agriculture farming systems intensification |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/98856 |
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