The United Nations calls for action to achieve 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). We argue that the current development paradigm is an impediment to achieving several of these goals. We ...identify 14 agricultural research and development (R&D) needs, which ought to be addressed to achieve critical SDGs. We also identify the paradigm shifts required, particularly from global and international organizations, to facilitate this R&D and implement its outcomes. Importantly, the Global North2 would have to divert its focus from securing access to cheap land, water and labour that is primarily used to generate agricultural exports and business opportunities for Global North investors. Instead, the focus needs to be on creating opportunities for local farming communities to produce food for domestic markets, increase income and generate local jobs and business opportunities. Circular food systems can support a range of SDG goals, such as no hunger and zero poverty and slow migration, especially of youth, to big cities or foreign lands with insecure jobs.
Les Nations Unies appellent à l'action pour atteindre dix‐sept Objectifs de développement durable (ODD). Nous soutenons que le paradigme de développement actuel est un obstacle à la réalisation de plusieurs de ces objectifs. Nous identifions quatorze besoins en recherche et développement (R&D) agricoles, auxquels il faut répondre pour atteindre les ODD essentiels. Nous identifions également les changements de paradigme nécessaires, en particulier de la part des organisations mondiales et internationales, pour faciliter cette R&D et mettre en œuvre ses résultats. Il est important de noter que le Nord global devrait détourner son attention de la sécurisation de l'accès à des terres, à de l'eau et à une main‐d'œuvre bon marché qui sont principalement utilisées pour générer des exportations agricoles et des opportunités commerciales aux investisseurs du Nord global. Au lieu de cela, l'accent devrait être mis sur la création d'opportunités pour les communautés agricoles locales afin de produire de la nourriture pour les marchés nationaux, d'augmenter les revenus et de générer des emplois locaux et des opportunités commerciales. Les systèmes alimentaires circulaires peuvent soutenir une série d'objectifs des ODD, tels que l'absence de faim et de pauvreté, et une migration lente, en particulier des jeunes, vers les grandes villes ou des pays étrangers où les emplois sont précaires.
Abstract
The United Nations calls for action to achieve 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). We argue that the current development paradigm is an impediment to achieving several of these goals. ...We identify 14 agricultural research and development (R&D) needs, which ought to be addressed to achieve critical SDGs. We also identify the paradigm shifts required, particularly from global and international organizations, to facilitate this R&D and implement its outcomes. Importantly, the Global North
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would have to divert its focus from securing access to cheap land, water and labour that is primarily used to generate agricultural exports and business opportunities for Global North investors. Instead, the focus needs to be on creating opportunities for local farming communities to produce food for domestic markets, increase income and generate local jobs and business opportunities. Circular food systems can support a range of SDG goals, such as no hunger and zero poverty and slow migration, especially of youth, to big cities or foreign lands with insecure jobs.
Abstract
Les Nations Unies appellent à l'action pour atteindre dix‐sept Objectifs de développement durable (ODD). Nous soutenons que le paradigme de développement actuel est un obstacle à la réalisation de plusieurs de ces objectifs. Nous identifions quatorze besoins en recherche et développement (R&D) agricoles, auxquels il faut répondre pour atteindre les ODD essentiels. Nous identifions également les changements de paradigme nécessaires, en particulier de la part des organisations mondiales et internationales, pour faciliter cette R&D et mettre en œuvre ses résultats. Il est important de noter que le Nord global devrait détourner son attention de la sécurisation de l'accès à des terres, à de l'eau et à une main‐d'œuvre bon marché qui sont principalement utilisées pour générer des exportations agricoles et des opportunités commerciales aux investisseurs du Nord global. Au lieu de cela, l'accent devrait être mis sur la création d'opportunités pour les communautés agricoles locales afin de produire de la nourriture pour les marchés nationaux, d'augmenter les revenus et de générer des emplois locaux et des opportunités commerciales. Les systèmes alimentaires circulaires peuvent soutenir une série d'objectifs des ODD, tels que l'absence de faim et de pauvreté, et une migration lente, en particulier des jeunes, vers les grandes villes ou des pays étrangers où les emplois sont précaires.
The rolling out of integrated water resources management (IWRM) in the Pangani Basin, Tanzania, faces several implementation and participation challenges. Building on experiences from GIZ-NatuReS ...stewardship partnerships, we argue that meaningfully engaging stakeholders and involving the private sector can help overcome these challenges and improve water security. We analyse data collected through interviews with partners and beneficiaries, and data stemming from partnership documents. Our analyses show that stakeholders are in support of creating an enabling environment based on IWRM by including tangible, results-based private-public-civil society partnerships which offer alternative and innovative solutions to address risks facing people, economies and ecosystems.
Meeting growing demand for water and food in Africa, and other parts of the Global South, presents a significant and critical challenge over the next 50 years. This paper draws on an ongoing project ...in Africa to outline the research-for-development work that is urgently required to facilitate a paradigm shift in agricultural water management. Such work should lead to increased productivity and profitability of agricultural water use to allow agriculture to release some water to meet the growing needs of other sectors, while still meeting food security needs and contributing to a prosperous rural population.
Irrigation is a key strategy for food security and poverty alleviation among small farmers in Tanzania. However, the potential of irrigation to improve food security is limited by multiple barriers. ...This article discusses these barriers within the Kiwere and Magozi schemes. Results indicate that water supply barriers are caused by poor irrigation infrastructure and management. Lack of finance is also a critical barrier to increasing overall productivity. Finance affects farmers' timely access to adequate supply of quality inputs and machinery and availability of transport to access inputs and profitable markets. There is evidence that these barriers have to be addressed holistically.
•Decision-making dynamics strongly influence total household income.•Women’s dominant role in decision-making relates to small livestock and irrigation.•Women are adopting high-value crops, ...intensifying production and diversifying income.•Households make trade-offs and allocate labour to maximize total household income.•Trade-offs coupled with small plot sizes may produce sub-optimal water productivity.
Irrigation has been promoted as a strategy to reduce poverty and improve livelihoods in southern Africa. Households’ livelihood strategies within small-scale irrigation schemes have become increasingly complex and diversified. Strategies consist of farm income from rain-fed and irrigated cropping as well as livestock and an increasing dependence on off-farm income. The success of these strategies depends on the household’s ability to make decisions about how to utilize its’ financial, labour, land and water resources. This study explores the dynamics of decision-making in households on-farm household income within six small-scale irrigation schemes, across three southern African countries. Household survey data (n = 402) was analyzed using ordered probit and ordinary least squares regression. Focus group discussions and field observations provided qualitative data on decision-making in the six schemes. We found strong support for the notion that decision-making dynamics strongly influence total household income. Households make trade-offs between irrigation, dryland, livestock and off-farm work when they allocate their labour resources to maximize household income; as opposed to maximizing the income from any individual component of their livelihood strategy, such as irrigation. Combined with the impact of the small plot size of irrigated land, this is likely to result in sub-optimal benefits from expensive investments in irrigation infrastructure. Policy-makers must consider this when developing and implementing new policies.
•One-fifth of all MDB irrigators have sold environmental water to the Commonwealth.•Main reasons for water sales include debt, no farm income and farm restructure.•On-farm consequences include ...greater existing water use from entitlements.•Weak (to no) significant evidence of a negative lagged impact from water sales on net farm income.
Up to one-fifth of all irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin sold water entitlements to the Australian Commonwealth in the period from the beginning of 2008 to the start of 2012. The sale of water entitlements has positive and negative consequences for irrigators and rural communities. This study focuses specifically on these potential on-farm consequences, by providing an overview of the reasons irrigators sell water, examining fluctuations in water use by irrigators over time, and modelling the delayed impact of water sales in the previous five years on net farm income. It suggests that to date, many irrigators who sold water to the Commonwealth and continued farming in the southern Murray-Darling Basin have predominately sold their surplus and buffer water (water not used in production). There is only weak to no significant evidence from the regression modelling to suggest that there is a delayed negative impact on net farm income from selling water entitlements, which supports the notion that the reduction in farm production has been offset by many irrigators using water sales proceeds to reduce debt (and hence interest payments), restructure and reinvest on farm. However, given the advent of climate change and future water scarcity, all irrigators, but particularly for some of those who have sold part of their water entitlements, will need to plan for further incremental adaptation, water management or on-farm changes, or risk facing regular water shortages.
The United Nations calls for action to achieve 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). We argue that the current development paradigm is an impediment to achieving several of these goals. We ...identify 14 agricultural research and development (R&D) needs, which ought to be addressed to achieve critical SDGs. We also identify the paradigm shifts required, particularly from global and international organizations, to facilitate this R&D and implement its outcomes. Importantly, the Global North2 would have to divert its focus from securing access to cheap land, water and labour that is primarily used to generate agricultural exports and business opportunities for Global North investors. Instead, the focus needs to be on creating opportunities for local farming communities to produce food for domestic markets, increase income and generate local jobs and business opportunities. Circular food systems can support a range of SDG goals, such as no hunger and zero poverty and slow migration, especially of youth, to big cities or foreign lands with insecure jobs.
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