A wolf in sheep’s clothing? | Food security and climate change | Contested agronomy | Crops of the future | Food security: Communications toolkit | The land grabbers | More on desertifications
A wolf in sheep’s clothing? An analysis of the “sustainable intensification” of agriculture
E.D. Collins and K. Chandrasekaran, 2012.
Friends of the Earth International, Amsterdam. 28 pages.
It is increasingly recognised that intensive high-input agriculture is no longer an option. It is a major cause of natural resource degradation and depletion, climate change and the loss of biodiversity. This has been reason enough for some organisations to change direction, and make “sustainable intensification” a top priority. But what exactly does this phrase mean, and whose interests does it serve? This report describes the origins, practices and technologies behind it.
The authors conclude that the “sustainable intensification” is being mainly driven by the agendas of corporations, scientific institutions and international donors and the voices of small-scale farmers are being neglected. Equally problematic, efforts that build on farmer’s knowledge, such as agro-ecology, are taken out of their context and in an attempt to rework them into uniform technology-based approaches.
Food security and climate change
High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition, 2012.
HLPE, Rome. 98 pages.
Given the current trend, temperature rises of 4oC can be expected by the end of this century. This will reduce the productivity of existing food systems and threaten food security, especially in the most vulnerable households. This report examines the relation between climate change and food security and, in so doing, makes some interesting observations and recommendations. First, climate change adaptation needs to occur in the broader context of building more resilient food systems. Second, given the diversity of social and agroecological contexts, no single approach will be universally applicable. Solutions will differ. Third, it is important to ensure that farmers have a voice in the design and implementation of policies at all levels.
Contested agronomy: Agricultural research in a changing world
J. Sumberg and J. Thompson, 2012.
Routledge, London. 222 pages.
Agronomy is often seen as an objective science, concerned with unravelling the universal laws in the working of the farm. This book challenges this view. Agronomic research takes place in a social, political and economic context. It explores some of the major developments in agronomy since the 1970s. It shows how the emergence of the neoliberal project and environmentalism have shaped the practice of agronomic research in developing countries.
The authors use various case studies that illustrate emerging practices such as agricultural intensification, conservation agriculture and participatory soil fertility management. These studies cover a wide range of locations, including south east Asia, Africa and India. The authors use these cases as the basis for a proposing a new subdiscipline: political agronomy.
Crops of the future
M.M. Robin (eds.), 2012.
ARTE France. 90 minutes.
In a world dominated by large corporations and industrial agriculture, even the most dedicated proponents of agro-ecology sometimes lose hope. This documentary will help them regain faith. After “The world according to Monsanto” and “Our daily poison”, this is the final chapter of Marie Monique Robin’s trilogy. In a quest to find solutions to our planet’s food crisis, Robin looks at various agro-ecological farms and farmers in Europe, Asia and Latin America. In her journey she meets leading voices in the field of agro-ecology, including Miguel Altieri and Olivier de Schutter. The conclusions are clear: there is hope, but a shift in the dominant agricultural paradigm and a reorganisation of the world’s food system is required.
Food security: Communications toolkit
Food and Agriculture Organisation, 2012.
FAO, Rome. 213 pages.
Many organisations invest heavily in researching and analysing food security, but often do not effectively communicate their findings. But such communication is important to ensure that the findings reach their intended users and that action is taken. This toolkit covers a wide range of communication channels, offering guidelines on what channels to use for a given audience and objectives. Attention is given to different forms of media, including newspapers, radio, television and social media. It also offers advice on how to present information to policy makers and how to lobby for food security, and tips on how to structure and improve a variety of report formats, including policy briefs and early warning bulletins.
The land grabbers: The new fight over who owns the earth
F. Pearce 2012.
Beacon press, Boston. 336 pages.
The number of publications on land grabbing is rising explosively. What makes this book special is that it is the first global journalistic account of the issue. It is accessible to those unfamiliar with the topic, and it also portrays the human side of policy makers, investors, and of the affected local communities. Foreign governments and investors are buying land, which governments are selling to reach short term development goals or the personal benefit of politicians.
Local communities, often lacking property documents or recognition of customary rights, are displaced. The book confirms the seriousness of the problem: “Every day, parcels of land – the size of Wales and larger – are being gobbled up”.
Desertification
The causes of desertification and the resulting problems are carefully explored in “Beyond any drought: Root causes of chronic vulnerability in the Sahel” (P. Trencht et al., 2007). Two other reports, “The state of the world’s land and water resources for food and agriculture: Managing systems at risk” (FAO, 2011) and “Economics of land degradation: The costs of action versus inaction” (E. Nkonya et al., 2011) focus on the causes and costs of land degradation. A classic study that analyses how science and policy discourse on land degradation can sometimes misinterpret local realities is “Misreading the African landscape: Society and ecology in a forest-savannah mosaic” (J. Fairhead and M. Leach, 1996). There are also more hopeful studies. “Escaping the hunger cycle: Pathways to resilience in the Sahel” (by P. Gubbels, 2011) looks at how aid can become more effective in reducing vulnerability to drought in the Sahel, and includes specific sections on agro-ecology. The website of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) also has a large number of resources addressing this topic. The film “Lessons from the loess plateau” (J.D. Liu, 2009) shows how a self-sustaining ecosystem has been created in the dry and degraded Loess Plateau region in China. “Re-greening the Sahel: Farmer led innovation in Burkina Faso and Niger” (C. Reij, et al.) looks at traditional agroforestry, water and soil management practices.
