Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The annual yield increase globally was 30% in 1950 and <1% in 2001 (Kotschi
2013). High yields due to adoption of the Green Revolution technology were obtained
on fertile soils with liberal use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and by expan-
sion of irrigation. Yet, intensification of agriculture, adopted in the 1960s, has been
used by only a small proportion of total farms that are large scale and use commer-
cial farming techniques. It is estimated that small landholders produce food for 70%
of the total population and use only 30% of the resources. While these statistics may
be debatable, the fact remains that food security and the Millennium Development
Goals can only be achieved by increasing the productivity of small landholder farms.
Most small landholders, farming <2 ha of arable land, are in Asia and Africa but
also in the Caribbean and South and Central America (Von Braun 2005). Globally,
the percentage of all small landholder farms is estimated at 85% (Nagayets 2005);
however, the total land area farmed by them was 60% in 1980 and ~40% at present
(Kotschi 2013). Small landholders have an important role to play in alleviating global
hunger and poverty. Adoption of proven and recommended management practices
(RMPs) can narrow the yield gap and triple or even quadruple the agronomic yield
of cereals, which has stagnated at ~1 Mg/ha since the 1960s. Thus, the objective of
this chapter is to deliberate strategies of improving and sustaining the productivity
of small landholder farms, and outline potential challenges of implementing these
strategies.
1.2 CHARACTERISTICS OF SMALLHOLDER FARMS
There are ~500 million small farms (<2 ha) in the world, and 87% of these are in
the Asia and Pacific regions. China and India account for 193 million and 93 million
of small farms, respectively (International Fund for Agriculture Development 2010;
Trapa and Gaiha 2011). Most small landholders, regardless of the region where they
farm, have numerous common attributes (Figure 1.1). Traditionally, several features
linking small landholders from around the world included degraded and depleted
soils; vulnerability to harsh and changing climate; low-risk and traditional systems
based on family labor and low external input; and limited access to services, mar-
ket, and credit facilities (Figure 1.1). With these characteristics, they have been in
the grip of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. Small landholders are characterized
by having a small land area (0.2-2 ha) and low per capita natural resources. Their
household income is related to the farm size; poor farmers often cultivate 0.4-1.0 ha
of land (Tittonell et al. 2005). Most small farms practice mixed farming but have
a lack of a specific forage production system. Thus, there is a strong dependency
on using crop residues as fodder and on open grazing leading to a limited cycling
of nutrients. Farms closer to homesteads are more fertile than those farther away
because ash from kitchen and other household wastes are recycled.
Farm operations (e.g., seedbed preparation, weeding, harvesting) are performed
manually or with draft animals. Thus, drudgery and hard work, under harsh climate
conditions, are common features. With limited resources, however, small landhold-
ers are mostly risk adverse. The goal is to use safe practices that produce a mini-
mum assured yield during the worst season rather than maximize yield during the
best season. The food security of families is the major driver in decision making.
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