Sustainable Agriculture: Developing Practices for Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture from Field to Landscape Level
Agriculture remains the largest user of land and freshwater resources globally, particularly in the global South. It also supports many livelihoods, either directly or indirectly. Despite this importance, millions of farmers still live in poverty and struggle to achieve yield potential within their environments. With demand for food expected to increase by ~60% by 2050, there is an urgent need to improve productivity. However, climate variability and change, population growth, land-use change, and degradation are challenging the goals of achieving food and nutrition security and sustainable livelihoods. In addition, there is limited scope to increase cultivated land, with evidence highlighting declining agricultural productivity and increasing land and ecosystem degradation. Thus, there is a need to achieve increased agricultural productivity that intensifies the use of existing cultivated land without negatively impacting the environment.
Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (SAI) refers to the production of more food on the same piece of land while reducing negative environmental impacts or with positive environmental benefits. SAI considers that the drivers of demand for land and water resources, including population growth, land-use change and climate change, are complex and threaten interlinked land and water systems and food systems’ sustainability and resilience. In doing so, it advocates for integrated technologies and solutions that can sustainably increase food production on existing cultivated land while mitigating environmental trade-offs and optimising synergies under climate change. This is particularly important in the global South, where environmental pressures, population growth and demand for food are projected to increase.
This Article Collection focuses on sharing knowledge, case studies, innovations and scaling solutions that address SAI, focusing on the global South. Lessons from the global North will be considered as they provide solutions applicable in the global South. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
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Sustainable agricultural intensification
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Climate-smart agriculture
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Land, water, soil and sustainable irrigation solutions
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Mixed farming systems
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Agroecological and nature-based solutions for agricultural intensification
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Landscape-based approaches
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Crop improvement and breeding for genetic gains
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Crop-climate modelling and digital solutions
All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection underwent desk assessment and peer-review as part of our standard editorial process. The Guest Advisors were not involved in peer-reviewing manuscripts unless they were an existing member of Cogent Food & Agriculture Editorial Board.
Guest advisors
Professor Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi(International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Southern Africa Office, Pretoria, South Africa)
Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi is a Senior Researcher and Research Group Leader: Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and an Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham in Malaysia and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His research covers sustainable food systems, climate change adaptation and the water-energy-food nexus.
Professor Festo Massawe(School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia)
Festo Massawe is a Professor of Crop Science at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. He is also the Executive Director of University of Nottingham’s Future Food Beacon of Excellence and currently leads a research group focused on improving both the supply and demand-sides of Food Environments to deliver sustainable and healthy diets.
Professor Kadambot Siddique(Institute of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, Australia)
Kadambot Siddique has over 30 years of experience in agricultural research, teaching and management in both Australia and overseas. He has developed a national and international reputation in agricultural science, especially in the fields of crop physiology, production agronomy, farming systems, genetic resources, breeding research in cereal, grain and pasture legumes, and oilseed crops.