Understanding and informing decisions on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (SAI) was initially defined as increasing agricultural production without adverse environmental impacts and without increasing the area under agriculture. Over time the concept has been broadened to integrate social, economic, and environmental components of sustainability, each of which covers multiple facets or indicators of performance. It is recognized however that it may not be possible to optimize all these aspects of sustainability simultaneously and that trade-offs between them are likely to occur, although synergies are also possible. There has been disagreement over how to achieve SAI, with some proposing that only an 'agroecological' intensification pathway delivers sustainability. Others take a broader perspective arguing that all aspects of ecological, genetic, and socioeconomic intensification need to be considered, but then assessed in terms of the sustainability of the outcomes. A major concern is that intensification that focuses on agricultural technology can lead to inequitable outcomes for women and poorer households, while agroecological intensification building upon local capitals is generally considered more equitable. Understanding the potential outcomes and inherent trade-offs of different approaches requires interdisciplinary research, evidence and decision-making tools, some examples of which are presented in this Special Issue.

Lessons on enabling African smallholder farmers, especially women and youth, to benefit from sustainable agricultural intensification

“…The conditions for participation of smallholders, including women and youth, in the implementation and benefits of SAI are a complex process (Haggar et al, 2020). Nevertheless, our understanding of the challenges is improving, and some tools and approaches have been designed and validated that may assist in generating an enabling environment for smallholder participation in SAI.…”

“…Although there are different definitions of Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (SAI), there is common concern as to the equity and trade-offs in outcome when seeking implementation by smallholder farmers in Sub Saharan Africa (Haggar et al, 2020). Concerns about equity, focus on the access to resources to implement SAI and how this affects outcomes of SAI among different farming households or household members (Cook et al, 2015).…”

Development of Sustainable Attributes in Cayenne Pepper Agribusiness Using Multidimensional Scaling Techniques

“…The review of environmental sustainability aspects focuses on efforts to maintain the stability of biological systems and the physical environment. Specifically [4] created the concept of Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (SAI) which was originally defined as increasing agricultural production without adverse environmental impacts and without increasing agricultural area. Over time, the concept has been expanded to integrate social, economic, and environmental components, each covering different aspects or performance indicators.…”

Land use effects on termite assemblages in Kenya

“…Termites form an important component of the soil invertebrate community and they contribute to different ecosystem services ( Jouquet et al., 2011 ). Like most biodiversity, they are threatened by agricultural intensification ( Zabel et al., 2019 ) which is on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) ( Haggar et al., 2020 ). In the last decade, conversion of natural ecosystems to agricultural land has been observed in SSA in order to cater for the increased demand in supply of key staple crops ( Kuyah et al., 2021 ).…”