Towards an Eco-social Food System: The Shift from Industrial Agriculture to Agro-ecology in South Africa
Michael Rudolph,
Evans Muchesa,
Florian Kroll
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 2, June 2020
Pages:
22-29
Received:
7 April 2020
Accepted:
6 May 2020
Published:
28 May 2020
Abstract: Input-intensive industrial-scale production systems are not sustainable means of addressing issues such as food security, nutrition security and sustainable livelihoods. Several literatures suggest that the solution to world hunger is to diversify agriculture and reorient it around ecological practices. There is considerable evidence that supports agro-ecological farming system ss a viable alternative that can improve food production especially for the most vulnerable farming households. In addition, literature shows that an agro-ecology food system holds the key to increasing dietary diversity at the local level, as well as reducing the multiple health risks from industrial agriculture. This paper is aimed at discussing the benefits of agro-ecology food system and how agricultural support systems can play a role. The emphasis of the paper is the application of the agro-ecology approach in an urban/ peri-urban setting. An evaluation report of City of Johannesburg (CoJ) Food Resilience Programme Evaluation unpublished report (2016), shows that very few households engage in gardening/ urban agriculture either in their backyards or nearby open spaces due to the following reasons; strict city by-laws, no access to land, no knowledge of innovative/alternative farming practices lack of interest and limited resources.
Abstract: Input-intensive industrial-scale production systems are not sustainable means of addressing issues such as food security, nutrition security and sustainable livelihoods. Several literatures suggest that the solution to world hunger is to diversify agriculture and reorient it around ecological practices. There is considerable evidence that supports ...
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Enablers for Achieving a Pathway to Sustainable Development in Sierra Leone
Ishmail Sheriff,
Sisay Abebe Debela,
Matthew James Turay,
Osman Alhaji Kabia,
Musa Titus Sesay
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 2, June 2020
Pages:
30-36
Received:
8 April 2020
Accepted:
3 May 2020
Published:
28 May 2020
Abstract: It is almost five years since the adoption of the United Nations (UN) sustainable development agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2015. While each member state has the flexibility to design its own SDGs priorities, and is on the implementation process of the goals, here, we suggest how better planning, research, and innovation could help to achieve sustainable development in Sierra Leone. We draw attention to the necessity of developing a national sustainable development plan in Sierra Leone to guarantee concentrated national priorities so as to strengthen the efficiency of interventions and to effectively deliver sustainable development outcome. However, this will require the commitment of political parties, and other stakeholders so as to prevent a predisposition to create intergenerational and intragenerational imbalances. As enablers for the achievement of sustainable development, investment in and support for research and development is a crucial architecture that is required to implement, monitor and evaluate performance, and track progress on the SDGs, and also identify challenges so that they can be adequately addressed. While Sierra Leone has aspired to become an innovation hub in Africa, central to the success of such a dream and aspiration is the enactment of a resolution that can ensure the sustainability of the Directorate of Science Technology and Innovation (DSTI) which is the country’s innovation platform in future government administrations.
Abstract: It is almost five years since the adoption of the United Nations (UN) sustainable development agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2015. While each member state has the flexibility to design its own SDGs priorities, and is on the implementation process of the goals, here, we suggest ho...
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