Integrating crop and livestock in smallholder production systems for food security and poverty reduction in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The resource base that ensures food supply and the socio-economic component which depends on this resource base are the two major components that make up the food system in sub-Saharan Africa. The sequence of the food system is organized in a spatial flow framework of biomass base. The components of rural production system consist of food production biomass at homestead and farm level, and often at the communal base non-food production lands. The degree of integration between these resources base determines flows such as material cycle, energy, food and cash, and influences how the entire production system needs to be managed. The management system influences resource use efficiency and economic returns at different levels, at individual household, communities, and national levels. Efforts to developing agriculture and reducing poverty remained sectoral and focused mainly on a specific crop or individual animal level, failed to see interconnections among sub-systems and across space and time. The concept of the integrated food system has not been adequately adopted, in many sub-Saharan African countries and the agricultural system in the region continues to exhibit a low level of productivity and resource use efficiency. Hence, food insecurity and poverty remained high among smallholder farming communities producing crop and livestock despite the availability of arable land and abundance of another natural resource. This review focuses on the significance of integrated crop-livestock system in the tropics and suggests a framework to begin understanding and addressing complex problems in smallholders' production system.

Small-scale biogas facilities to enhance nutrient flows in rural Africa—relevance, acceptance, and implementation challenges in Ethiopia

“…So far, efforts to improve agricultural production systems have focused on specific production units but failed to identify the interconnectedness between units (Amejo et al 2018). Consequently, productivity and resource use efficiency in sub-Saharan countries remains low.…”

Dampak dari Komposisi Usia Prima dan Intensitas Aset Biologis terhadap Pertumbuhan Berkelanjutan: Kasus di Agrikultur Indonesia

“…Tetapi, ditemukan di beberapa perusahaan agrikultur yang memiliki banyak kelapa sawit dalam usia produktif justru terindikasi mengalami kerugian. Hal ini dikarenakan keberlanjutan produksi perkebunan cenderung bergantung pada efektivitas kebijakan manajemen dalam mengelola lahan perkebunan yang ada dan praktik-praktik perkebunan yang berkelanjutan (Asrat, Yoseph, & Habtemariam, 2018). Nilai koefisien variabel Intensitas Aset Biologis adalah sebesar 1,080 dan nilai signifikansi (Sig.)…”

Effect of Agroforestry on community wellbeing in Kyannamukaaka Sub County, Masaka

“…In Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), agroforestry offered multiple roles for example; food provisions, and environmental stewardship, which were influential in mitigating climate change and its effects (Kuntashula, 2017). Amejo et al, (2018) affirm that even though smallholder farmers integrated livestock and crops on their land units in SSA, the practice is on smallholdings which hinders their multiple productivity. However, in Zambia small scale farmers gained more from tree growing and animal rearing.…”

“…Morover, in Mali, grass and fodder plants grown provided more than enough feeds and the surplus was stocked for later seasons. Thus, in such areas, animals produced enough milk which was sold to households and earn substantial incomes (Amejo et al, 2018). Additionally, the substantial farmyard manure generated was key to agricultural productivity as it was sold to other farmers.…”