The Role of Ecosystem Services in Sustainable Food Systems

Leonard Rusinamhodzi

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9780128164365
• eBook ISBN: 9780128175095
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Environmental Science
• Index: Technology & Engineering

The Role of Ecosystem Services in Sustainable Food Systems reveals, in simple terms, the operational definition, concepts and applications of ecosystem services with a focus on sustainable food systems. The book presents case studies on both geographical and production system-wide considerations. Initial chapters discuss concepts, methodologies and the tools needed to understand ecosystem services in the broader food system. Middle and later chapters present different perspectives from case studies of ecosystem services derived from some of the key sustainable food production systems used by farmers, along with discussions on the challenges of deriving full benefits and how they can be overcome.Researchers, students, scientists, development practitioners and policymakers will welcome this reference as they continue their work related to sustainable food systems.- Introduces the concept of ecosystem services in simple terms for a wide readership- Provides an explanation of sustainable food systems- Contains the tools to identify and quantify ecosystem services in sustainable food systems- Identifies ecosystem services in specific systems utilized for sustainable food systems- Categorizes the challenges of deriving maximum benefits of ecosystem services

Chapter 1

Sustainable food systems

Diversity, scope and challenges

Peter Jeranyama, BSc Agriculture Honors (Crop Science), MS Crop and Soil Sciences, PhD. Crop and Soil Sciences ¹ , Anil Shrestha ² , and Nilhari Neupane ^{3 1} Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst, East Wareham, MA, United States ² Professor, California State University, Fresno, CA, United States ³ Independent Agricultural Economist, Kathmandu, Nepal

Abstract

This chapter presents four distinct cropping systems, namely, the Zimbabwe smallholder cropping system, Nepal's periurban vegetable cropping system, the US North Central cropping system, and Massachusetts cranberry production system. Although these cropping systems are very different from each other, they have a common overarching objective of achieving sustainable yields over an extended period while providing a livelihood to its participants. Challenges for each production system are discussed, and where possible a common-sense approach to overcoming obstacles is proffered. Finally the sustainability of each system is assessed and weighed against its ability to meet important milestones in terms of economic and environmental relevance.

Keywords

Breakeven yield; Integrated pesticide management; Integrated soil fertility management; Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE); Smallholder cropping systems; Water conservation

Introduction

Sustainable agriculture means different things to different people, but the basic goals of sustainable agriculture are environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity (sometimes referred to as the “three legs” of the sustainability stool). Legally, sustainable agriculture is defined in U.S. Code Title 7, Section 3103 to mean an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will over the long term (1) satisfy human food and fiber needs, (2) enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base on which the agricultural economy depends, (3) make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls, (4) sustain the economic viability of farm operations, and (5) enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.

In this chapter we focus on the scope, relevance, and important milestones in four distinct sustainable food systems: (1) the Zimbabwean smallholder cropping system, (2) market-oriented vegetable production in periurban of Nepal, (3) the US North Central corn belt, and (4) Massachusetts cranberry production system. These four agricultural systems although very different from each other have a common overarching objective of achieving sustainable yields over an extended period while providing a livelihood to the people involved.

The challenge for agriculture in the coming decades will be to increase productivity to meet the increasing demands for food and fiber while addressing risk and variability, and eco-efficiency will undoubtedly be a major challenge. Yield per unit land area is the simplest and most widely used eco-efficiency measure for field crops. However, there are multiple efficiency measures at play simultaneously, such as water use efficiency (crop yield per unit of water used, e.g., rainfall, stored soil moisture, and/or irrigation), nutrient use efficiency (crop yield per unit nutrient uptake or nutrient supplied), radiation use efficiency (crop biomass produced per unit radiation intercepted), labor efficiency (crop production per unit labor invested), and return on capital (profit as a fraction of capital invested) (Keating et al., 2010). However, these eco-efficiency measures and associated challenges can vary across regions and cropping systems as discussed below.

Case study 1 African smallholder system

The challenge for the African smallholder system, used as an example in this chapter, is to provide better than breakeven yields while making use of minimal external inputs including menial labor. The challenge for the two US production systems is to provide profitable yields “without breaking the bank”, sustain the environment, and be socially acceptable.

There is compelling evidence that food production systems are constrained by overwhelmingly low soil fertility in Africa (McCown et al., 1992; Giller et al., 2006; Sanginga and Woomer, 2009), and unless solutions are found to relieve this constraint, eco-efficient use of other natural and human resources will remain low. This is consistent with de Wit (1992) conclusion that resource use efficiency is maximized when the level of all inputs is close to their optima and confirmed by Bindraban et al. (2008) who analyzed temporal trends in crop yields in Africa. In Africa nitrogen (N) is the most limiting factor in crop production, whereas phosphorus (P) and other nutrients are limiting in many situations. Within-farm variability is high, and many farms have small areas of higher nutrient supply, usually associated with household areas and livestock containment yards (Giller et al., 2006).

The growing global population is exerting pressure on the world's agricultural ecosystems to supply adequate food, fiber, and increasingly, fuel. At the same time, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) has documented the extent and global scale of the environmental costs associated with intensive agriculture. Degradation of water quality and soil resources are becoming urgent problems, and fossil fuel supplies are finite. Organic agriculture is frequently presented as the only currently available “semi-closed system” that provides a viable alternative to conventional “open system” management that relies on large doses of agrochemical inputs (Pearson, 2007).

Africa represents one of the greatest ironies in modern economic development. In spite of advances in science and technology that have boosted incomes in other regions and enabled other continents to attain economic progress and high standards of living for their citizens, Africa enters the 21st Century as the world's poorest continent. In fact, it is the only continent that has grown poorer in the past 30 years in spite of the rapid developments in science, innovation, and trade. Empirical data on Africa's regression are staggering. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) alone, over 50% of the 700 million citizens survive on less than 50 US cents a day. In its seminal study Can Africa Claim the 21st Century? the World Bank (2000) states “Despite gains in the second half of the 1990s, Africa enters the 21st century with many of the world's poorest countries. Average per capita income is lower than at the end of the 1960s. Incomes and access to essential services are unequally distributed. The region contains a growing share of the world's absolute poor, who have little power to influence the allocation of resources.” According to the World Development Report 2008, Africa's rural poverty rate was 82% in 2002. Africa lags behind on most of the development goals, and such prognosis is presented against a backdrop of the great irony of a continent that is endowed with immense natural resources, as well as great cultural, ecological, and economic diversity.

The underperformance of Africa's agricultural sector over the past 3 decades is a major reason why the continent lags other regions. T...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Contributors
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Sustainable food systems: Diversity, scope and challenges
• Chapter 2. Ecosystem services in sustainable food systems: Operational definition, concepts, and applications
• Chapter 3. Indices to identify and quantify ecosystem services in sustainable food systems
• Chapter 4. Harnessing ecosystem services from biological nitrogen fixation
• Chapter 5. The role of synthetic fertilizers in enhancing ecosystem services in crop production systems in developing countries
• Chapter 6. Reinforcing ecosystem services through conservation agriculture in sustainable food systems
• Chapter 7. Ecosystem services from different livestock management systems
• Chapter 8. Crop-livestock integration to enhance ecosystem services in sustainable food systems
• Chapter 9. Ecosystem services in doubled-up legume systems
• Chapter 10. Ecosystem services in paddy rice systems
• Chapter 11. The role of ecosystem services in offsetting effects of climate change in sustainable food systems in the Zambezi Basin, Southern Africa
• Chapter 12. Accounting for the invisible value of trees on farms through valuation of ecosystem services
• Chapter 13. Challenges in maximizing benefits from ecosystem services and transforming food systems
• Index