Academic article

This paper published in the Agricultural Systems journal introduces Rapid Appraisal of Agricultural Innovation Systems (RAAIS), a diagnostic tool that can guide the analysis of complex agricultural problems and innovation capacity of the agricultural system in which the complex agricultural problem is embedded. The tool focuses on the integrated analysis of different dimensions of problems, interactions across different levels and the constraints and interests of different stakeholder groups. »

In this article (PDF) by Pablo Tittonell, conceptual differences between sustainable and ecological intensification as used in research, development, policy and the industry are examined. Particular focus is on the balance between agriculture and nature. The study compares different discourses on models of intensification. »

In this study in Pastoralism Journal, drought severity and the impact of rainfall variability on livestock population and adaptation practices were investigated in Kgalagadi, Botswana, a district that is vulnerable to recurring mild droughts. »

This study by IIASA researchers provides a global scenario analysis that covers nine different climate scenarios, 18 crops and 4 crop management systems, as well as the interactions between crop production, consumption, prices, and trade. It specifically examines adaptations that are investment-intensive and not easily reversible, such as building new water management infrastructure for irrigation, or increases and decreases to the production capacity of a region. »

Nanotechnologies have been less developed in agronomy than other disciplines, due to less investment, but nanotechnologies have the potential to improve agricultural production. In this article at Springer Link (PDF), the authors review more than 200 reports on nanoscience in agriculture, livestock and aquaculture in China since the 1990s. The major findings of the research are: »

This study in Preventive Veterinary Medicine aims to investigate, using participatory research methods, the constraints facing both backyard and semi-intensive chicken farmers in and around Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. The goal of the study is to identify key issues to be addressed in order to facilitate the role of chicken production as a means to reduce »