Julia Wright

Sustainable agriculture and food security in an era of oil scarcity: lessons from Cuba

Preface and Acknowledgements. 1. Cuba: Providing the Model for a Post-Petroleum Food System? 2. Post-Petroleum Food Systems: Transition and Change. 3. Researching Cuba. 4. The Historical Context: Cuban Agriculture and Food Systems of the 20th Century. 5. Life After the Crisis: The Rise of Urban Agriculture. 6. From Dependency to Greater Self-reliance: Transformation of the Cuban Food System. 7. Cuban Food Production in the 1990s: A Patchwork of Approaches. 8. Institutional Coping Strategies: Transition and Decentralization. 9. Perspectives on the Mainstreaming of Local Organic Food Systems. 10. Lessons for the Future: Cuba Ten Years On. Appendices. Index.

Silvopastoral Systems: Best Agroecological Practice for Resilient Production Systems Under Dryland and Drought Conditions

Intensified agriculture systems have had enormous negative consequences on ecosystems, particularly contributing towards unrestricted drought and desertification. In fact, the expansion of agriculture is the main cause of ecosystem degradation. The regions most vulnerable to such degradation are drylands, comprising 40 % of total land area and where 42 % of the global population resides. It is well known that climate change impact rainfed crops and water storage; which in turn impact the water availability for irrigation in dryland regions. Soils are also greatly affected by climate change: changes in rainfall and temperature affect crop growth, nutrient cycles, plant biodiversity and soil organic matter. Also, livestock production in tropical regions faces serious limitations, including inadequate management, the low quality and irregular availability of forage resources and, ultimately, the consequences of climate change. Among other reasons, low soil fertility and the irregularity of rain distribution have caused the majority of pastures to deteriorate. In general, tropical pastures are large contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, especially methane, which is associated with their high fiber content. To counter climate change requires: linking adaptation with mitigation. Silvopastoral systems are presented here as a set of strategies to enhance productivity whist reducing input costs and increasing environmental sustainability that also enhance carbon sequestration and build the resilience of the system to cope with the impacts of climate change.

The Potential of Silvopastoral Systems for Milk and Meat Organic Production in the Tropics

The demand for livestock products is rising rapidly in tropical areas as a consequence of increased human population. As demand for food increases, deforestation and land degradation occur. Though varying by country and region, the conversion of forest into cattle pastures has been one of the main driving forces of this degradation. In various Latin American countries, the creation of livestock farms, with government support, has been the single most important source of deforestation. This expansion of cattle ranching is also one of the principle causes of the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture releases significant amounts of CO2, CH4, and N2O into the atmosphere. For example, CO2 is released largely from microbial decay or the burning of plant litter and soil organic matter produced during agricultural processes. Recently, silvopastoral systems (SPSs) have been advocated as promising alternatives to current practices by reconciling conservation and development needs. SPS is the production of livestock on land in a system which combines multipurpose leguminous shrubs at high densities together with grasses to improve both the yield and quality of fodder, resulting in milk and meat products with a high potential to attract an organic premium. This SPS plays an important role in healthy milk and meat production. Recent research advances have proven that Leucaena grass pastures are the most productive, profitable, and sustainable pasture-fed option for agroecological cattle production. Because the levels of input have traditionally been relatively low in the production of meat and milk from extensive grassland systems, they are among the easiest to convert to organic production. However, the long-term prospects for organic systems are not clear. There is continued pressure to ensure that all livestock systems and agriculture in general develop in a way that has minimal environmental impact. The differences between organic and conventional systems may diminish over time, and the pressure in demand for organic products may slow. Compared with other sources of fodder for meat and milk production, SPSs can provide a cheap source of feed. The SPS produces double the amount of milk and meat compared to pastures in monocrops with the minimum use of external inputs. The objective of this chapter is to describe the potential of SPS for organic milk and meat production.

Native Trees and Shrubs for Ecosystems Services and the Redesign of Resilient Livestock Production Systems in the Mexican Neotropics

Animal production systems in the tropics are currently based mainly on the grazing of animals in the fallow lands and pastures. Conventional livestock systems such as these are, however, strongly affected by limited precipitation. During dry periods, biomass production is reduced; this in turn affects the quality of animal diet and ultimately negatively affects livestock productivity. Often natural woody vegetation is removed to provide grazing areas. In regions where there are competing demands for natural resources, alternative approaches to livestock production which include a tree or shrub component can have many benefits both for the conservation of natural resources and for improved food security. Integration of native trees and shrubs along with grasses in the fallow pastures could improve plant productivity, nutritional quality of animal diet and help in sustaining natural biodiversity of the local ecosystems. A significant contribution to the future livestock systems could be made with the reforestation of the degraded land pastures. Reforesting would lead to increased water use efficiency, thereby reducing the impact of pests and diseases. Through sequestration of carbon they contribute towards climate mitigation in the form of methane reduction from the ruminants by improving the quality of animal diet with foliage trees and shrubs. Integration of different trees and shrub species in the livestock systems will integrate agroecosystems services for long-term ecological sustainability. Furthermore, incorporating trees and shrubs into the animal systems production will also improve habitat for the local wildlife.