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Sustainable agriculture in the Sahel? (Integrated farming, perennials and fertilizers)

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Eco-regional approaches for sustainable land use and food production

Part of the book series: Systems Approaches for Sustainable Agricultural Development ((SAAD,volume 4))

Abstract

A case is made for the application of the eco-regional approach in vast regions with low quality of natural resources and limited availability of resources per inhabitant. Fanners will have little scope for choice in terms of options for increased sustainability of land use. Efforts to create more favourable socio-economic conditions will often be more useful than those directed towards the direct adoption of technical options by farmers.

Results of twenty years of Malian-Dutch research collaboration are presented and reviewed to show the usefulness of the eco-regional approach for the Sahel. Based on process studies, systems analysis and multiple goal planning, small margins for rural development are identified. Thus, trial and error in commodity oriented and fanning systems research can be reduced, making land-use options more clear.

External inputs are essential for increased sustainability of production. Integration of annual crops and perennial plants, and of crops and livestock, are needed to allow inputs like fertilizer at farm level.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute for Agrobiology and Soil Fertility (AB-DLO), P.O. Box 14, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    H. Breman

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  1. H. Breman
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science and Geology, and C. T. de Wit Graduate School for Production Ecology, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    J. Bouma

  2. Department of Development Economics, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    A. Kuyvenhoven

  3. Netherlands Economic Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    A. Kuyvenhoven

  4. DLO-Research Institute for Agrobiology and Soil Fertility, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    B. A. M. Bouman  & J. C. Luyten  & 

  5. International Potato Center, Lima, Peru

    H. G. Zandstra

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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Breman, H. (1995). Sustainable agriculture in the Sahel? (Integrated farming, perennials and fertilizers). In: Bouma, J., Kuyvenhoven, A., Bouman, B.A.M., Luyten, J.C., Zandstra, H.G. (eds) Eco-regional approaches for sustainable land use and food production. Systems Approaches for Sustainable Agricultural Development, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0121-9_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0121-9_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4058-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-0121-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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