Agriculture in Developing Countries

1. Agriculture in Developing Countries Resource use and role in development

2. Agriculture and RNR use • Forest as generator regenerator of ag land and fertility • Water requirements, use and pollution problems • Soil maintenance and degradation • Competing land use (urban areas, forest areas, others)

3. Agriculture feeds the world • 95% of plant protein • 99% of calories consumed • Agriculture is more important in low income countries: • Low income – 31% of GDP • Middle income – 12% of GDP • High income – 1-3% of GDP

4. Ag. production and land use trends • Food supplies 24% higher than 1961, but prices 40 percent lower • Ag. land represents ¼ of global land area but 3/4 has poor fertility and half is on steep terrain • Ag. land lost to urban areas • Ag. land has increased only slightly – gains come from increased production • Developing countries importing more food

5. Addressing agricultural threats to ecosystems • Increasing yields • Declining population growth • Reduced degradation through sustainable land use practices • Efficient irrigation systems • Integrated pest management • Efficient fertilizer growth • In N. America and Europe seeing reduction in croplands and expansion of forests

6. Agriculture in developing areas • Land extensive vs. land intensive agriculture • Slash and burn/Shifting/Swidden • Subsistence agriculture • Cash crops • Commercial/plantation agriculture

7. Slash and burn/ Shifting Cultivation • What is it? • Land extensive • Move from plot to plot over a period of time • Little fertilizer • Areas of agricultural frontier • Transport expensive • Little infrastructure • Little government control – often in areas where drug crops are produced

8. Slash and burn/ Shifting Cultivation • Why is it practiced? • Returns to labor are high • Controls weeds without chemicals • Naturally recovers soil fertility • Requirements • Relatively large areas of land per family • Low population density

9. Who practices shifting cultivation? • Traditional systems • Long term presence in area • Understanding of ecosystem • Colonists • Newly arrived to area often coming from very different agricultural conditions • Poor understanding of ecosystem

10. Is shifting cultivation sustainable? • Yes and No • When managed properly with sufficient time to recover soil fertility • At high population densities, land is not left fallow long enough to recover fertility leading to degradation

11. “Subsistence agriculture” • Generally practiced by smallholders who combine crops for household consumption with income generation • Often on steep slopes and marginal lands – leading to degradation • Land tenure may be uncertain • Minimal inputs

12. Cash crops/perennial crops • Coffee/cocoa/grain and oil crops/rubber • More intensive land use • Coffee – shade/sun/organic • May be an important source of income for smallholders • Subject to the changes in markets /international markets - coffee

13. Commercial/plantation agriculture • Banana, coffee plantations, sugar cane • Provides employment opportunities for rural communities • May be a corrupting influence

14. Development options and directions • Diversification of farms • Integrating trees in farming systems (agroforestry) • Organic production/certification/niche markets • Intensification to take pressure off of forest areas • Options for income generation

15. Options/trends • Diversification: making farmers less dependent upon a single crop • Cannot be too complicated • Integrating trees on farms • What is the impact • Organic production/niche markets/certification • Fair trade – environmental and social justice issues • Intensification • Must be managed well – livestock issue • Distribution