Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY
Volume 19, Issue 1, Pages 56-70Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/14735903.2020.1822639
Keywords
Agroecology; push-pull system; integrated pest management; participatory assessment; sustainable livelihood framework; Kenya
Funding
- Doctoral School on the Agro-Food System (Agrisystem) of the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study aims to explore the sustainability of agroecological approaches, comparing push-pull and conventional maize production systems, finding that the push-pull system has advantages in social and natural capitals and does not reduce farmers' profitability.
There is a need for scaling-up agroecology to promote sustainable agriculture at global level. Although, recent studies show that agroecological approaches can achieve both high yields and profits compared with conventional systems, the performance of other socioeconomic indicators remains unknown. This study has two objectives (i) identify the main characteristics of small-scale producers who represent the target-groups of the SDG 2; (ii) provide a comparison between push-pull and conventional farming systems of maize production to explore and possibly implement sustainable systems. In collaboration with Biovision Africa Trust, a participatory assessment framework was implemented in Western Kenya. Twenty-three farmers were selected and data were analysed showing that the push-pull contributes to social/cultural and natural/ecological capitals. In particular, push-pull farmers are more focused on socially oriented groups (75%); moreover, they cultivate smaller plots (1.9 ha) compared to conventional farmers (3.1 ha) without showing a reduction in profitability. The benefits of adopting push-pull system indicated by farmers (e.g. diminishedStrigaweed) are consistent with the advantages reported in relevant scientific literature. Considering the explorative nature of this study, the article makes a key contribution by pointing towards important questions for future research on agroecology in Sub-Saharan African countries.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available