Threats to the Soil Resource Base of Food Security in China and Europe. A report from the Sino-EU Panel on Land and Soil

To secure adequate food supply is the major challenge for humanity in the 21st century. Growing world population and its urbanization put pressure on this basic need, which is further threatened by the constant loss of fertile land. The assessment of sustainability of food supply under increasing pressure on land resources has been selected as one of the most important priority topics of the activities of Sino-EU Panel on Land and Soil (SEPLS). The Panel has performed a number of related researches and discussed the results on a scientific seminar in January 2012 in Nanjing, China. This report is an output of this seminar with a summary of the structured discussions on the below issues. 1. Urban and peri-urban development (soil sealing and loss of land functions) Urbanization and the linked spread of infrastructural development mean sealing of soil surfaces. Soil sealing is the most rapidly growing limitation for soil functions (including biomass production function) both in China and Europe. Soil sealing in China has been taking dramatic degree in the last two decades and the process is estimated to continue in the coming period as well. While urban and peri-urban development is looked as a necessity for social development, its negative effect on natural resources are inevitable. 2. Land degradation Despite the widely recognized importance of land degradation in the unsustainability of economic development and implementation of various policies to halt degradation (e.g. green for grain programme in China; cross-compliance measures in the EU), loss of land productivity by degradation is an ongoing process both in China and the EU. Major forms of soil degradation (erosion, desertification, landslides etc.) are similar in both regions. Assessment of the causes and consequences of soil degradation processes in relation to policy actions is highlighted among the priorities of the SEPLS. 3. Intensive agriculture and multi-function management of land resources Intensification and extensification in agriculture can be considered as the main changes in land use in rural areas in both EU and China. While agricultural intensification is one of the greatest threats to the soil and environment and then hampers the sustainable development of agriculture and food security. To meet this challenge, sustainable management of multi-functionality of land resources is undoubtedly an effective strategy, in which the EU has a good expertise. Bilateral exchange of the experience and knowledge benefits the sustainable management of land resources.JRC.H.5-Land Resources Managemen

Tropical and Subtropical Maize in Asia: Production Systems, Constraints, and Research Priorities

This book examines future technological and policy prospects for the sustainable intensification of rainfed upland maize production in Asia, and derives R&D priorities for specific maize production environments and markets. Village-level and farmer-group surveys were conducted to characterize upland maize production environments and systems in China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Survey findings, particularly farmer-identified constraints to maize production, complemented with other relevant data, were used in country-level, R&D priority-setting workshops. High on the list of farmer constraints was drought, estimated to affect three production environments that are home to about 48 million rural poor and produce an estimated 16 million tons of maize, and others such as downy mildew, stem borers, soil erosion/landslides, waterlogging, poor agricultural extension/ technology transfer services, and poor access to low-interest credit and markets. Farmers felt that socioeconomic and policy-related constraints impact maize productivity more than technical constraints do. It is important to recognize that technology is not the only key to increasing productivity and bettering the conditions of marginal maize farmers in Asia. There is a growing trend towards commercializing and intensifying maize production that is different from the staple food self-sufficiency paradigm that has been the cornerstone of agricultural policy in most developing countries. Appropriate government policies could help alleviate the adverse consequences of commercialization and promote sustainable intensification of maize production, especially in marginal environments inhabited by resource-poor subsistence farmersMaize, Agricultural development, Farming systems, Production policies, Environmental factors, Cropping systems, Research projects, Project management, Asia, Crop Production/Industries, E10,

Recommendation domains for pond aquaculture: country case study: development and status of freshwater aquaculture in Bangladesh

This report is an output of the project “Determination of high-potential aquaculture development areas and impact in Africa and Asia”. This monograph is the case study for Cameroon. Written in three parts, it describes the historical background, practices, stakeholder profiles, production levels, economic and institutional environment, policy issues, and prospects for aquaculture in the country. First, it documents the history and current status of the aquaculture in the country. Second, it assesses the technologies and approaches that either succeeded or failed to foster aquaculture development and discusses why. Third, it identifies the key reasons for aquaculture adoption

GIS applications for poverty targeted aquaculture development in the lower Mekong Basin.

In the lower Mekong Basin, marginal socio-economic conditions prevail amongst rural small scale farming households which heavily depend on highly seasonal, rain-fed farming systems for their livelihood. Persistent rural poverty is aggravated by frequently occurring droughts and floods. A yearly flood-drought cycle, while essential to their household economy based on rice and fisheries, renders rural poor livelihoods vulnerable to recurrent periods of food insecurity. This research demonstrates how a combination of publicly accessible Remote Sensing imagery and disaggregated poverty maps, within a comprehensive rural development framework, can provide an effective method to target pro-poor aquaculture development interventions at the local level. An agro-ecosystems analysis is performed in order to capture the seasonal dynamics of water- and aquatic resource exploitation. A holistic farming systems approach emphasises the potential of ponds in integrated rural smallholder systems to reduce poverty and vulnerability under rain fed conditions. A Geographic Information System (GIS), an efficient spatial inventory tool and decision support system in resolving real world problems, is used to identify where rural poor households can potentially benefit from the integration of aquaculture into existing production systems. A time series of satellite derived vegetation index data reveals distinct agro-ecosystem seasonality over large parts of the study area, which is indicative for farming systems under rain fed conditions. The developed methodology is capable of identifying functionally different agro-ecosystems. Socio-economic indicators for Cambodian parts of the lowland areas point to widespread rural poverty and vulnerability to recurrent food insecurity, which is directly related to agro-ecosystems seasonality and annual climate variability. Dependence of farming households on low productivity rain fed rice agro-ecosystems in Cambodia’s southern provinces is in stark contrast to the highly productive farming systems directly bordering it, in the freshwater fluvial zone of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. A rapid increase in rice productivity in this densely populated area went hand-in hand with a considerable reduction in rural poverty. In this flood-prone but fertile area, resource competition and falling market prices of rice may have prompted the development of a range of integrated farming systems. The incorporation of ponds on farm in these systems facilitates reuse of nutrients from farm by-products for low-input aquatic resource production. In Northeast Thailand, crop production and low-input aquaculture have been successfully integrated along a tradition of water- and living aquatic resources management in farmer managed systems under resource poor conditions. A spatially linked commune level rural development database for Sisaket province in Northeast Thailand provides a useful framework for planning of aquaculture development through systems that are appropriate and relevant to local socio-economic and agro-ecological conditions. It was concluded that the socio-economic and agro-ecological context of rural poverty in Southeast Cambodia offers scope for similar pathways to improve rural wellbeing and reduce vulnerability to poverty and food insecurity by integrating aquatic resources development in pond based systems as part of an interdisciplinary approach towards rural development

Culture of fish in rice fields

Rice is presently grown in 113 countries. Rice farming also offers a suitable environment for the culture of fish and other aquatic organism. This publication synthesizes the available information on the role that aquaculture can play in rice-based farming systems towards food security and poverty alleviation. The review describes the history behind integrating aquaculture with different rice ecosystems, the various production systems in operation such as concurrent, rotational and alternate, the modifications needed to the fields in order to integrate fish with rice farming, and the agronomic and aquaculture management that is necessary. The benefits of integration to communities - economic and environmental - are also described with reviews of the experiences from values countries. The real impacts of rice-fish farming and its future potential in terms of improved income and nutrition are significant but generally underestimated and undervalued. Notable changes have taken place in pest management in rice farming, and in fish seed production and availability making this a particularly relevant moment for emphasizing the importance of rice-fish farming. There is considderable potential for rice-fish farming to expand further in many countries and to contribute substantially towards global food and nutritional security.Freshwater fish, Fish culture

Aquatic agricultural systems in Cambodia: national situation analysis

The objective of the current report produced for the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) is to provide basic information on key constraints driving poverty and vulnerability in aquatic agricultural systems in the Tonle Sap region in Cambodia. Six objectives and corresponding research themes are included in the program: sustainable increases in productivity; equitable access to markets; resilience and adaptive capacity; empowering policies and institutions; reduced gender disparity; and expanded benefits for the resource-poor. In this report, the authors review the main aquatic agricultural systems (status, specific policies and strategies, interventions, challenges, and options), then review the main drivers of change. This leads to an identification of plans and strategies important to AAS, with a particular focus on perspectives, gaps and opportunities in national policies, community engagement, increased benefits, adaptive capacity, and gender. This review, of potential interest to decision makers and all development partners, leads to conclusions and recommendations aimed at policymakers and institutional as well as private investors in development

The coastal environmental profile of Brunei Darussalam: resource assessment and management issues

Coastal zone management, Resource development, Coastal zone, Environmental profile, Brunei Darussalam, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,