Identifying determinants, pressures and trade-offs of crop residue use in mixed smallholder farms in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
Crop residues (CR) have become a limited resource in mixed crop-livestock farms. As a result of the increasing demand and low availability of alternative resources, CR became an essential resource for household activities, especially for livestock keeping; a major livelihood element of smallholder farmers in the developing world. Farmers’ decisions on CR use are determined by farmers’ preferences, total crop production, availability of alternative resources and demand for CR. Interaction of these determinants can result in pressures and trade-offs of CR use.
Implications of sustainable agricultural intensification for family farming in Africa: anthropological perspectives
In this paper, we will explore the ways in which sustainable intensification interventions
often overlook fundamental social dynamics in rural landscapes. We provide evidence of
the underlying social, political and environmental contexts that affect farmers’ land-use
decisions. While there are numerous initiatives to promote a Green Revolution for Africa,
many tend to be dominated by technical fixes that fail to understand rural farmers’ condi
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tions or aspirations and focus narrowly on increasing productivity. These technical solu
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