Potential and limitations of organic and fair trade cotton for improving livelihoods of smallholders: evidence from Central Asia

Bachmann, Felicitas

doi:10.1017/s1742170511000202

Cited by 39 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…S1) (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). A study importantly reveals that the Eco-natural food produced in India reveals an average production gap of about 20% (22,41). However, the impact or intensity of this is different for different types of agricultural produces and the types of crop management being used (Table 1) (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)].…”

Section: Contextual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rewards of Eco-natural management for biodiversity of wildlife on farmland are clear across different taxa (40,41).…”

Section: Contextual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soil decadence and soil erosion, which affect large areas of land today because of the intensive use of croplands and rangelands, threaten current and future food generation and are a key sustainability challenge for organic farming (38)(39)(40)(41)(42).Studies have also typically found reduced soil erosion from Eco-natural farms due to improved soil structure (43)(44)(45). Despite these generally positive impacts of Eco-natural management on soil parameters, the soil fauna is not seen the same way (40,42), but it is more abundant in Eco-naturally managed soils (46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51).…”

Section: Contextual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite these generally positive impacts of Eco-natural management on soil parameters, the soil fauna is not seen the same way (40,42), but it is more abundant in Eco-naturally managed soils (46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51). Studies show a lesser understanding of other variables, such as the techniques of strip cropping or crop rotation (7,49), or of the impact of Eco-natural organic farming on soil quality (17), which can enhance Eco-natural matter loss and soil erosion (39)(40)(41), and lead to higher soil Eco-natural matter content (52)(53)(54). In many other researches, the potential for climate change by carbon storage in agricultural soils is debated (57,58 (91,93).…”

Section: Contextual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Dynamism of Eco-Organic Food Products , Consumer Intentions for Purchasing

Goyal¹,

Tjprc²

2018

IJBMR

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The research tries to understand the intention and perception of consumers in buying the organic food products. The demographic profile of the consumers who purchase the eco-natural organic food products were understood in this attempt. Data were collected in supermarkets within 3 different areas Delhi NCR using mall-intercept approach. 277 respondents were interviewed using the survey method of primary data collection. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed using chi-square test, ANOVA, correlation analysis and multiple linear regression tests. Result indicated that the intention to purchase Eco-natural products was heavily influenced by the perception on Eco-natural product worth of purchase and the belief on the safety and health aspect of the product. Respondents were divided into two groups, one that of the buyers of organic food and the other of non-buyers. Among the Eco-natural buyers, majority consumers believed Eco-natural food to be healthier, tastier and better as compared to non-organic traditionally cultivated food. The study tries to estimate the existing awareness and understanding of the outlay and rewards of Econatural organic farming across innumerate levels viz. generation, environmental, marketer, and consumer purchase dimensions. Eco-natural organic farming shows many potential rewards that mainly include higher biodiversity and improved soil and water quality, enhanced profitability, and higher nutritional value as well as many potential outlay including lower yields and higher consumer prices. However, numerous important dimensions have high uncertainty, particularly the environmental performance when controlling for lower Eco-natural yields, but also yield stability, soil erosion, water use, and labor conditions. The study is an effort to identify conditions that influence the relative acceptance and performance of Eco-natural farming products, highlighting areas for increased research and policy support. Lack of sustainability, today is a leading cause of environmental decadence. Despite major increases in the generation of natural food items, developing countries like India seem to follow and adapt at a slower pace. Eco-natural organic farming has been proposed as a solution to achieving sustainable food protection.

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Section: Contextual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rewards of Eco-natural management for biodiversity of wildlife on farmland are clear across different taxa (40,41).…”

Section: Contextual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Contextual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Contextual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Dynamism of Eco-Organic Food Products , Consumer Intentions for Purchasing

Goyal¹,

Tjprc²

2018

IJBMR

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“…The biggest sustainability challenge in conventional cotton production remains the need for high inputs of agrochemicals, many of which are known for their adverse effects on human health and potential harm to the environment (Page and Ritchie, 2009; Bachmann, 2012). Since most of the cotton produced in India is grown by smallholder, subsistence farmers usually with land holdings of less than one hectare, capital intensive high input farming is not the most suited choice for them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Diagnosis of Biophysical and Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Farmers’ Choice to Adopt Organic or Conventional Farming Systems for Cotton Production

Riar

Mandloi²,

Poswal

et al. 2017

Front. Plant Sci.

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Organic agriculture is one of the most widely known alternative production systems advocated for its benefits to soil, environment, health and economic well-being of farming communities. Rapid increase in the market demand for organic products presents a remarkable opportunity for expansion of organic agriculture. A thorough understanding of the context specific motivations of farmers for adoption of organic farming systems is important so that appropriate policy measures are put in place. With an aim of understanding the social and biophysical motivations of organic and conventional cotton farmers for following their respective farming practices, a detailed farm survey was conducted in Nimar valley of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The study area was chosen for being an important region for cotton production, where established organic and conventional farms operate under comparable circumstances. We found considerable variation among organic and conventional farmers for their social and biophysical motivations. Organic farmers were motivated by the sustainability of cotton production and growing safer food without pesticides, whereas conventional farmers were sensitive about their reputation in community. Organic farmers with larger holdings were more concerned about closed nutrient cycles and reducing their dependence on external inputs, whereas medium and small holding organic farmers were clearly motivated by the premium price of organic cotton. Higher productivity was the only important motivation for conventional farmers with larger land holdings. We also found considerable yield gaps among different farms, both under conventional and organic management, that need to be addressed through extension and training. Our findings suggest that research and policy measures need to be directed toward strengthening of extension services, local capacity building, enhancing availability of suitable inputs and market access for organic farmers.

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Value chain interventions for improving women's economic empowerment: A mixed‐methods systematic review and meta‐analysis

Malhotra,

Mantri,

Gupta

et al. 2024

Campbell Systematic Reviews

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BackgroundValue chain interventions have become widespread throughout the international development sector over the last 20 years, and there is a need to evaluate their effectiveness in improving women's welfare across multiple dimensions. Agricultural value chains are influenced by socio‐cultural norms and gender dynamics that have an impact on the distribution of resources, benefits, and access to opportunities. While women play a critical role in agriculture, they are generally confined to the least‐valued parts of the value chain with the lowest economic returns, depending on the local, social and institutional contexts.ObjectivesThe review assesses the effectiveness of approaches, strategies and interventions focused on women's engagement in agricultural value chains that lead to women's economic empowerment in low‐ and middle‐income countries. It explores the contextual barriers and facilitators that determine women's participation in value chains and ultimately impact their effectiveness.Search MethodsWe searched completed and on‐going studies from Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection (Social Sciences Citation Index [SSCI], Science Citation Index Expanded [SCI‐EXPANDED], Conference Proceedings Citation Index – Science [CPCI‐S], Conference Proceedings Citation Index – Social Science & Humanities [CPCI‐SSH], and Emerging Sources Citation Index [ESCI]), International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, EconLit, Business Source Premier, APA PsycInfo, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane, Database of Systematic Reviews, CAB Abstracts and Sociological Abstracts. We also searched relevant websites such as Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR); the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); AgriProFocus; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF); Donor Committee for Enterprise Development; the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO); the International Labour Organisation (ILO); the Netherlands Development Organisation; USAID; the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; the International Food Policy Research Institute; World Agroforestry; the International Livestock Research Institute; the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office; the British Library for Development Studies (BLDS); AGRIS; the IMMANA grant database; the 3ie impact evaluation database; Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA); The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J‐PAL); the World Bank IEG evaluations; the USAID Development Data Library; Experience Clearinghouse; the proceedings of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy conference; the proceedings of the Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE) Conference; the proceedings of the North East Universities Development Consortium (NEUDC) Conference; and the World Bank Economic Review. The database search was conducted in March 2022, and the website search was completed in August 2022.Selection CriteriaThe review includes value chain interventions evaluating the economic empowerment outcomes. The review includes effectiveness studies (experimental and non‐experimental studies with a comparison group) and process evaluations.Data Collection and AnalysisTwo review authors independently assessed studies for inclusion, extracted data, critically appraised the studies, and synthesised findings.ResultsWe found that value chain interventions are successful in improving the economic conditions of their intended beneficiaries. The interventions were found to improve women's economic outcomes such as income, assets holdings, productivity, and savings, but these effects were small in size and limited by low confidence in methodological quality. The meta‐analysis suggests that this occurs more via the acquisition of skills and improved inputs, rather than through improvement in access to profitable markets. The qualitative evidence on interventions points to the persistence of cultural barriers and other constraints. Those interventions implemented in Sub‐Saharan Africa and South Asia are consistently more successful for all outcomes considered, although there are few studies conducted in other areas of the world.ConclusionsThe review concludes that value chain interventions empower women, but perhaps to a lesser extent than expected. Economic empowerment does not immediately translate into empowerment within families and communities. Interventions should either moderate their expectations of empowerment goals, or they should be implemented in a way that ensures higher rates of participation among women and the acquisition of greater decision‐making power.

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Potential and limitations of organic and fair trade cotton for improving livelihoods of smallholders: evidence from Central Asia

Cited by 39 publications

References 12 publications

The Dynamism of Eco-Organic Food Products , Consumer Intentions for Purchasing

The Dynamism of Eco-Organic Food Products , Consumer Intentions for Purchasing

A Diagnosis of Biophysical and Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Farmers’ Choice to Adopt Organic or Conventional Farming Systems for Cotton Production

Value chain interventions for improving women's economic empowerment: A mixed‐methods systematic review and meta‐analysis

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