Agriculture Movement Research Articles

Food Security, Food Sovereignty, and Urban Agriculture in Cuba

In the last thirty years, Cuba and its capital Havana have become homes to one of the most vibrant urban agricultural movements in the world. This article argues that urban agriculture (UA) became the epitome of a broader movement of “agricultural revolution” that followed the collapse of the previous, capital intensive, monocultural agro-export model. It contends that this transformation revolved around three pillars – land redistribution, agricultural diversification, and agroecology – that account for a transition from food security to food sovereignty. It also presents the results of interviews conducted in Havana with urban farmers to assess the impact that UA has on their family’s diet and food security. The research demonstrates that UA guarantees a heightened feeling of independence to urban farmers and has a tremendous impact on their food security and diversity, most notably through autoconsumption. It also shows that community needs, use value, and the decommodification of food and land are the driving principles of UA in Cuba, which is in line with the food sovereignty model.

Global movements for accelerating climate change action: the case of Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration

ABSTRACT Much can be learned from burgeoning climate action movements in thousands of majority world rural communities. Land degradation has increased the vulnerability of over three billion people to famine, food insecurity, water shortages, and increasingly severe weather events, trapping climate-vulnerable communities in vicious cycles of impoverishment. Yet, many communities are learning through local climate action how to escape these cycles. We offer the case of Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) as one example to understand the conditions under which impoverished rural communities address ecological degradation. Combining simple reforestation action with a community engagement approach enables farming households using FMNR to regreen their landscapes, increase food security, reduce poverty, increase resilience to climate change and transform rural development. Communities in at least 29 countries are practising FMNR, reforesting tens of millions of hectares of land, strengthening communities, and restoring landscapes. Synergies between FMNR and faith-based moral principles help boost its embrace. Across the majority world, moral imagination and reasoning help motivate emotions that sustain farmers’ local action through their hope of a better future and scale up globally important community-based agricultural movements. Such collective action movements harness synergies between climate justice, poverty reduction, and human flourishing.

DO AGRICULTURAL REFORMS INCREASING THE PROSPERITY OF INDONESIAN FARMERS?

Since several decades, agricultural movements have been supporting the majority of villages in Indonesia. Agricultural reform is a new program organized by the government that started in 2019. In this context, the objectivity of the paper is to examine causality between technology adoption (TA), capital subsidies (CS), educational skills (ES), and health and scholarships (H&S) on farmers' prosperity (FP). Using a time–series regression simulation, the investigation is focused on agricultural reform in the era of President Jokowi, to be precise in the 2nd period (2019–2023). In Indonesia, there are simultaneous parallel effects of technology adoption, capital subsidies, educational skills, and health and scholarships on the farmers' prosperity. When testing partially, the result is that technology adoption as well as health and scholarships have a positive effect on the farmers' prosperity. Yet, capital subsidies and educational skills actually have a negative effect on the farmers' prosperity. Explicitly, the consistency of agricultural reform is expected to be accessible to all farmers.

The future of organic certification: potential impacts of the inclusion of Participatory Guarantee Systems in the European organic regulation

Third-party certification (TPC) is the standard approach to quality assurance for organic production, but its administrative burden and cost make it difficult for smallholders to access it. Internal Control Systems (ICS) and Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) are possible alternative approaches because they are more accessible and less costly. Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic production allows ICS for small farmers. However, PGS are not included, despite being promoted by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and officially recognised by several countries worldwide. This study aims to evaluate the possible future inclusion of PGS at the European level. Twenty-eight experts participated in a Delphi exercise, and both optimistic and pessimistic views were agreed upon amongst them. In the pessimistic view, bureaucratic excess and standardisation requirements needed in the process of PGS institutionalisation could emerge, resulting in even more rigid practices compared to the current ones. In the optimistic view, recognising PGS as a legitimate approach to guarantee the quality of organic products could foster the inclusion of smallholders by lowering certification costs, increasing cohesion and competencies amongst rural development actors and increasing the reputation of PGS-certified local products.

Healthy people, soils, and ecosystems: uncovering primary drivers in the adoption of regenerative agriculture by US farmers and ranchers

As regenerative agriculture grows in popularity, policy and decision-makers have become interested in its practices. Yet, little is known about those factors driving its adoption among farmers and ranchers. To better understand these drivers, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 31 farmers and ranchers across the United States (US) who self-identified as practitioners of regenerative agriculture. In doing so, we asked about relational values, which reflect one’s perspectives around the links between humans and nature. We also asked about economic and environmental drivers for adoption. In the analysis, we used qualitative coding to identify the range of values and factors driving adoption across our sample. We found that 1) improving the health of people, soils, and ecosystems - through farming practices and related social configurations - was a primary driver for adoption, 2) that relative economic privilege, particularly across two extremes - privileged idealism and less privileged necessity - correlated with most drivers for adoption, 3) that a shift away from industrial agriculture was at once a moral, economic, and environmental imperative for many practitioners, and 4) a systems view of social-ecological relationships was seen as a key to adoption and societal transitions. While our sample represents only a narrow segment of the regenerative agriculture movement in the US, our findings can serve as a useful starting point for understanding the drivers for its adoption. Our findings may also inform conversations on regenerative agriculture’s potential to support food-related sustainability transitions. The discussion situates our work amidst sustainable agriculture and social movement studies, questions of equity in food systems transitions, and the benefits of studying values in developing policy-relevant solutions.

‘Hitting at the heart of a massive problem’: articulating a democratic education through feminist practices of freedom and urban farm movements in Buenos Aires, Argentina

ABSTRACT This ethnographic paper navigates the intersections of feminism, urban farm movements, and democratic education at La Granja Puerta del Sol, a small farm near Buenos Aires, Argentina. Under the stewardship of Dani Ramirez, the farm resonates with the ethos of urban agriculture, while actively contesting gender norms and patriarchal structures. In parallel, it functions as a dynamic educational hub and platform for activist causes in their community. Utilising the theoretical perspectives of Michel Foucault's politics of freedom and Linda Zerilli's feminist practices of freedom, I analyze the farm's strategies in fostering sustainability, care work ethics, and collective decision-making. This exploration unveils how La Granja embodies feminist democratic education, underscoring the farm's potential to influence and reshape broader democratic education practices.

Chinese Agriculture for “Green and Grain” Productivity Growth: Evidence from Jiangsu Province

China is striving to leverage the power of science and technology to green its agriculture and simultaneously enhance grain productivity. To assess the performance dynamics of the dual agricultural mission, this study presents the green growth rate of agriculture using the DEA-based Green Total Factor Productivity (GTFP) indicator, together with the growth rate of grain yields, and applies it to the case of Jiangsu, a major grain-producing province with a well-developed economy. It is found that Jiangsu’s agriculture has generally performed well during the implementation of the two major national strategies addressing green development and grain security, especially in northern Jiangsu, which is a major grain-producing area. In contrast, the phased fluctuations in green growth in agriculture in southern Jiangsu are more pronounced, with negative green growth even occurring during the green agriculture movement. Much of the volatility in agricultural green growth at the provincial, subregional and municipal levels is generated by the effects of the movement of the green technology frontier, which is led by the best practitioners. Accordingly, the possibility of improving the weak state of the catch-up effect on green growth is explored from the perspective of the Chinese government-led agricultural science and innovation system; it also traces the green agricultural initiatives in the main grain-marketing areas that have failed to deliver the expected green growth, and recommends a review of such policies and a refinement of the GTFP Index tool for assessing sustainable green growth.

Expanding recognition and inclusion of animal-free organic agriculture in the sustainable agriculture movement

Expanding recognition and inclusion of animal-free organic agriculture in the sustainable agriculture movement

Statistical Farm Records: Drivers and Challenges Among Smallholder Rice Farmers in Ndop Plain, Cameroon

The study seeks to analyze statistical farm records: drivers and challenges among smallholder rice farmers in Ndop Plain, Cameroon. Specifically, to determine the factors influencing smallholder rice farmers in Ndop Plain to keep statistical farm records and to analyze the challenges in the exercise. Methodologically, the study employed primary data collected from some 470 rice farmers using a well-structured questionnaire. Purposive sampling technique was applied to select respondents and a conventional Probit model used to estimate the result. It was observed that: male farmer, level of education, used of records, used of technology to manage statistical farm records, production of different types of rice, use of farm record for input and output analysis, had farm record training and Movement from manual to electronic record keeping are significantly influencing farmers’ statistical farm records practices in Ndop Plain. The challenges observed with record keeping are: fundamental error keeping, bulky records, inadequate finance, records misplacement and burdensome to keep farm records. Considering that only 34% of farmers are involved in records keeping and willing to move from manual way of keeping records to electronic, the study suggests that an online App is created for easy accessibility and inputting of these farm records. This will be a wise-step for the government to scale the process of farm output.

ANALYSIS AND FUNDAMENTATION OF NORMATIVE INTERFACES BETWEEN HALAL AND ORGANIC IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION

Knowing that both Halal system and organic food production system have as purpose the environmental and social sustainability, this research started from the hypothesis of the existence of significant interfaces in norms and practices that govern these two systems. The objective of this research was to identify, analyze and support possible normative interfaces between these two systems. The norms related to the halal system were investigated within the Sharia, or Islamic Law, and the norms related to the organic system were researched within International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and in guidelines of certifiers operating in Brazil. This research was classified as qualitative and exploratory in all its execution phases. The results allowed to identify five relevant interfaces: (a) nature of both halal and organic product; (b) guarantee of both halal and the organic product; (c) contaminated animal and illegal for consumption; (d) genetically modified food; and (e) slaughter of animals. Although they are interfaces, they do not have enough elements to match in fundamentals these two systems. It is concluded that, despite being sustainable, there are normative interfaces between the halal system and the organic system that show fundamental differences between them.

Farming for the patchy Anthropocene: The spatial imaginaries of regenerative agriculture

AbstractWith its focus on the species level of the Anthropos, there is growing concern that the Anthropocene analytic lacks the conceptual nuance needed to grapple with the unevenly distributed harms and responsibilities tied up with issues of biodiversity loss, global warming, and land use change. Conceptual variants like the patchy Anthropocene have been proposed to better capture the justice implications of these socio‐ecological crises, directing attention to their spatially ubiquitous yet context‐specific character. The figure of the plantation has come to play an important role in this scholarship due to the contribution intensive agriculture had made to these interlinking crises. Through empirical study of the regenerative agricultural movement, this paper reflects on how regenerative farmers use different sites (fields, soils, livestock stomachs) to apprehend their agro‐ethical responsibilities to more‐than‐human actors both near to and far from the landscapes they manage. Our aims here are two‐fold. First, we provide a more affirmative account of agricultural management than is currently offered by plantation farming: a model of food production that is not just ‘in’ the Anthropocene, but ‘for’ it. Second, we contribute to ongoing discussions unfolding in the social sciences around the tools needed to conceptualise the interlinking spatial and justice aspects of the Anthropocene transition. By bringing the patchy analytic into conversation with more established geographic writing on scale, volume, and horizontal connections, we show the merit of juxtaposing multiple models of spatial relation as a way of gaining ethical and conceptual traction on complex socio‐ecological issues. We argue that the ‘polymorphic’ spatial imaginaries of regenerative agriculturalists can offer some guidance on the tools needed to attend to the specificity of local Anthropocene outcomes in relation to socio‐ecological forces actuating the world at much greater spatio‐temporal scales.

Community agroecology. Basis for food resilience in the face of extreme events

The transition towards a decentralized and diversified agriculture is analyzed, as a response to the economic crisis unleashed in Cuba since the 90s, with greater prominence by the peasant family farming and urban agriculture movements. It is evident that agroecology has become popular in human settlements, facilitating the participation of the population in the development of small-area production systems (intensive gardens, organoponic gardens, plots, docks and farms), where they obtain more than 40 fresh products that are consumed in their own communities

Organic and Conventional Agriculture- A Comparative Economics: Bulletin of Agrarian State University from Moldova: 2022; (5/462):123-130. ISSN 1994-2796 (Print) Scientific Article

The main problem of agriculture is finding a compromise between (1) food security and (2) minimal nega- tive impact on the environment. Currently, the first task is called upon to solve traditional agriculture, the second — organic. To identify the most sustainable type of agriculture, it is important to compare their economic aspects. When comparing, the analogy method was used. To assess the dynamics of demand for organic products and resources for their production, data from the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the National Organic Union and the Union of Organic Farming were analyzed. The purpose of the study: to identify the benefits and opportunities of organic agriculture, the conditions for its long-term sustainability. The problem under consideration: the choice of the most appropriate type of agricul- ture for solving the main problems of the industry. The study showed that the driver for the development of organic agriculture in developed countries is consumer demand and a number of positive externalities, while the limiting factors for the wide distribution of this type are the high price of products, the decrease in the level of food security of countries, the need to increase the cost of research and development of specific technologies. In the short term, traditional agriculture will continue to dominate due to higher productivity. Organic agriculture, with an increase in research costs and the introduction of innovations, can compete with traditional agriculture in the long term.

Managed grazing and agroecological transformation in the Midwestern United States

A growing number of intergovernmental agencies, policymakers, scholars, and farmers are calling to transform the dominant food system so that it better supports farmers, communities, and the environment. The goal of this paper is to identify which actions that support managed livestock grazing and graziers can also promote agroecological transformation in the Midwestern U.S. We conducted 128 semi-structured interviews and 3 participatory workshops with farmers, civil society, and agricultural industry professionals focused on visions for the future and actions that could support managed grazing. We then applied a political agroecology framework to assess the transformative potential of specific actions. Action categories with high transformative potential include addressing industry consolidation and inequities in the distribution of land and capital; providing social supports for farm owners and workers; and shifting the social norms that support the dominant food system. Specific actions within these categories include supporting cooperative models of farming, marketing, and resource-sharing; providing healthcare, living wages, and retirement to farmers; supporting farmer-to-farmer networks; modifying crop insurance and anti-trust legislation; addressing farmland access and consolidation; expanding public education on agroecology; and enacting policies that dismantle and repair colonial and racial violence. The workshops revealed that a disproportionate share of attention within the Midwest sustainable agriculture movement is currently focused on strategies that support sustainable farming practices such as education and conservation assistance but do little to address governance structures that maintain the power of the current agricultural system. While these efforts are important, workshop participants and interviewees concluded that more systemic change is needed to build a food system that works better for people, communities, and the environment.

Socio-economic Correlation of Technology Know-how of Farm Entrepreneurs of Samastipur District of Bihar, India

Background: In the process of agricultural development, the prime mover is considered to be the new farming technology. Technology plays a pivotal role in every aspect of the agricultural phenomenon. It enhances productivity and transparency at every step of agricultural movements. Quality and quantity are managed through this facility which improves farmers’ socioeconomic status and mental health. From this perspective, technological involvement must be necessary with the human values. Methods: The study was conducted during 2019-21 to identify the role of different socio-economic variables and their correlation to the technology know-how of farm entrepreneurs of the Samastipur district of Bihar, India. Knowledge of the improved farm technology possessed by the farmers was considered a dependent variable and 17 socioeconomic and psychological variables were considered independent variables. Result: It was concluded from the study that variables like material possession of higher assets and more investment in irrigation were found to dominate in respect of the acquisition of knowledge about farm technology. Lack of formal education on the part of the farmers did not impede their acquisition of knowledge of the farm technology through available sources of communication. The human resources variables were found to influence the acquisition of knowledge by the respondents.

ТOҒ ВA ТOҒOЛДИ ҲУДУДЛAРИДA ҚИШЛOҚ XЎЖAЛИГИ МAҲCУЛOТЛAРИ ИШЛAБ ЧИҚAРИШНИНГ ҲОЗИРГИ ҲОЛАТИ ВA ВА УЛАРНИ ИҚТИСОДИЙ-СТАТИСТИК ТАҲЛИЛИ

This article highlights the current state and dynamics of the agricultural sector of the mountainous and foothill areas of the republic, economic and statistical analysis and promising areas for growing agricultural products of economic entities. Also, one of the urgent tasks today is the elimination of factors that have a negative impact on the sustainable development of dekhkan and farm enterprises. The author's scientific proposals and practical recommendations are given to increase the indicators of agricultural production in mountainous and foothill areas by further strengthening state support for the farming movement.

Pathways to coexistence with dingoes across Australian farming landscapes

IntroductionAgriculture and biodiversity conservation are both vitally important human activities that overlap geographically and are often in conflict. Animal agriculture has been implicated in species loss and the degradation of ecosystems due to land clearing, overgrazing, and conflicts with large carnivores such as dingoes (Canis dingo). This paper explores the potential for transformation in Australian commercial livestock production from human-dingo conflict towards social-ecological coexistence.MethodA qualitative model that depicts transformative change was developed from field observations and twenty-one in-depth interviews with livestock producers, conservation researchers, grazing industry representatives and policy makers across Australia. The model articulates the current state of dingo management and the drivers of system change.ResultsSeven pathways are described to catalyse transformation from routine lethal management of dingoes towards a future vision that embeds mutually beneficial coexistence. Central to transformation is the adoption by livestock producers of preventive non-lethal innovations supported by a new farming movement, Predator Smart Farming, that balances livestock grazing and wildlife conservation values to unlock the resilience of landscapes, animals (domesticated and wild) and livelihoods. Other key pathways include targeted research, capacity building, outreach and knowledge sharing networks; institutional (policy, legislation, and economic incentives) and cultural change; public awareness raising and advocacy to reduce lethal control; and greater involvement of Indigenous Australians in decisions relating to wildlife management.DiscussionThe seven transition pathways are discussed in relation to how they can collectively foster coexistence with dingoes in extensive rangelands grazing systems. International examples of interventions are used to illustrate the types of successful actions associated with each pathway that could inform action in Australia. The findings have implications for coexistence with large carnivores in rangeland ecosystems globally.

Identification, Characterization, and Control of Black Spot on Chinese Kale Caused by Sphaerobolus cuprophilus sp. nov.

Chinese kale (Brassica alboglabra) is commonly grown and consumed throughout Asia and is often treated with chemicals to control pests and diseases. In Thailand, public standards, Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), and International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) programs were introduced for the cultivation of Chinese kale with minimum input of chemical treatments. Black spot caused by the fungus Sphaerobolus has been affecting the plants grown under IFOAM standards in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for several years. Strongly adhering glebal spore masses of the fungus on leaf and stem surfaces have adversely affected postharvest management, especially in the quality classification of the product. Both morphological and phylogenetic (combined ITS, mtSSU, and EF 1-α dataset) studies confirmed a novel species, S. cuprophilus. Pathogenicity tests involving inoculation of Chinese kale by non-wound and mulch inoculation bioassays resulted in the production of symptoms of black spot and the re-isolation of S. cuprophilus, indicating that the new fungal species is the causal agent of black spots. Inhibitory effects of antagonistic bacteria and chemical fungicides, both allowed for use in plant cultivation under either IFOAM or GAP standards, indicated that Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strains (PBT2 and YMB7), chlorothalonil (20 and 500 ppm) and thiophanate-methyl (500 and 1500 ppm) were the most effective in controlling the growth of the causal fungus by 83 to 93%. However, copper oxychloride (5 to 20 ppm), a recommended chemical in control of downy mildew of Chinese kale, showed hormetic effects on S. cuprophilus by promoting the growth and sporulation of the fungus. The findings of this study provide vital information regarding the association of S. cuprophilus and Chinese kale and will support decisions to manage fungal diseases of this vegetable.

Addressing Consumer Desires for Sustainable Food Systems: Contentions and Compromises.

Consumers and social movement activists have been the driving force to create alternative, sustainable food systems over the past 100 years. Although larger agribusiness market players and the state were at first reluctant to respond to these concerns, as organic food products (the most prominent example of alternative food) became a viable economic market, these market players embraced them. The international trade of organic food has developed into a major agricultural and retail sector, but with this growth many of the varied original critiques of conventional, industrial farming practices have yet to be adequately addressed. Every major advancement in sustainable agriculture has raised new issues of equity and access for producers, laborers, and consumers. Although consumers often believe that they are contributing to a project of larger social change with every market transaction they make, the continued success of the organic food system has spurred calls for more explicit forms of collective behavior to promote the larger goals of the original sustainable agriculture movements.

Movement of Urban Vacant Land Use as an Effort in Keeping the Food Security in Surakarta during the Pandemic

The urban farming movement has been carried out in several parts of the world, such as Havana and Detroit, which was initiated by the food or economic crisis faced by the region. Urban farming through the movement of “ Lihat Kebunku ” (Look at My Garden) by using the rest of the house yard by planting household crops. The movement of “ Lihat Kebunku ” (Look at My Garden) can be done with collaborative actions and can be carried out with many parties, from the local community, the private sector, other communities, universities, and even the government. This study reveals the potential of the urban farming movement that can support the food self-sufficiency in Indonesia if it is promoted massively. This study was conducted using the normative method by looking at data from various sources with concept research methods. The data and information collection techniques used were secondary data studies and existing concepts. The results of this study indicate that the movement of agricultural land use in the city of Surakarta can be a mobilization process that leads to efforts to ensure the growth of participation and awareness of the wider community in using the abandoned land through urban farming. Keywords: urban farming, food self-sufficiency, Covid-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55463/hkjss.issn.1021-3619.60.71