Sustainable Agricultural Intensification: A Handbook for Practitioners in East and Southern Africa

This book provides an insight into the background,lessons learned,and the methodology of facilitating the application of best-bet/best-fit agricultural technologies to smallholder farms in East and Southern Africa (ESA). It highlights technologies for resilient and nutrient-dense crops, better crop arrangement, soil management, postharvest loss reduction, livestock feeding, food processing, and integration. Gender dynamics are emphasized, and the book is a valuable resource for development practitioners, agricultural scientists, and students.

Format: Hardback
Length: 184 pages
Publication date: 13 April 2022
Publisher: CABI Publishing

This book provides valuable insights into the background, lessons learned, and methodology of facilitating the application of best-bet/best-fit agricultural technologies to smallholder farms in East and Southern Africa (ESA). Over an eight-year period [2012 - 2020], all technologies highlighted within this book, except those on livestock feeding, were extensively trialed and demonstrated in farmers' fields as part of the Feed the Future/USAID-funded research-for-development Africa RISING ESA Project, with support from the CGIAR. The livestock feed technologies were compiled from Eastern Africa literature and included to offer a comprehensive set of technologies relevant for farmers in mixed farming systems. The topics covered include the introduction of resilient and nutrient-dense crops, improved crop arrangement in the field to enhance intercrop benefits, and effective soil management practices to improve soil fertility and minimize physical soil and nutrient loss. Additionally, the publication features technologies for postharvest loss reduction, livestock feeding, food processing, and later chapters that explore innovative ways of integrating multiple technologies within a farming system and scaling up key research products.

Throughout the handbook, the importance of considering gender dynamics to ensure equitable outcomes from technologies is emphasized. This book serves as a valuable resource for development and scaling agencies, providing evidence-based descriptions of sustainable agricultural intensification technologies that have undergone rigorous validation with smallholder farmers. It serves as a convenient, easy-to-read, and science-based how-to guide for successful deployment of improved agricultural technologies, enabling readers to save time and resources for research trials. By leveraging the experiences and expertise shared in this book, stakeholders can work towards enhancing agricultural productivity, improving food security, and promoting sustainable rural development in ESA.

Dimension: 244 x 172 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800621602