@article{Pittock:339628,
      recid = {339628},
      author = {Pittock, Jamie},
      title = {Sustainable intensification: Decoupling resource use from  socio-economic benefits in southern Africa},
      address = {2024-02},
      number = {2538-2024-391},
      pages = {7},
      year = {2024},
      abstract = {Sustainable intensification of agricultural production is  needed to feed 10 billion people who have limited land and  water resources in a changing climate. In Africa, enormous  investment in irrigation schemes has resulted in a  build–fail–rebuild cycle that has trapped farmers in  poverty. The Australian National University and partners  have been supported by ACIAR in ‘Transforming Irrigation in  Southern Africa’ (TISA) from 2013 to 2023, to reboot  failing small-holder (average farm size = 0.5 ha; ~15,500  farm households) irrigation schemes in Mozambique, Tanzania  and Zimbabwe. We intervened in two ways. First, farmers  were provided with simple-to-use soil monitoring tools –  the Chameleon and Full Stop (https://via.farm/) – to manage  their water application and soil fertility. Farmers at the  head end of canals reduced their water application by half  to two thirds, increasing crop yields and generating many  other benefits. Second, in a social process, farmers formed  agricultural innovation platforms. They identified,  prioritised and fixed problems that they could influence,  including to: grow more profitable crops, lower input  costs, better access markets, and in some cases, undertake  further processing. This increased household incomes and  catalysed many other benefits. For example, during the  COVID crisis, food insecurity in TISA schemes was much less  than for non-TISA schemes. This is analogous to the  resilience required under a changing climate. The TISA  project illustrates that: 1. Agriculture systems are  complex and require multiple social and technological  investments to become more sustainable and profitable; 2.  Empowering farming communities and businesses is key to  building profitable agricultural systems that deliver  lasting benefits; 3. Significant decoupling of resource use  from production is possible and this increases resilience  to shocks; and 4. Long term (10 years) of research for  development investment by ACIAR into community driven  research has enabled lasting change.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/339628},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.339628},
}