2018 - Franco Angeli
Article
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Sustainable food systems for Africa
301-320 p.
- From 48 years of farming systems research and extension practice, the author distils two conceptual models of the progression of small scale farmers in sustainable agriculture and of the characteristics of production, equity, natural resource management and sustainability, and their implications are discussed. The models inform a comparative analysis of a conventional and an organic development programme. They are linked to long term comparative organic farming systems research trials, which have been running for four years in South Africa's Southern Cape. These trials compare organic and conventional farming systems, crop rotation and mono-cropping, biological and chemical pest and disease control and water use efficiency in cabbage, sweet potato and cowpea crops. In Africa the high cost and limited availability of agricultural inputs make agro-ecological approaches attractive, as they are practically possible (with low levels of external inputs) and improve carbon sequestration,
- dietary diversity and food quality. The challenges for viable organic farming systems are thus seen to include: improving soil fertility (especially available soil phosphate), controlling pests and diseases and convincing consumers of the quality of organic products. Benefits include: reduced dependency on externally-purchased agricultural inputs, lower soil acidity, higher soil water retention, sequestration of soil carbon, improved soil microbiology, better agrobiodiversity and elimination of poisons from the food chain. Support for small scale farmers will require technical and training support, market linkages and quality management. [Publisher's text].
Is part of
Economia agro-alimentare : XX, 3, 2018-
Information
ISSN: 1972-4802
KEYWORDS
- Organic Food System, African organic farming system, sustainable development under climate change
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In this issue
- Editorial
- Guest Editorial Future food availability is not only an agricultural topic, but also a society issue
- Sustainable food systems for Africa
- Ignorance is bliss, but toxic to agriculture
- Organic research and government support improve organic policy and progress in Danish, Swiss, American and African case studies
- Diversity of food systems for securing future food availability
- Quantifying Melbourne's Foodprint : a scenario modelling methodology to determine the environmental impact of feeding a city
- The potential of urban agriculture towards a more sustainable urban food system in food-insecure neighbourhoods in Cape Town and Maputo
- The motivation behind drinking craft beer in Italian brew pubs : a case study
- Have beer markets in European Union countries converged?
- La montagna e le zone svantaggiate nei Programmi di Sviluppo Rurale : una valutazione delle indennità compensative attraverso la rica
- A multi-stakeholder attempt to address food waste : The case of Wellfood Action EU project
- Referee 2018