AGRICULTURE (incl. Food systems)
Open Access / Free* e-Books
(See also: Land; Environment)
*NOTE: Some titles in these lists are not formally Open Access, but all are free (no fee for e-access)
Embedded Files
African Perspectives on Agroecology
: Why farmer-led seed and knowledge systems matter
Publisher: Practical Action Publishing
Year of publication: 2024
Seed embodies life, power, and culture. From Africa’s deserts and drylands to its mighty river systems and tropical forests, from those growing a multiplicity of grains, legumes, and vegetables, to others struggling to produce enough to feed their families, seed provides the mainstay for the continent’s 500 million small-scale farmers and is at the heart of rich and varied cultures.
But seed is under siege. With the world’s food and agricultural systems increasingly industrialized, homogenized, and privatized, seed epitomizes the struggles involved is symbolic of the deep injustices that have emerged.
These include everything from the policies that benefit commercial farmers and seed and agro-chemical companies – at severe cost to the environment, climate, and small-scale farmers – to the new wave of philanthropy, promoting Green Revolution approaches of genetic modification and quick-fix nutritionism as a remedy for the poor, despite their failure elsewhere in the world.
Africa’s seemingly ‘unproductive’ lands are now viewed as the last frontier for agribusiness. Yet there is little documented about the resilience of local seed systems, and the innovative approaches adopted by small-scale farmers to retain agrobiodiversity, and to pursue agroecological approaches to farming that not only produce sufficient food but also eliminate harmful inputs.
Western, scientific, and traditional knowledges are beginning to mingle in transformative ways, and inspiring pioneers in the formal structures of government and research institutions are demonstrating that another way is possible. Social movements, long silent in Africa, are emerging as a powerful force for change, alongside the NGOs who provide support to farmers at different levels.
Uniquely, this book offers a contribution that is enriched by the collaborative, creative, and critical voices of African farmers, activists, scientists, scholars, and policymakers. Their viewpoints combine in this volume to articulate a shared and dynamic vision of a world where agriculture is productive, diverse, and sustainable; where different ways of seeing and knowing are respected; and where seed and food systems are in the hands of farmers and local communities.
Table of Contents:
Foreword - Michael Fakhri
Preface
Introduction
Part 1: Seed, resilience, and diversity
1. Reviving seed and knowledge towards more resilient communities: the power of transformative learning - Elfrieda Pschorn-Strauss
2. In the wake of Cyclone Idai: a holistic look at its impacts and an exploration of the resilience-enhancing potential of landscape agroecology - Witness Kozanayi and Jaci van Niekerk
3. Enacting indigenous and green revolutions in maize in West Kenya - Paul Hebinck and Richard Dimba Kiaka
4. Seed matters: understanding smallholder seed sourcing in Malawi - Noelle LaDue, Sidney Madsen, Rachel Bezner Kerr, Esther Lupafya, Laifolo Dakishoni, and Lizzie Shumba
5. Seed sovereignty, knowledge politics, and climate change in northern Ghana - Hanson Nyantakyi-Frimpong and Audrey Carlson
6. Seedscapes of contamination: exploring the impacts of transgene flow for South African smallholder farmers - Rachel Wynberg and Angelika Hilbeck
Part 2: Privatising profit, socialising cost
7. Corporate expansion in African seed systems: implications for agricultural biodiversity and food sovereignty - Stephen Greenberg
8. Corporate capture of agricultural and food policy in South Africa - David Fig
9. The slow and structural violence of agrochemicals: use, management, and regulation in South Africa - Morgan Lee
Part 3: Ways of seeing and knowing
10. ‘Wild wayward free gifts’: A gendered view on agroecology and agricultural transitions - Vanessa Farr
11. Unsettling modernist scientific ontologies in the regulation of genetically modified crops in South Africa - Jen Whittingham, Maya Marshak, Haidee Swanby
Part 4: Transitioning towards agroecology: working together and moving forward the struggle
12. Cuba’s participatory seed system: insights for South Africa - Mvuselelo Ngcoya
13. We are what we eat: nurture nature - Kristof J. Nordin
14. A movement for life: African food sovereignty - Haidee Swanby
Conclusion: towards seed and knowledge justice for agroecology
Reviews:
'Wynberg's comprehensively curated volume offers a rich and stimulating selection of perspectives on the challenges to be overcome and the opportunities to be embraced if Africans are to feed themselves justly and sustainably. These essays are especially valuable for the insights they provide on how sovereignty over the use and control of seeds will shape the struggle over a hoped-for transition to an agroecological agriculture for Africa.' -- Jack Kloppenburg, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA; and author of First the Seed: The Political Economy of Plant Biotechnology
'Despite minimal state and donor support, the ‘silent revolution’ of agroecological practices is taking root across Africa. Farmers, NGOs, and research teams are innovating and organizing to fight climate change, inequality, and hunger. This fine collection includes contributions from the frontlines, assembling an array of reflections on the possibilities and constraints facing the wider adoption of agroecology. This terrific anthology is a rejoinder to Afropessimism, and an inspiring call to action.' -- Raj Patel, Research Professor, University of Texas, USA; and author of Stuffed and Starved
'Rachel Wynberg’s very useful, and well written, book is packed with relevant overviews, analyses, vignettes of lived experiences and more. It’s an upbeat tour de force, providing thoughtful historical perspectives and current realities about overcoming barriers and building on local knowledge and the growing seed and food sovereignty movements in the continent. She weaves all these together in her brilliant opening and closing chapters. These demonstrate the imperative of having smallholder farmer seed systems at the heart of viable agroecological, food systems that are biodiverse, nutritious and environmentally sustainable, and need to be scaled-out across all of Africa. This well referenced book is a joy to read.' -- Patrick Mulvany, Food Ethics Council, UK
'African Perspectives on Agroecology brings together a vast range of experience from diverse communities and countries in Africa. The contributing authors illustrate the complexities and unique contexts in which agroecological transitions based on local seed biodiversity and indigenous knowledge are occurring. These are stories of hope and resistance for freedom and the renewal of life. As such, this is an inspiring book – a ‘must read’ for all who care about the future of Africa and its people.' -- Michel Pimbert, Professor at the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University, UK
'African Perspectives on Agroecology narrates the story on how a coalition of farmers, NGOs and academics engage in a process of restoration of traditional seed and knowledge as the pillars for re-creating a biodiverse, resilient and socially just agriculture capable of fulfilling food, water and seed sovereignty and adaptation to climate change in a planet in polycrisis.'-- Miguel A Altieri, Professor Emeritus of Agroecology, University of California, Berkeley
'An agroecological transformation of our food systems is urgently needed. This timely book takes the reader through the steps that are already being taken to achieve this, highlighting the importance of farmer-led seed and knowledge systems that are often overlooked. This book is an essential companion for anyone working to transform food system in Africa.' -- Emile Frison, Senior Advisor, Agroecology Coalition and Former Director General of Bioversity International
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The Agri Handbook for South Africa
(editor: Craig Macaskill)
Publisher: SimplyPhi Information Artisans
Year of publication: 2024 [a biennial publication]
© 2024 SimplyPhi Information Artisans (Pty)
This is the official website of The Agri Handbook, biennial publication [once every 2 years], South Africa’s primary reference book for the agri-food industry which provides points of reference for all sub-sectors which make up the agricultural value chain. Whether you are a new farmer looking at your options or an old hand wanting to diversify your operations but wondering where to start, you will find value here.
"Agribook Digital is South Africa’s largest farming and agriculture online handbook. [The] 500+ page farming and agriculture resource covers a vast range of topics and is considered an indispensable reference guide for farmers and agri professionals."
Table of contents summary (main chapter headings):
Introduction
Services and Technologies
Education, Training and Careers
Marketing & Finance
Adding Value
Natural Resource Management
Farm Infrastructure
Mechanisation
Farming Inputs
Agronomy
Forestry and Industrial Crops
Horticulture
Livestock
National Issues
© 2024 SimplyPhi Information Artisans (Pty)
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Agricultural Development
: New perspectives in a changing world
Publisher: IFPRI
Year of publication: 2021
This book is the first comprehensive exploration of key emerging issues facing developing-country agriculture today, from rapid urbanization to rural transformation to climate change. In this four-part volume, top experts offer the latest research in the field of agricultural development. Using new lenses to examine today’s biggest challenges, contributors address topics such as nutrition and health, gender and household decision-making, agrifood value chains, natural resource management, and political economy. The book also covers most developing regions, providing a critical global perspective at a time when many pressing challenges extend beyond national borders. Tying all this together, Agricultural Development explores policy options and strategies for developing sustainable agriculture and reducing food insecurity and malnutrition.
The changing global landscape combined with new and better data, technologies, and understanding means that agriculture can and must contribute to a wider range of development outcomes than ever before, including reducing poverty, ensuring adequate nutrition, creating strong food value chains, improving environmental sustainability, and promoting gender equity and equality.
Agricultural Development: New Perspectives in a Changing World, with its unprecedented breadth and scope, will be an indispensable resource for the next generation of policymakers, researchers, and students dedicated to improving agriculture for global wellbeing.
Table of contents:
Part I: A Global Overview of Agriculture
Ch. 1 Agricultural Development in a Changing World
Ch. 2 Global Issues in Agricultural Development
Part II: Regional Issues in Agricultural Development
Ch. 3 Changing Farm Size and Agricultural Development in East Asia
Ch. 4 Agricultural Development and Modernization in South Asia
Ch. 5 Africa’s Unfolding Agricultural Transformation
Ch. 6 Duality, Urbanization, and Modernization of Agrifood Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean
Ch. 7 Agricultural Development and Food Security in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Ch. 8 Regional Experiences: What Have We Learned?
Part III: Context for Agricultural Development
Ch. 9 Agricultural Growth, Urbanization, and Poverty Reduction
Ch. 10 Agriculture and Undernutrition
Ch. 11 Transformation of the Rural Economy
Ch. 12 Food Value Chain Transformation in Developing Regions
Ch. 13 Agricultural Development and International Trade
Ch. 14 The Political Economy of Agricultural and Food Policies
Ch. 15 Gender, Household Behavior, and Rural Development
Ch. 16 Credit for Agricultural Development
Ch. 17 Agricultural Insurance for Development: Past, Present, and Future
Ch. 18 Natural Resource Management and Resource Rights for Agriculture
Part IV: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities in Agricultural Development
Ch. 19 Climate Change and Agricultural Development
Ch. 20 The Role of Water in Supporting Food Security: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go
Ch. 21 Future of Agricultural Research
Ch. 22 Reshaping Agrifood Systems to Achieve Multiple Development Goals
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Agriculture for Economic Development in Africa
: Evidence from Ethiopia
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
Year of publication: 2022
This book explores the role of agriculture in long-term economic growth. With a particular focus on Ethiopia, the role of the state in igniting agricultural growth and in sustaining economic growth is highlighted as essential for low-income countries. Taking ideas from both economic history and development economics, the ability of Ethiopia and the rest of Africa to sustain recent rapid growth into something that can tackle the development agenda is discussed, alongside policy suggestions.
This book overall presents an optimistic account of Africa and its economic prospects. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in economic development and agricultural economics.
This is an open access book.
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Agroecology
: Science and Politics
Publisher: Practical Action Publishing
Year of publication: 2017
Our global food system is largely based on unsustainable industrial agricultural practices, is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, is controlled by a handful of large corporations and produces unhealthy food. Agroecology is a solution to these increasingly urgent problems.
After decades of being dismissed by mainstream institutions and defended in obscurity by grassroots movements, some scientists and farmers, agroecology is suddenly in fashion. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, government agencies and even corporations are jumping on the bandwagon. But, are they for the same agroecology as developed by pioneering farmers, scientists and peasant social movements, or are they seeking to co-opt the concept and give it different content?
Rosset and Altieri, two of the world’s leading agroecologists, outline the principles, history and currents of agroecological thought, the scientific evidence for agroecology, how to bring agroecology to scale and the contemporary politics of agroecology.
Table of contents:
Series Editors’ Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Agroecology at a Crossroads
1 The Principles of Agroecology
2 History and Currents Agroecological Thought
3 The Evidence for Agroecology
4 Bringing Agroecology to Scale
5 The Politics of Agroecology
Reviews:
“This is a timely and excellent book by two world leaders of agroecological thought and practice. In this highly readable book, Peter Rosset and Miguel Altieri offer a clear analysis of the principles of agroecology and its potential to address major social, economic and environmental challenges of food and farming in the 21st century. Most notably, the book demonstrates the importance of social organization, peasant agroecology schools and social movements for bringing agroecology to scale. By focusing on the contested nature of the science of agroecology and its contemporary politics, the authors invite the reader to embrace an agroecology that transforms — rather than conforms with — the dominant agri-food regime. A stimulating read!” -- Michel Pimbert, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University
“This will be an important book that does an excellent job at summarizing what agroecology is as a science, a practice and a movement, as well as the debates that are currently going on regarding agroecology.” -- Ivette Perfecto, George W. Pack Professor of Natural Resources, University of Michigan
“This small book has a very important message for the agroecology movement as well as for each of us as agroecologists. The scientific basis of agroecology and how agroecology confronts the industrial agriculture model is now broadly accepted, but how this approach can overcome the political and economic power of this model is much more controversial. This book clearly and forcefully states that agroecology must also address the politics of the food system, who has power and control, and how what might be called political agroecology must be included so that deep change can occur. We must heed this call to action!” -- Steve Gliessman, Professor Emeritus of Agroecology, UC Santa Cruz, author of Agroecology: The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems
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Agroecology Now!
: Transformations Towards More Just and Sustainable Food Systems
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
Year of publication: 2021
This open access book develops a framework for advancing agroecology transformations focusing on power, politics and governance. It explores the potential of agroecology as a sustainable and socially just alternative to today’s dominant food regime. Agroecology is an ecological approach to farming that addresses climate change and biodiversity loss while contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals. Agroecology transformations represent a challenge to the power of corporations in controlling food system and a rejection of the industrial food systems that are at the root of many social and ecological ills.
In this book the authors analyse the conditions that enable and disable agroecology’s potential and present six ‘domains of transformation’ where it comes into conflict with the dominant food system:
Domain A: Rights and Access to Nature—Land, Water, Seeds and Biodiversity;
Domain B: Knowledge and Culture;
Domain C: Systems of Economic Exchange;
Domain D: Networks;
Domain E: Equity;
Domain F: Discourse
The authors argue that food sovereignty, community-self organization and a shift to bottom-up governance are critical for the transformation to a socially just and ecologically viable food system.
This book will be a valuable resource to researchers, students, policy makers and professionals across multidisciplinary areas including in the fields of food politics, international development, sustainability and resilience.
Reviews:
“At a time of converging crises— social, environmental, economic, health— agroecology is capturing global attention as a real alternative to the industrial food system and a way to mitigate climate change, biodiversity loss, the loss of farming knowledge, farmer insolvency, and more. This timely book presents how agroecology, as a transformative vision and practice, combats the exploitative capitalist food system of oppression and marginalization, not only of the world’s farmers but of the primacy of human well-being and ecological health. This book is an indispensable guide to transformative agroecology in its multiple domains, illustrated through multiple case studies and analysis of the roles of governance and power.” -- Molly D. Anderson, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Food Studies at Middlebury College, USA.
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Building a Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
Year of publication: 2018
What are the challenges and action points for agricultural sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa? This open access collection of papers offers technical analyses, policy recommendations and an overview of success stories to date. Each carefully selected paper provides valuable insights for improved policy making and defines relevant strategic priorities on Africa’s sustainable transformation process, which is in line with the international development agenda. Although agriculture remains the main source of income for Africa’s population, the sector is rain-fed subjecting it to the vagaries of weather and climate change. This volume demonstrates the rationale of developing a competitive, inclusive and sustainable agribusiness sector for Africa’s food security and structural transformation.
From the impact of Bioenergy crop adoption and Drought Index Insurance to Agro-Industrialization, this volume is important reading for individual researchers, academic associations and professional bodies interested in African agricultural development.
Table of contents:
Introduction: Understanding the Challenges of the Agricultural Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa
Improving Agricultural Productivity
Improved Seeds and Agricultural Productivity of Family Farms in Cameroon
Breaking the Traditional Trap: Assessing Drivers of Modern Technology Adoption by Smallholder Farmers in Hurungwe District, Zimbabwe
Input Utilization and Agricultural Labor Productivity: A Gender Analysis
Evaluation of Women’s On-Farm Trial of Drought Tolerant Maize in Southern Guinea Savannah Agro-Ecological Zone of Nigeria
Impact of Bioenergy Crop Adoption on Total Crop Incomes of Farmers in Northern Ghana: The Case of Jatropha Curcas
Addressing Climate Change Challenges
Profitability in a Sustainable Agricultural Production System: An Approach by the Soil and Water Conservation
Land Tenure and Communities’ Vulnerability to Climate Shocks: Insights from the Niger Basin of Benin
The Impact of Agricultural Insurance on the Demand for Supplemental Irrigation: A Randomized Controlled Trial Experimental Evidence in Northern Ghana
Promoting Agro-Industrialization
Does the Development of the Agricultural Sector Affect the Manufacturing Sector?
Transforming African Agriculture Through Special Economic Zones: Opportunities and Challenges
Global Value Chains and Upgrading in Economic Community of West African States Countries
Conclusions: Enhancing the Resilience and Sustainability of the Agriculture Sector in sub-Saharan Africa
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Climate Smart Agriculture
: Building Resilience to Climate Change
Publisher: FAO
Year of publication: 2018
The book uses an economic lens to identify the main features of climate-smart agriculture (CSA), its likely impact, and the challenges associated with its implementation. Drawing upon theory and concepts from agricultural development, institutional, and resource economics, this book expands and formalizes the conceptual foundations of CSA. Focusing on the adaptation/resilience dimension of CSA, the text embraces a mixture of conceptual analyses, including theory, empirical and policy analysis, and case studies, to look at adaptation and resilience through three possible avenues: ex-ante reduction of vulnerability, increasing adaptive capacity, and ex-post risk coping.
The book is divided into three sections. The first section provides conceptual framing, giving an overview of the CSA concept and grounding it in core economic principles. The second section is devoted to a set of case studies illustrating the economic basis of CSA in terms of reducing vulnerability, increasing adaptive capacity and ex-post risk coping. The final section addresses policy issues related to climate change. Providing information on this new and important field in an approachable way, this book helps make sense of CSA and fills intellectual and policy gaps by defining the concept and placing it within an economic decision-making framework.
This book will be of interest to agricultural, environmental, and natural resource economists, development economists, and scholars of development studies, climate change, and agriculture. It will also appeal to policy-makers, development practitioners, and members of governmental and non-governmental organizations interested in agriculture, food security and climate change.
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Fertile Ground
: Scaling Agroecology from the ground up
Publisher: Practical Action Publishing
Year of publication: 2023
There are about 2.5 billion people in the world, on 500 million farms, involved with smallholder family agriculture and food production. Their creative capacity to farm productively and sustainably with nature, instead of against it, is perhaps the most powerful force that can be unleashed to overcome the interlinking challenges of hunger, poverty, climate change, and environmental degradation. This is the essence of agroecology.
Numerous books and reports detail the negative consequences of our industrialized agricultural system. Many also document the nature, viability, and benefits of agroecology. Yet scaling agroecology and changing our agricultural and food systems remains a great challenge. How do we accomplish that? Fertile Ground seeks to answer that question by drawing on grounded practice and research.
At the heart of this book are nine case studies from different contexts: Brazil, Honduras, Haiti, Ecuador, the United States, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and the Netherlands. They describe practical, ground up, and often challenging processes to combine the elements of practice, science, and movement to scale agroecology. From these cases, lessons, strategies, and recommendations are shaped to share with others. This book brings forward examples of organizations of family farmers acting as agents of change, engaging in continuous agricultural innovation, rather than as passive recipients and consumers of inputs. They contribute to the creation of healthier farming and food systems, as well as to more democratic, just, and sustainable societies.
Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION: Pathways from the crisis to solutions / Steve Brescia
1. Peasant innovation and agroecology in Brazil’s semi-arid region / Paulo F. Petersen
2. Honduras: Building a national agroecology movement against the odds / Edwin Escoto and Steve Brescia
3. A foundation for Haiti’s future: Peasant associations and agroecology / Cantave Jean-Baptiste and Steve Brescia
4. Local markets, native seeds, and alliances for better food systems through agroecology in Ecuador / Pedro J. Oyarzún and Ross M. Borja
5. Agroecology and food system change: A case study of strawberries in California, [the USA] / Steve Gliessman
6. West Africa context: Challenges facing family farmers in the Sahel / Peter Gubbels and Steve Brescia
7. Regenerating trees, landscapes and livelihoods in Mali: A case of farmer-managed transformation / Pierre Dembélé, Drissa Gana, Peter Gubbels, and Steve Brescia
8. From oases to landscapes of success: Accelerating agroecological innovation in Burkina Faso / Fatoumata Batta and Tsuamba Bourgou
9. From community to national agroecology movements in Ghana / Bernard Guri and Daniel Banuoko
10. Closed-loop farming and cooperative innovation in Netherlands’ Northern Frisian Woodlands / Leonardo van den Berg, Henk Kieft, and Attje Meekma
CONCLUSION: Supporting a groundswell of agroecological innovation / Steve Brescia
Reviews:
'Agroecology has been viewed as a niche intervention for small landholders for decades. It has been debated that mainstreaming agroecology is paradoxical due to the contradiction between upscaling niche innovations to produce more food in sustainable ways and the concerns for a loss of core values and principles of agroecology in the mainstreaming process. This paradoxical nature has been unbundled ever since, as examples from across the world have started emerging that it is scalable across contiguous landscapes – bringing in the community of practitioners (esp. women, small and marginal farmers, youth, and indigenous communities) in the centrality of a critical knowledge-intensive systems. This book takes you through the various facets of agroecology across the globe and brings home a key point that the universal yet contextual nature of agroecology is scalable across all spectrums.' -- Swati Renduchintala, Associate Scientist, CIFOR-ICRAF, Program Manager - Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural farming programme
'Fertile Ground provides us with a global testimony of key agroecological experiences from the Americas, Africa and Europe. As interest in agroecology grows, there is a need to critically assess the evidence of its potential to fully integrate science, practice and social movements to build more sustainable food systems. This volume represents a pivotal contribution to achieving this goal.' -- V. Ernesto Méndez, Ph.D., Professor of Agroecology & Environmental Studies, University of Vermont
'If the food system is made sustainable, it’ll be because of examples like those in this book. Mark Twain has some words for Big Ag: ‘Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.’ This book is filled with good examples that demonstrate the profound potential for agroecology to address everything from climate change to domestic violence. These stories aren’t just inspiration – they’re ammunition for a debate about the future of food and farming.' -- Raj Patel, activist; academic; author of Stuffed and Starved (2007)
'Pedro Sanchez and Dennis Garrity, two of the world’s most prominent scientists and both of them ex-CEOs of ICRAF, recently agreed in an article in the Scientific American that the judicious use of plants that fertilize the soil (what are often called “green manure/cover crops”) are capable of not only maintaining, but of increasing, soil fertility over the long haul. They went on to say that this fact provided tremendous hope for smallholder African farmers. This is an amazing about-face for the scientific establishment, and a major admission that agroecology can accomplish a lot more than most people had ever thought possible. I believe that agroecology will be the direction of agricultural production in the developing world. This book is one of the best books around to show us, in very practical ways, how to successfully move in that direction.' -- Roland Bunch, sustainable agriculture consultant; author of Two Ears of Corn: A Guide to People-Centered Agricultural Improvement (1982)
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Knowledge Sovereignty among African Cattle Herders
(author: Zeremariam Fre)
Publisher: UCL Press
Year of publication: 2018
Beni-Amer cattle owners in the western part of the Horn of Africa are not only masters in cattle breeding, they are also knowledge sovereign, in terms of owning productive genes of cattle and the cognitive knowledge base crucial to sustainable development. The strong bonds between the Beni-Amer, their animals, and their environment constitute the basis of their ways of knowing, and much of their knowledge system is built on experience and embedded in their cultural practices.
In this book, the first to study Beni-Amer practices, Zeremariam Fre argues for the importance of their knowledge, challenging the preconceptions that regard it as untrustworthy when compared to scientific knowledge from more developed regions. Empirical evidence suggests that there is much one could learn from the other, since elements of pastoralist technology, such as those related to animal production and husbandry, make a direct contribution to our knowledge of livestock production. It is this potential for hybridization, as well as the resilience of the herders, at the core of the indigenous knowledge system.
Fre also argues that indigenous knowledge can be viewed as a stand-alone science, and that a community’s rights over ownership should be defended by government officials, development planners and policy makers, making the case for a celebration of the knowledge sovereignty of pastoralist communities
Table of contents:
Intro
Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents
List of figures
List of tables
Chapter One: Introduction
The Beni-Amer cattle herders;
Productive potential of the cattle in the study area and the scientific evidence;
Traditional area of the Bgait/Bulad cattle;
Key elements of pastoral knowledge among the Beni-Amer
Chapter Two: The case for Indigenous knowledge systems and knowledge sovereignty
The broader context;
The 'Indigenous' versus the 'scientific' position;
Advancing the cause of knowledge sovereignty Threats to Indigenous knowledge and knowledge sovereignty
Key debates:
-- Are Indigenous knowledge systems sufficient to address modern food needs?
-- Do Indigenous knowledge systems perpetuate socio-cultural systems of repression and segregation?
-- Are Indigenous knowledge methods in food production geographically and culturally suitable, while 'cookie-cutter' global scientific methods are not?
-- What are the economic and health implications of low-input versus high-input methods?
-- Hybrid knowledge systems: are they feasible?
Knowledge sovereignty: threats, adaptation and merger
Chapter Three: The Horn of Africa: the ecological setting and the position of the pastoralists
The ecological setting;
Rainfall and climate;
Water resources;
Range resources and vegetation;
Seeking a broad definition of pastoralism and agro-pastoralism in the Horn of Africa;
Defining pastoralism in Beni-Amer terms;
Pastoral specialisation versus diversification;
Social organisation, power structure and the socio-economic/cultural role of livestock among Beni-Amer cattle owners;
Competition and conflict over resources;
Chapter Four: Overview of the key elements of the pastoral knowledge systems of the Beni-Amer
The importance of crossbreeding practices;
Herd composition and managing productive herds;
Animal production and husbandry;
Ethno-veterinary knowledge and practice;
Ethno-botanic knowledge and traditional land use
Chapter Five: Animal production among the Beni-Amer
Knowledge of breeds and the origins of Bgait cattle;
Pastoral genetics: breeding with purpose;
High milking ability, size and coat colour;
Loyalty to the herder and a good fighter against intruders;
Walking ability
Comparison with western breeding systems
An example of manipulating breeding;
Breed selection among the Beni-Amer;
The process of bull selection;
Sensitivity to heat (oestrus) detection;
Calving, milk let-down and yields;
Herd composition, size and structure
Chapter Six: Cattle husbandry among the Beni-Amer
Knowing your animal, according to the Beni-Amer;
Naming animals;
Signs of property (tribal branding);
Herd management;
Salt provision;
Night grazing and grazing patterns;
Crop fodder provision;
Watering;
Labour;
Herding techniques;
Oestrus detection and mating
Reviews:
‘Well-written, easy to read and comprehend by the general reader. It is a must-read for specialists in the fields of animal science, veterinary medicine, indigenous knowledge systems and pastoralism in Africa.’ -- African Review of Economics and Finance
‘Indigenous knowledge and the sovereignty issues addressed in the book are hallmarks not only to recognize African cattle herders but to use this knowledge to mitigate climate change and appreciate the resilience of these herders. The book will be a major resource for students, researchers and policy makers in Africa and worldwide.’ -- Mitiku Haile, Professor of Soil Science at Mekelle University (Ethiopia)
‘A riveting and rare book! Zeremarian Fre guides you along the sandy [dusty] tracks and grassy pastures that the Beni-Amer and their herds have been softly tracing over time all through the Horn of Africa. …One of the virtues of the book is to illustrate vividly and in clear language how their continuous self built endogenous knowledge on agro-pastoral life is not only at the core of their survival and the survival of their herds, but more importantly a powerful weapon to face and resist multiple aggressions among which severe droughts, cattle raiders, land grabbing or the invasive effects of urbanization. Ground breaking and a huge achievement.’ -- Yves Cabannes, Emeritus Professor of Development Planning, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL
‘This fascinating book not only gives a unique insight into the knowledge and practice of pastoralists in the Horn of Africa from the author’s first-hand experience, it is also provides an incisive critique of the multiple dimensions of knowledge, paying tribute to the sovereignty of indigenous knowledge. It has a timely relevance for global sustainability that will appeal to a wider readership.’ -- Nicole Kenton, International Development Consultant, former long serving senior staff member of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
‘The author has worked with our Beni-Amer pastoral communities in Eastern Sudan and Western Eritrea for over 30 years and this book is the first of its kind in documenting our practices, knowledge systems, heritage and way of life. Dr Fre, whom we deeply love as our adopted son, examined the most important issues concerning the relationship of Beni-Amer pastoralists and their cattle in ways which truly demonstrate that we are masters of cattle breeding. We urge the author to translate the book into our own language so that our wider pastoral community could cherish, own and use the book to sustain our production system for future generations.’ -- Mustafa Faid and Mohamed Ali, Leaders of the of the Pastoral and Environmental Association Kassala State (PEAKS)
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Living with Uncertainty
: New directions in pastoral development in Africa
Publisher: Practical Action Publishing
Year of publication: 1995
The last few years have seen a major rethinking of some of the hallowed assumptions of range ecology and range management practice. This book examines the management of policy implications of this new ecological thinking for pastoral development in dryland areas. With examples drawn from all over Africa, the contributors examine the consequences of living with uncertainty for pastoral development planning, range and fodder management, drought responses, livestock marketing, resource tenure, institutional development and pastoral administration.
Table of contents:
Contributors vi
Preface ix
Acknowledgements xiii
1 New directions in pastoral development in Africa 1 / IAN SCOONES
2 Climate variability and complex ecosystem dynamics: implications for pastoral development 37 / JIM ELL
3 New directions in range management planning in Africa 47 / GREGORY PERRIER
4 Forage alternatives from range and field: pastoral forage management and improvement in the African drylands 58 / WOLFGANG BAYER and ANN WATERS-BAYER
5 Livestock marketing in pastoral Africa: policies to increase competitiveness, efficiency and flexibility 79 / JOHN S. HOLTZMAN and NICOLAS P. KULIBABA
6 Tracking through drought: options for destocking and restocking 95 / CAMILLA TOULMIN
7 New directions in rangeland and resource tenure and policy 116 / CHARLES LANE and RICHARD MOOREHEAD
8 Pastoral organizations for uncertain environments 134 / DJEIDI SYLLA
9 Dynamic ecological systems and the administration of pastoral development 153 / JEREMY SWIFT
10 Improving the efficiency of opportunism: new directions for pastoral development 174 / STEPHEN SANDFORD
References 183
Index 207
About the Editor:
Ian Scoones is co-director of the ESRC STEPS Centre at Sussex and joint convenor of the IDS-hosted Future Agricultures Consortium. He is an agricultural ecologist whose interdisciplinary research links the natural and social sciences.
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Organic Food Systems
: Meeting the Needs of Southern Africa
Publisher: CABI
Year of publication: 2020
This book reports on long-term comparative organic farming systems' research trials carried out over the last 5 years in the Southern Cape of South Africa, as well as research into the successes and failures of the organic sector and the technical tools required for sustainable development in South Africa, Zambia, Uganda and Tanzania. It includes 24 chapters organized into 4 parts.
Part 1 (Chapters 1-6) discusses the historical development of organic farming systems, examines the global issues which confront us, and develops some concepts showing a progression in small-scale farmer development and how this can be supported with appropriate training and policy. The difference between national food self-sufficiency and household food security is examined, and the organic sector is introduced.
Part 2 (Chapters 7-14) deals with capacity building and climate change. Holistic systems, inclusive participatory approaches, institution building and experiential learning are examined. Organic food production, farmer training, value chains, impact of drought on food prices and food availability, and urban water and energy use efficiency are described.
Part 3 (Chapters 15-22) presents evidence on how to support organic farmers. It starts with 2 case studies on the well-developed organic sector in Uganda and the developing one in Zambia. The following chapters discuss soil carbon determination, comparison of organic and conventional farming systems, pest and disease control (e.g., chemical, holistic and biological control), soil fumigation, soil microbiology in organic and conventional systems, soil fertility changes and crop yield.
Part 4 (Chapters 23-24) makes strategic suggestions about how to upscale organic farming and organic food systems in Southern Africa. This book is a vital resource for all stakeholders in organic agriculture.
Table of contents:
The developing organic sector in Southern and Eastern Africa: what have we learned about sustainable development?
An overview of global organic and regenerative agriculture movements.
Organic research contributes to sector development and good organic policy: the Danish, Swiss, American and African case studies.
The Organic Academy of IFOAM-Organics International: training multipliers in the developing world.
Understanding a food systems approach.
BERAS - a global network of food systems with examples from Sweden, Haiti, Tanzania and India.
The likely impact of the 2015-2018 drought in South Africa: lessons from the 2008 food price crisis and future implications.
The use of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) to support organic food systems in Africa.
Strengthening participation in the organic value chain for small-scale farmers in Southern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Participatory Guarantee Systems as an organic market entry point for small-scale farmers in South Africa.
Development of an inclusive value chain for peri-urban micro-farmers.
Supporting vulnerable communities in the Eastern Cape: assessing the rainfall evidence.
Water efficiency, energy efficiency and suburban vegetable production.
Experiential training of farmers and university diploma students in KwaZulu-Natal and the Southern Cape.
The National Organic Agriculture Movement of Uganda.
Factors contributing to adoption or disadoption of organic agriculture in Zambia.
The rapid incineration field test as an accurate, cost-effective and practical tool for estimating soil carbon in Africa.
The Nelson Mandela long-term comparative organic farming systems research trials: baseline study and trial design.
Comparative water use efficiency and water retention in the Mandela trials.
Biological and chemical soil fumigation and pest and disease management comparisons in the Western Cape.
Initial assessment of selected biological soil health indicators in organic versus conventional cropping systems in field trials in South Africa.
Soil fertility changes and crop yields from the first 4 years of the Mandela trials.
Urban agriculture: challenges and opportunities in urban water management and planning.
A future strategy for organic development in Southern Africa.
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The Political Economy of Food System Transformation
: Pathways to Progress in a Polarized World
Publisher: IFPRI & Oxford University Press
Year of publication: 2023
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The current structure of the global food system is increasingly recognized as unsustainable. In addition to the environmental impacts of agricultural production, unequal patterns of food access and availability are contributing to non-communicable diseases in middle- and high-income countries and inadequate caloric intake and dietary diversity among the world’s poorest. While the need to transform food systems is widely accepted, the policy pathways for achieving such a vision often are highly contested, and the enabling conditions for implementation are frequently absent. Moreover, transformation implicitly requires reforms that depart from the status quo, which will generate resistance from those groups that stand to lose the most.
These dynamics are examined in detail in a new book co-edited by Danielle Resnick and Johan Swinnen on The Political Economy of Food System Transformation: Pathways to Progress in a Polarized World, published jointly by IFPRI and Oxford University Press. The book emphasizes that the viability of reforms requires joint consideration of both the complexity of local, national, and global food systems and the increasingly polarized political and institutional contexts in which food policy decision-making occurs. In recent decades, food systems have encompassed a broader range of non-traditional stakeholders, including insurance companies, banks, technology firms, and transnational civil society advocates. Moreover, food systems are no longer just responsible for generating sufficient calories but also are expected to meet a whole host of other objectives, including racial and gender justice, human rights, and the preservation of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge. Yet, not only are food systems changing but so are politics; a wave of populism over the last decade has caused misinformation and ideological bias to compete with rigorous analysis when informing policy recommendations. Polarization at the national level is also reflected in the geopolitical sphere and exacerbated in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A perceived crisis of multilateralism makes it difficult to coordinate on cross-national issues, such as climate change and trade, while the rise of multi-stakeholderism in global convenings like the United Nations Food Systems Summit obscures who is ultimately obligated and accountable for food system actions.
Given these complexities, how do we achieve action? To address this question, this book draws on scholarship from a global set of authors whose disciplines span economics, political science, nutrition, ecology, geography, and public policy. Their contributions, which draw on diverse methodologies, analyze binding constraints to reform and showcase factors that have led to progressive change in high-, middle-, and low-income countries. The substantive areas of political economy focus include, among others, repurposing agricultural subsidies, reducing red meat and ultra-processed food consumption, increasing uptake of appropriate biotechnologies, adopting sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, implementing the European Union’s Farm to Fork Strategy, adapting urban food system councils to the Global South, and tracking accountability for global food system commitments. In doing so, the authors highlight the necessity of navigating incentive structures, identifying strategies and opportunities for mobilization, and finding innovative policy designs that broaden coalitions for change.
Table of contents:
1: Introduction: Political Economy of Food System Transformation.
2: Facts, Interests, and Values: Identifying Points of Convergence and Divergence for Food Systems.
3: The Political Economy of Reforming Agricultural Support Policies.
4: From Re-instrumenting to Re-purposing Farm Support Policies.
5: Policy Coalitions in Food Systems Transformation.
6: Government Response to Ultra-Processed and Sugar Beverages Industries in Developing Nations: The Need to Build Coalitions Across Policy Sectors.
7: Ultra-processed Food Environments: Aligning Policy Beliefs from the State, Market, and Civil Society.
8: Asymmetric Power in Global Food System Advocacy.
9: The Political Economy of Bundling Socio-Technical Innovations to Transform Agri-Food Systems.
10: Sustainable Food and Farming: When Public Perceptions Depart from Science.
11: Enabling Positive Tipping Points in Public Support for Food System Transformation: The Case of Meat Consumption.
12: Urban Food Systems Governance in Africa: Towards a Realistic Model for Transformation.
13: The Political Economy of Food System Transformation in the European Union.
14: Tracking Progress and Generating Accountability for Global Food System Commitments.
15: Conclusions.
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Speculative Harvests
: Financialization, Food, and Agriculture
Publisher: Practical Action Publishing
Year of publication: 2018
In Speculative Harvests, Clapp and Isakson investigate the evolving relationship between the agrifood and financial sectors, paying particular attention to how the contemporary process of financialization is reshaping agrarian development and food systems. Understood as the growing prevalence of financial actors, markets, motives and profits in an economy, financialization is a defining feature of modern-day capitalism that is reconfiguring the distribution of wealth and economic power in a variety of contexts across the globe. In a clear and accessible manner, Clapp and Isakson explain the character and ramifications of these changes for the world food economy and systematically detail how different elements of agrifood provisioning — including commodity trading, farmland tenure, the management of agricultural risk, and food trading, processing, and retailing — have been reconfigured for financial purposes.
Clapp and Isakson highlight the importance of confronting the financialization of food and agriculture, identify the challenges of conventional approaches to food system reform and consider innovative alternatives. Speculative Harvests is essential reading for food scholars and activists who not only seek a better understanding of the problems inherent to the contemporary food system but also are also in search of effective interventions towards its positive transformation.
Table of contents (brief):
Acknowledgements.
What Is the Link Between Food and Finance? .
Speculating on Commodities.
Farmland as a New Asset Class.
Feeding Finance from Farm to Plate.
Prospects for Governance and Re-Regulation .
The Prospects for Change.
References.
Index
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Transforming Agriculture in Southern Africa
: Constraints, Technologies, Policies and Processes
Publisher: Routledge
Year of publication: 2019
This book provides a synthesis of the key issues and challenges facing agriculture and food production in Southern Africa.
Southern Africa is facing numerous challenges from diverse issues such as agricultural transformations, growing populations, urbanization and climate change. These challenges place great pressure on food security, agriculture, water availability and other natural resources, as well as impacting biodiversity. Drawing on case studies from Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the chapters in this book consider these challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering key areas in constraints to production, the most important building blocks of good farming practices, and established and emerging technologies. This book will be a valuable support for informing new policies and processes aimed at improving food production and security and developing sustainable agriculture in Southern Africa.
This informative volume will be key reading for those interested in agricultural science, African studies, rural studies, development studies and sustainability. It will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and agricultural practitioners.
Table of contents:
Part I: Overview of Southern African agriculture
Ch. 1| Introduction
Ch. 2| The strategic role of agriculture in the economic space of the Southern Africa region
Part II: Major drivers and constraints impacting agricultural transformation
Ch. 3| Twice as many people in 2050: The need for agricultural transformation in Southern Africa
Ch. 4| Climate change and the threat to food production in Southern Africa
Ch. 5| Land rich but water poor: The prospects for agricultural intensification in Southern Africa
Ch. 6| The big giveaway: Farmers and biological constraints
Ch. 7| The impact of global and regional markets on agricultural transformation in Southern Africa
Part III: Current technologies
Ch. 8| Soil fertility maintenance and nutrient management for agricultural transformation
Ch. 9| The role of seed systems development in African agricultural transformation
Ch. 10| Scaling climate-smart agriculture for agricultural transformation in Southern Africa
Ch. 11| Crop improvement for agricultural transformation in Southern Africa
Ch. 12| Integrated pest management in Southern Africa: Approaches and enabling policy issues
Ch. 13| Options for improving stored product protection in Southern Africa
Ch. 14| Technology as a transformative tool in livestock production
Ch. 15| Technologies for agricultural transformation: Animal health
Part IV: Emerging technologies
Ch. 16| Harnessing ecosystem services in transforming agriculture in Southern Africa
Ch. 17| The role of mechanization in transformation of smallholder agriculture in Southern Africa: Experience from Zimbabwe
Ch. 18| Advanced genetic technologies for improving plant production
Ch. 19| Unleashing the power of vegetables and fruits in Southern Africa
Ch. 20| Going digital: Harnessing the power of emerging technologies for the transformation of Southern African agriculture
Ch. 21| Reducing the impact of mycotoxigenic fungi on food safety and security in Southern Africa
Ch. 22| Small-scale renewable energy as a catalyst for advancing agriculture and food security in Southern Africa
Ch. 23| Trees on farms and farmers in the forest: Good practices and a need for policy
Part V: Improving policies and processes
Ch. 24| Land reform and land tenure for agricultural transformation in Southern Africa
Ch. 25| Engendering agricultural transformation
Ch. 26| Building human capacity to transform agriculture in Southern Africa
Ch. 27| Urban markets and agricultural transformation in Southern Africa
Ch. 28| Importance of small rural markets in the transformation of Southern African agriculture
Ch. 29| Agricultural growth corridors in sub-Saharan Africa – new hope for agricultural transformation and rural development?
: The case of the Southern agricultural growth corridor of Tanzania
Ch. 30| Policy options for cropping systems diversification in Southern Africa
Ch. 31| Entrepreneurship as an economic development strategy for agricultural transformation in Southern Africa
Ch. 32| Changing farm structure in Africa: Implications on agricultural transformation in Southern Africa
Ch. 33| Food security in Africa: A complex issue requiring new approaches to scientific evidence and quantitative analysis
Part VI: Conclusions
Ch. 34|The way forward
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