| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Eriksson, Dennis, et al.
(författare)
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Measuring the impact of plant breeding on sub-Saharan African staple crops
- 2018
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Ingår i: Outlook On Agriculture. - : SAGE Publications. - 0030-7270 .- 2043-6866. ; 47, s. 163-180
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are facing huge challenges regarding food insecurity, low agricultural output, and agriculturally incurred environmental degradation. A sustainable and increased crop productivity and diversity is essential to achieve food security in a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable way. Plant breeding is an important factor contributing to the increased crop productivity and diversity, giving farmers access to genetically improved cultivars that yield more, have better resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and meet consumer expectations. To motivate and encourage further investments, it is important to measure the actual impact of breeding. This review considers available research on the impact of breeding through yield gain and of food security, focusing on 10 important staple crops in SSA. The overall impression is that breeding produces a very high return on investment. Such investments remain centerpieces for meeting the challenges in this region. The discussion focuses on the most important future breeding priorities for each crop, the actors involved, and the importance of mechanisms for dissemination and farmer adoption, and concludes with some policy recommendations.
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| 3. |
- Hristov, Jordan, et al.
(författare)
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Economics of fragmented land for vegetable growers in Skopje and the Southeastern region of the Republic of Macedonia
- 2012
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Ingår i: Outlook On Agriculture. - : SAGE Publications. - 0030-7270 .- 2043-6866. ; 41, s. 109-115
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper examines the influence of land fragmentation on the value of vegetables produced in the Skopje and Southeastern regions of the Republic of Macedonia. The analysis uses models such as a Cobb-Douglas production function as well as a General Linear Model. The findings support a negative and statistically significant impact of land fragmentation on the productivity and profitability of vegetable production in the study area. A reduction from 0.43 to 0.2 of the Simpson index, on average, increases vegetable production by approximately 7.06%. However, the results reveal that land is of somewhat less importance due to the opportunity to use greenhouse technology. The results based on the linear model reveal that the introduction of greenhouse technology increases the value of production by around 32%. Nevertheless, appropriate policies ought to promote successful land consolidation further.
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| 4. |
- Kirchmann, Holger
(författare)
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Revisiting the original reasons for excluding inorganic fertilizers in organic farming-Why the ban is not consistent with our current scientific understanding
- 2021
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Ingår i: Outlook On Agriculture. - : SAGE Publications. - 0030-7270 .- 2043-6866. ; 50, s. 107-115
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper reviews the original reasons of the organic farming movement for excluding mineral (inorganic) fertilizers. In this paper, their theories and decision criteria for excluding use of inorganic fertilizers in crop production were revisited. Original reasons for banning inorganic fertilizers were subjected to scientific scrutiny, which was not possible when they were formulated 50-100 years ago due to limited knowledge of the soil-crop system. The original reasons were as follows: Rudolf Steiner, the founder of biodynamic farming, played down the physical role of plant nutrients and pointed out "flow of forces" as being most important for soils and crops. Eve Balfour and Albert Howard, founders of the Soil Association in England, claimed that inorganic fertilizer increases the breakdown of humus in soil, leading to a decline in soil fertility. Hans-Peter Rusch, the founder of biological organic farming, considered inorganic fertilizers to be imbalanced products not matching crop composition and not in synchrony with crop demand. When testing these historical statements as scientific hypotheses, older and modern scientific literature was used for validation. Steiner's belief about the "flow of forces" has not be verified using current methodologies. The claim by Balfour and Howard that inorganic fertilizers accelerate soil organic matter decomposition is not substantiated by data from long-term field experiments on carbon and nitrogen cycling in soil-plant systems. The statement by Rusch that inorganic fertilizers supply crops inappropriately is difficult to uphold, as the composition, time, and rate of application and the placement of fertilizer in soil or on foliage can be fully adapted to crop requirements. In light of accumulated scientific evidence, the original arguments lack validity. The decision to ban inorganic fertilizers in organic farming is inconsistent with our current scientific understanding. Scientific stringency requires principles found to be erroneous to be abandoned.
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| 5. |
- Kirchmann, Holger
(författare)
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Why organic farming is not the way forward
- 2019
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Ingår i: Outlook On Agriculture. - : SAGE Publications. - 0030-7270 .- 2043-6866. ; 48, s. 22-27
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this article is to provide information about crop production data based on large-scale organic farming and to point toward major consequences. National statistics show lower organic yields than compiled in meta-analyses from farm- and plot-scale. Yields of organically cropped legumes were 20% and nonlegumes 40% lower than those of conventionally grown crops. Area estimates showed that almost two of three crops were legumes or legume mixtures in organic farming, whereas one of three crops was a legume in conventional cropping. Doubling land use for legumes in organic farming affected the type of food produced, being dominated by milk products and red meat. Over all crops, the organic yield gap was 35%. Since yields are lower under organic than conventional practices, more land is required to produce the same amount of agricultural crops. A 35% yield gap means that 50% more arable land is required. A demand for 50% more farmland imposes huge land use changes and makes one realize the wide-ranging environmental consequences that follow when converting to organic farming. In a relevant comparison between organic and conventional cropping systems, environmental consequences caused by land use change such as lost products (timber, fiber, energy, etc.) and lost ecosystem services (sequestered carbon in soil, wildlife, biodiversity, etc.) must be included. The concept of organic farming was founded on philosophical views about nature, not biological science. Natural means and methods were assumed to be superior. Verification of the reasoning and statements of the founders on why to abandon mineral fertilizers cannot be corroborated by science and is incorrect. Scientific evidence for the concept to abandon synthetic mineral fertilizers as nutrients for crops is lacking. The scientific community is obliged to follow rigorous scientific criteria-not biased views, prejudices, or beliefs.
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| 6. |
- Kumm, Karl-Ivar
(författare)
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Achieving profitable, productive climate-neutral Swedish agriculture
- 2014
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Ingår i: Outlook On Agriculture. - : SAGE Publications. - 0030-7270 .- 2043-6866. ; 43, s. 247-252
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A futuristic study by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency in the 1990s on how to make Swedish agriculture environmentally and economically sustainable by 2021 has been updated. The updating was based on assumptions of far-reaching improvements in biological productivity and the replacement of all existing EU support with environmental payments based on landscape values and the climate utility of carbon sequestration. The results suggest that economically sustainable food production satisfying domestic demand can be achieved through large-scale labour- and capital-saving rationalization and compensation for additional costs arising from special Swedish animal welfare regulations. Such rationalization is also necessary for the economically sustainable preservation of landscape values, including grazed semi-natural pastures and remaining arable land in forest-dominated districts. Carbon sequestration by broad-leaved trees planted on pastures and on arable land not needed for food production could compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions from food production.
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| 7. |
- Nilsson, Jerker
(författare)
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Governance costs and the problems of large traditional co-operatives
- 2018
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Ingår i: Outlook On Agriculture. - : SAGE Publications. - 0030-7270 .- 2043-6866. ; 47, s. 87-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During recent decades, there have been many failures among large and complex agricultural co-operatives with a traditional organizational structure, that is, with mainly collective governance and collective ownership. Many co-operatives have been converted into the so-called hybrid co-operatives, owned together with external financiers. This article applies governance cost theory to explain this development. The results show that members are not able to govern a collectively owned firm that is large and complex; members are thus reluctant to invest in co-operatives; and members do not perceive that co-operatives benefit them economically. Thus, strong leaders take control and non-member investors gain ownership and influence.
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| 8. |
- Nilsson, Jerker, et al.
(författare)
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Reviewing changing institutional conditions for private farming in Russia
- 2016
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Ingår i: Outlook On Agriculture. - : SAGE Publications. - 0030-7270 .- 2043-6866. ; 45, s. 111-116
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The dominant organizations of agricultural production (kolkhozes and sovkhozes) have become obsolete with independence and the abolition of the Soviet era's planned economy. These organizations had to be restructured and family farms, or more generally private farms, were intended to form the new backbone of farm production. However, development since then has been difficult. Based on a literature review, this study reviews and assesses this development in terms of the changing institutional conditions. The Russian government's policies, by interchangeably supporting large-scale farming organizations or private farming, have created uncertainties for private farmers. Russian farmers were once strongly influenced by the mentality from Soviet times, but there are indications now that they are gaining strength, possibly as a consequence of a more benevolent political order, more entrepreneurial attitudes and developing organizational arrangements.
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| 9. |
- Owusu Sekyere, Enoch
(författare)
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Improving the income status of smallholder vegetable farmers through a homestead food garden intervention
- 2019
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Ingår i: Outlook On Agriculture. - : SAGE Publications. - 0030-7270 .- 2043-6866. ; 48, s. 246-254
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article, we assess how a homestead food garden intervention influences the income of participating vegetable farmers in South Africa. The findings show that there is a significant improvement in the income of these farmers. Specifically, the participating vegetable farmers observed an increment in their gross margins of between 39.28% and 44.49%. Our findings further indicate that households with larger farm plots have higher gross margins in a production season. The underlying impact of the participating households with farmland larger than one acre is a surge in growth margin of 35.33-44.61% relative to those owning less than1 acre. Given the benefits of the intervention, stakeholders and policymakers should expand the programme and design strategies that will foster participation. Policies to consider include the availability of farm plots and the readiness of the household to participate in vegetable production. Other Southern African Development Communities as an important food policy intervention, which can improve household income, can adopt the programme.
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| 10. |
- Salevid, Pernilla, et al.
(författare)
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Searching for economically sustainable Swedish beef production systems based on suckler cows after decoupling EU income support
- 2011
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Ingår i: Outlook On Agriculture. - : SAGE Publications. - 0030-7270 .- 2043-6866. ; 40, s. 131-138
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- After decoupling EU income support, normal Swedish systems for suckler cow-based beef production are unable to pay the costs of new investments and market wages for labour. New production systems, able to achieve full cost coverage, were identified by an expert panel. The two most profitable suggestions can be characterized as 'organic with high environmental grants and premium price for beef' and 'conventional with outdoor wintering of cows'. Both systems presuppose the availability of large areas of semi-natural pasture per cow and larger herd sizes than are now common in Sweden. Breeding progress and other biological improvements could only marginally improve the profitability.
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