Agriculture in the 21st century faces multiple challenges: it has to produce more food and fibre to feed a growing population with a smaller rural labour force, more feedstocks for a potentially huge bioenergy market, contribute to overall development in the many agriculture dependent developing countries, adopt more efficient and sustainable production methods and adapt to climate change (FAO, 2009b). As the world’s human population of over 7.3 billion is expected to hit 9.1billion by 2050, food needs have also increased. Maintaining the momentum of growth in agricultural productivity will remain crucial in the coming decades as production of basic staple foods needs to increase by 60 percent if it is to meet expected demand growth (FAO, 2009a). With farming being the dominant land use in Ethiopia, options for increasing food security and improving livelihoods include agricultural land expansion which has led to deforestation and loss of important ecological goods and services; and intensified agricultural production., which has led to land degradation and exhaustion leading to a decline in land productivity (Bishaw, 2001) (Oba & Kotile, 2001)
Publication year
2014
Authors
Kuria, A.; Lamond G; Pagella T F; Gebrekirstos, A.; Sinclair, F.; Hadgu, K.M.
Language
English
Keywords
crops, farming systems, livestock, sustainable intensification
Geographic
Ethiopia
