Outlook on Agriculture

This article presents a joint project carried out by four European research institutes. The project is focused on the adaptation of fruit- and vegetable-producing farms in Mediterranean Europe. It is based on empirical studies carried out in four agricultural districts located in France, Italy and Spain. The same scientific approach was adopted for each of the studies, featuring: (i) farm characteristics and diversity, (ii) modelling through linear programming and simulations. The work shows that, in addition to local pressures, new adaptations are implemented in all districts in response to three general objectives: profitability, risk and external demands, and at three levels: technical, farm and collective actions.

Education is essential for improving agriculture, both in productivity and environmental performance. Effective education must reach not just farmers, but also the public and policy makers so that the challenge of agricultural sustainability may be widely appreciated. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has implemented a sweeping programme of educational improvements to transform a production demonstration farm into an agricultural learning landscape. Key features include instructional signs at overlooks; a discovery trail with activity stations and research bulletin boards; an ‘environmentally responsive’ home with energy-saving innovations; and a wildlife corridor, nature trail and outdoor classroom. The farm has attracted visitors of all ages and interests to learn about agriculture, stewardship and sustainability, whereby food is produced and economic benefit derived, but with no net degradation of earth resources.

The dynamics of insect pests and the impact of the management system on commercial village farms were investigated over several years. Damage to the cotton crop by bollworms in the polycrop system increased with the advancement of crop growth, with greater application of nitrogenous fertilizers and irrigation and with reduced planting distances between the conventional varieties. The activity of the adults of Helicoverpa armigera, Spodoptera litura and Pectinophora gossypiella in this crop system was at its peak during the middle reproductive phase of the cotton crop, and subsequently declined. The foliaceous, tall growing hybrids and varieties with heavy canopies had greater infestations of the adults of the leaf-feeding insect, S. litura. Investigations carried out over several years on commercial village farms show that the insect management system was lethal to the insect complex in the cotton system. De-topping of the growing terminals of plants greatly reduced oviposition by insecticide-resistant populations of H. armigera. The manual collection of larvae and affected plant parts resulted in the reduction of bollworm infestation on the village farms by 3–90%. Liberation of Trichogramma achea in great numbers reduced the population of different species of bollworms on the village farms. This system has reduced environmental pollution with insecticides by 35–59% and contamination of labourers' and farmers' blood and female workers' breast milk by 35–76%. Increased productivity of varieties and hybrids has been maintained over an observed range (according to growing conditions) from 870 to 2,220 kg/ha of seed cotton. The population of native natural enemies of cotton insects was increased several fold and had inverse density-dependent effects on the host insects. The pest management system has been adopted in cotton-growing states with financial assistance from the government of India since 2000.

This paper describes the method and findings of a survey designed to explore the economic benefits of the adoption of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton for smallholder farmers in the Republic of South Africa. The study found reason for cautious optimism in that the Bt variety generally resulted in a per hectare increase in yields and value of output with a reduction in pesticide costs, which outweighed the increase in seed costs to give a substantial increase in gross margins. Thus, these preliminary results suggest that Bt cotton is good for smallholder cotton farmers and the environment.

Kenya is recognized among developing countries for its success in integrating dairy into smallholder farming systems, particularly in the highland areas. The major determinants of this success were colonial history, its favourable agroecology and supportive agricultural policies, and the importance of milk in rural and urban diets. In response to agricultural policies, market opportunities and human population pressure on land, smallholders have changed their farming systems by introducing the Friesian and Ayrshire breeds, keeping smaller herds with fewer heifers but more cows, increasing stocking rates through stall-feeding, growing fodder, purchasing feeds and becoming more dependent on external inputs and services. As a result, they can sell more milk. This increasing intensification, here defined as the use of external inputs and services to increase the output quantity and/or value per unit input, has ensured that more people are maintained per unit of land through increased returns per ha of family land. Because the level of intensification varies with the agroecological potential for cropping and dairying and with the level of milk market access and household resources, recommendations for production practices supporting intensification will be site-specific. Identifying appropriate recommendations will require a thorough understanding of farmers' objectives for keeping cattle.

This analysis presents the development of the Holstein dairy system in Brazil, evaluating system sustainability during a time of crisis, based on changes in system productivity, stability, resilience and equity. Sustainability indicators are used to describe these changes. Records of Holstein cows registered in the National Dairy Cattle Archive from 1980 to 1992 were analysed to include a crisis period around 1990. The Holstein dairy farming system showed high stability and resilience in terms of milk production, although a high sensitivity to disturbances was evident.

Cassava production is increasing in Nigeria and needs to be sustained. One way of achieving this is to process cassava into high-grade products with positive and high-value elasticity of demand. Soy-cassava flour, a blend of cassava and soy bean flours, was produced and tested for consumer acceptability and economic viability. The results showed that the soy-cassava flour, with 16% protein, compared favourably with gari and cassava flour as food material for the preparation of fufu (the popular local cassava food product). Its production was profitable, with a pre-tax profit of close to N5,000 (equivalent to US$62.5 at a rate of US$1 = N80) per tonne. There are clear prospects for large-scale production and marketing of soy-cassava flour in Nigeria. This would establish a large market for cassava roots, since it takes over 2.5 tonnes of cassava root to produce one tonne of soy-cassava flour. Widespread production of this cassava-based, high-grade product can therefore contribute significantly towards sustaining the increasing trend in cassava production in Nigeria.