Food and agricultural innovation pathways for prosperity

A review on the contribution of crop diversification to Sustainable Development Goal 1 “No poverty” in different world regions

“…In the rural development literature, the concept chronic poverty describes the persistence of poverty over time, often over generations, being commonly understood as a poverty trap (Haider et al, ). Causes of poverty include unequal access to and control over resources (Green & Hulme cited by Haider et al, ), and cultural, social, political, and economic injustices in access to these resources can continue perpetuating chronic poverty despite agricultural development strategies (Tomich et al, in press ). This review confirms the difficulty of the poorest farmers to implement the different types of crop diversification.…”

“…One of these barriers is chronic poverty, which, according to the studies reviewed, seems to prevent poor farmers from accessing agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertiliser, irrigation, or land that would allow them to diversify. Extremely poor households face very high levels of risk, which limit their investment capacity and their ability to innovate, including the implementation of crop diversification (Losch et al, ; Tomich et al, in press ). The FAO recognises that poor farmers can only access technologies and farming systems with low efficiency and are more dependent on inputs and techniques that exacerbate land degradation and that reduce the resilience to rainfall variability (FAO, ).…”

Trans-SEC’s food security research in Tanzania: from constraints to adoption for out- and upscaling of agricultural innovations

“…While pro-poor approaches focus mostly on small-scale farmers, the question of the right setting for agricultural innovations persists. In less favorable areas, typically low-cost innovations are more suitable due to limited capacities (capital), while higher income farmers in favorable production areas might seek higher investments and more revenue through market integration (Tomich et al 2018). Additionally, at local levels, some farmers are more innovative than others, seeking different agro-ecological transformation strategies (Tittonell 2014).…”

“…Thus, enabling environments for business models and alternative ecosystem services (Bommarco et al 2018) are difficult to establish. Low economies of size and scale hinder the establishment of profitable economies (Tomich et al 2018;Letiche 2010). Nevertheless, manifold implementation models for upgrading agricultural activities do exist and are continuously being tested and adapted in international research projects (Candel 2017).…”

“…Such research should be long term and monitored over time in order to arrive at sustainable improvements. Agricultural innovations should be continually optimized in response to changing conditions (Tomich et al 2018;Mutabazi et al 2015, Senyolo et al 2018, Below et al 2015. Furthermore, an adequate incentive structure is a necessity for the long-term adoption of successful techniques (Nhantumbo et al 2016).…”