The sustainability challenges for crop and livestock-based agricultural and food systems, including pastoral systems, in diverse agro-ecosystems and for various farm sizes, taking account of threats to the sustainability of these systems, including animal diseases, pest and diseases, and energy needs.
An agricultural system is sustainable when it is resilient and makes use of renewable sources of inputs and it adopts techniques which do not adversely affect the environment. Agricultural systems consisting of crops and livestock are characteristic of many small holders in developing countries. This provides a means of securing food and nutrition for the farming household as well as a providing a source of income. However, sustainability challenges in this system arise when input-output management practices are not utilised efficiently. For instance, when animal waste (such as cow dung), which should be applied to improve soil fertility and structure is burnt as a source of cooking energy because of the lack of wood or when plant remains which should be left as mulch are fed to animals whose dung is not return to the land, there is an interruption in the sustainability cycle which the crop-livestock system should support. Also when inputs are genetically modified and patented making farmers unable replant seed, but continuously depend on seed producing companies, there may be no sustainability and resilience, and shocks such as failed yield will adversely affect this system.
Another progressive challenge, as experienced in Nigeria, is that of conflict between pastoralist from Niger, Chad and Cameroon and Nigerian smallholder farmers, where on many occasions, cattle are left to graze on farmers’ fields resulting in tremendously loss of yield and death of farmer and/or pastoralist in some cases. There animals cross boarders and may be carriers of various diseases which may cause harm to crops, livestock as well as humans. The most affected are the smallholder farmers who cannot secure enough capital to build fences around their fields.
Another threat to the sustainability of the crop-livestock system is climate change. Livestock such as cattle produce methane which contributes to green house gases, cutting down trees to establish farms also contributes to the accumulation of green house gases. Adopting climate smart agriculture systems such reforestation, integrated agricultural systems such as the rice-fish mixed farming and alley cropping (Silvopasture) can ensure the recycling of nutrients within the crop-livestock system.
Pathways towards sustainable crop and livestock-based systems, and options for managing the transition to sustainable systems:
Most traditional farming systems are characterised by a mixed cropping/farming model which provide a family farming with a variety of produce (crops and animal) from a given piece of land. Agro-forestry innovations such as silvopasture provide a mean of integrating crop and livestock whereby livestock are raised together with tree (such as fruit or legume trees) which provides some forage for the livestock, wood for the farmer and fruits for sale. The limitation with this model is its labour intensive nature and the waiting period between the planting of trees and reaping of yields. However, if as part of the transition plan, off farm jobs or alternative annual cropping can be achieved, silvopasture is still a sustainable option.
Barriers to change, including in institutions, organizations, policies and governance, and potential options to overcome them
In implementing any agricultural development programmes or introducing innovations for change, especially in the emerging world, indigenous local systems should not be ignored but strengthen using region specific approaches and not a “one-size-fits-all” model which has been characteristic of most failed agricultural development programmes. Barriers to change result for failure to adopt a participatory approach in bringing about change
A bottom-up approach should be adopted to ensure that these programmes meet the real and felt needs of the recipients and a feedback system should be put in place to monitor progress. Also, farmer-to-farmer learning strategies should be used whereby farmers who are early adopters are used to train others.
Government should not be tasked with the implementation of these programmes but should perform the function of ensuring an enabling environment for NGO and other private organisations to execute such projects.
Bookie Ezeomah