Outlook on Agriculture

Seed systems research is central to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Improved varieties with promise for ending hunger, improving nutrition, and increasing livelihood security may be released, but how do they reach and benefit different types of farmers? Without widespread adoption the genetic gains achieved with improved crop varieties can never be actualized. Progress has been made toward demand responsive breeding, however the draft CGIAR 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy fails to recognize the complexity of seed systems and thus presents a narrow vision for the future of seed systems research. This points to the lack of evidence-based dialogue between seed systems researchers and breeders. This perspective paper presents findings from an interdisciplinary group of more than 50 CGIAR scientists who used a suite of seed systems tools to identify four knowledge gaps and associated insights from work on the seed systems for vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs), focusing on bananas (especially cooking bananas and plantains), cassava, potato, sweetpotato, and yam. We discuss the implications for thinking about and intervening in seed systems using a combined biophysical and socioeconomic perspective and how this can contribute to increased varietal adoption and benefits to farmers. The tools merit wider use, not only for the seed systems of VPCs, but for the seed of crops facing similar adoption challenges. We argue for deeper collaboration between seed systems researchers, breeders and national seed system stakeholders to address these and other knowledge gaps and generate the evidence and innovations needed to break through the 40% adoption ceiling for modern varieties, and ensure good quality seed once the new varieties have been adopted. Without this, the achievements of breeders may remain stuck in the seed delivery pipeline.

Agriculture is in crisis. Soil health is collapsing. Biodiversity faces the sixth mass extinction. Crop yields are plateauing. Against this crisis narrative swells a clarion call for Regenerative Agriculture. But what is Regenerative Agriculture, and why is it gaining such prominence? Which problems does it solve, and how? Here we address these questions from an agronomic perspective. The term Regenerative Agriculture has actually been in use for some time, but there has been a resurgence of interest over the past 5 years. It is supported from what are often considered opposite poles of the debate on agriculture and food. Regenerative Agriculture has been promoted strongly by civil society and NGOs as well as by many of the major multi-national food companies. Many practices promoted as regenerative, including crop residue retention, cover cropping and reduced tillage are central to the canon of ‘good agricultural practices’, while others are contested and at best niche (e.g. permaculture, holistic grazing). Worryingly, these practices are generally promoted with little regard to context. Practices most often encouraged (such as no tillage, no pesticides or no external nutrient inputs) are unlikely to lead to the benefits claimed in all places. We argue that the resurgence of interest in Regenerative Agriculture represents a re-framing of what have been considered to be two contrasting approaches to agricultural futures, namely agroecology and sustainable intensification, under the same banner. This is more likely to confuse than to clarify the public debate. More importantly, it draws attention away from more fundamental challenges. We conclude by providing guidance for research agronomists who want to engage with Regenerative Agriculture.

COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the Indian agricultural system extensively. Nevertheless, the recent quarterly GDP estimates post-COVID scenario showcase robustness and resilience in Indian agriculture, the only sector to register a positive growth of 3.4% during the financial year (FY here after) 2020–21 (Quarter 1: April 2020 to June 2020). At the same time, the immediate past quarter growth was estimated at 5.9% witnessing a decline by 2.5% point. In this context, we aim to synthesize the early evidence of the COVID-19 impact on the Indian agricultural system viz., production, marketing and consumption followed by a set of potential strategies to recover and prosper post-pandemic. Survey findings indicate that the pandemic has affected production and marketing through labour and logistical constraints, while the negative income shock restricted access to markets and increased prices of food commodities affecting the consumption pattern. The pandemic wreaked a substantial physical, social, economic and emotional havoc on all the stakeholders of Indian agricultural system. Seizing the crisis as an opportunity, the state announced a raft of measures and long-pending reforms. We propose a 10-point strategy ranging from social safety nets, family farming, monetizing buffer stock, staggered procurement to secondary agriculture to revive and prosper post-pandemic.

A genetic impact assessment (GIA) methodology is developed, consisting of consultation of stakeholders, identification of issues and assessment of associated indicators, for crossbreeding with exotic beef breeds in smallholder mixed farms. The GIA is implemented in two case studies of crossbreeding with Limousin and Simmental in Madura and Central Java, Indonesia. Consultation of stakeholders (n = 421) in focus group discussions yielded the issues that should be taken into account in a GIA. Farmers identified economic benefits, feed availability, cattle management, animal’s performances, additional functions of cattle, and health and fertility as issues. Policymakers mentioned the production of beef as the main issue while scientists called for environmental quality and maintaining local farm animal genetic resources as issues. Indicators to characterize these issues in a GIA were deducted from literature; determination of the indicators was based on data sampled on 97 farms, keeping local Madura or Limousin crossbreds, in Madura and 252 farms and keeping local Ongole or Simmental crossbreds, in Central Java. The GIA showed that crossbreeding contributes to increased meat production at the national level; however, it does not necessarily guarantee improvements in economic benefits at farm level nor environmental performances.

Food insecurity creates serious ethical, economic, and stability problems in all countries of the world, resulting in a need for its research. Each country seeks to ensure the highest degree of self-sufficiency in meeting the food needs by its own food production. However, the production of a sufficient quantity of food, and in particular its adequate structure, is not always fully realized. Therefore, ensuring food security has become an issue of primary strategic importance. Given that all the countries of the former Yugoslavia are relatively new countries undergoing a difficult period of transition, and that there are no local studies on food security, it remains to be examined how food- secure these countries are today and what factors affect their food security. The survey covered all countries of the former Yugoslavia: Republic of Serbia, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Croatia, Republic of Slovenia and Northern Macedonia. The survey data were taken from the FAOSTAT database, World Bank, as well as the national statistics of the countries of the former Yugoslavia, and hierarchical regression analysis was used. The results of the research showed that there is a statistically significant influence on the level of food security of all independent factors: general level of economic development, population growth, foreign trade, investments in agriculture. Of all the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia has emerged as the most nutritionally secure country, while the lowest level of food security has been observed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Female farmers play an important role in rural economies, although they are not always statistically recorded. The aim of this article is to look beyond macro statistics and official figures provided for female farming at European Union level and try to provide a clearer picture of social and economic efficacy and transformation of the situation for women in agriculture at local level. In Greece, one-third of the agricultural holdings belong to female farmers according to the official statistics. However, the official national statistics which monitor women in agriculture give a macro description of the situation, prone to mistakes and obscure readings of the reality. For this purpose, a concerted effort is made to elaborate on the main characteristics of female farms and their transformations at local level through the past years reading beyond the official statistical data and delving into the field research. The above is accomplished by means of local key-informants and qualitative techniques in one of the most dynamic agricultural areas in Greece, and one that holds a percentage of female farms above the national figure. Research shows that the situation for female farmers has improved during the last decade, but they still face a constellation of problems along with social exclusion, especially in villages of the study area with particular cultural characteristics. All in all, it seems that local cultural standards and values affect the overall integration of women in agriculture despite all incentives and contemporary policies.

This study examines the trends in foreign trade in agriculture focusing on imports and exports for different sub-sectors and the identity of agricultural trade flows with specific regions and countries. Secondly, to understand how agricultural imports and exports improve the living standards of households in South Africa. The study uses a quantitative research approach by analysing trade data from the South African Revenue Services (SARS) and household data from the World Bank and OECD. The threshold vector autoregressive (TVAR) model is employed to establish a nonlinear causal relationship. The Diks-Panchenko nonparametric causality test revealed no causal relationship between the foreign agricultural trade and household consumption and household income in South Africa. However, with the increase of exported agricultural goods from South Africa, there are many significant benefits to South African households.

The conditions that made smallholders important during the Soviet period no longer exist. Economic and societal changes mean that smallholders’ historical role is less relevant to contemporary Russian life. Smallholders’ food production is in decline, and smallholders are likely to experience continued marginalization going forward. Niche specialty markets cannot compensate for the broad-based decline in household production. Mega-farms and supermarket chains present unprecedented challenges to Russia’s smallholders, whose future is less certain than at any time in the past 40 years.

According to experts, agroecology gathers agricultural practices that improve resource efficiency, that strengthen resilience and that secure social equity and responsibility. The diffusion of this set of principles may innovate in most developed countries where conventional agriculture is widespread but may be questionable by agrarian society of sub-Saharan African country like Madagascar. The Itasy Region has developed there vegetable crops for marketing purpose. Part of the Itasy agricultural practices may be assimilated to conventional ones, justifying research and development action dedicated to the promotion of agroecology. However, a question arises: Are farmers who benefit from conventional agriculture interested in reducing chemical input to meet major principles of agroecology? A research project called SECuRE has deliberately chosen the peri-urban area of Itasy to perform a survey to 171 households that are representative of smallholder farms inside two Communes of Arivonimamo, a District of Itasy. This paper aims to assess how far agroecological practices may be integrated or intensified in their farming systems despite a long-term effect of conventional agriculture. As major results, among smallholder farms’ strategy, use of fertilizer is determining agricultural income. Organic fertilizer application is mandatory for almost all the diversified crops whereas mineral fertilizer secures global agricultural margins by smallholder farms. Organic fertilizer sources are managed at farming system scale by associating livestock and by using crop residue to limit as possible export of nutrients on soil by crops. This strategy includes the territorial management of fertility from extended grassland that remains for common use. Finally, whatever the training they may have attended or inherited from parents, farmers grow-up in experience and improve agricultural practice in long term. This study concludes that market-gardening in Itasy mobilizes reduced chemical input at farm scale. Agroecology is quite widespread there according to most of the principles advanced by experts.

Over the last few decades Vietnam has benefited from a rapid intensification of rice production ensuing high yields and economic gains. However, this has led to environmental degradation and adverse health effects. As a result, complex sustainable rice farming packages have been introduced but adoption still appears to be low. The present study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the adoption of sustainable rice farming practices combined in the national program “One Must Do, Five Reductions” (1M5R). Furthermore, a special focus was placed on identifying adoption constraints. Adoption was investigated by means of a survey questionnaire with 465 farmers in An Giang and Can Tho Province. Overall, results show that almost all farmers followed the requirements of pesticide reduction, post-harvest loss reduction, and the use of certified seeds. However, farmers had problems reducing their fertilizer use, water use, and seed rate. Results show that farmers perceive these practices to be difficult to implement, they do not fit farmers’ cropping pattern and the weather conditions hindered the implementation. The study further shows that ease of implementation, education, satisfaction and non-rice income are the main drivers for adopting the whole package. Adoption of the individual requirements is mainly driven by the ease of implementation and non-rice income for practices with lower adoption rates. This shows that farmers face physical adoption barriers, and that farmer satisfaction with the whole program is essential for a successful implementation. Results highlight the need for adoption monitoring and the continuation of extension services for the specific requirements specified under 1M5R.