Browsing by Author "Mubashakwaya, Isaac"

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Review paper: The role of agroecology in combatting hunger and food insecurity among smallholder farmers
(Ecological Organic Agriculture - Growing Sustainability, 2023-03-30) Mubashakwaya, Isaac; Ssekandi, Joseph
Introduction - The term agroecology emerged more than 80 years ago and originally referred to the ecological study of agricultural systems (Gliessman, 2007). The term agroecology was first used in the 1930s by Bensin (Schaller, 2013), a Russian agronomist, initially in reference to applying ecological methods to research on crops. In 1965, Ger-man ecologist and animal scientist Tischler published what is most probably the first book titled Agroecology (Tischler, 1965). Yet, some controversy about the definition of agroecology remains. Agroecology is a concept that inspires more and more people, but also means different things to different people. There is no single way to define or practice agroecology, but the concept unifies different groups of scientists, practitioners in the food systems, and social movements. Initially, Altieri (1983) defined agroecology as the application of ecological prin-ciples to agriculture. Twenty years later, agroecology was enlarged to the whole food system linking production with the food chain and consumers. This new definition allows for the analysis of the socio-economic and po-litical dimensions of food systems. Agroecology became an interdisciplinary method that put to test scientific and social borders. Methodology Review paper - Results & Discussion 2. Principles of agroecology in relation to food security As the definition of agroecology is rather wide, a better understanding of the concept can be obtained by exploring the principles that guide researchers, practitioners and social actors involved in the field of agroecology. 3. Agroecology versus Green Revolution Long before the era of Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, agriculture was dependent on the local resources of land, water, and other resources, as well as local varieties and indigenous knowledge. 4. Hunger and Food status on the planet The vast majority of hungry people live in lower-middle-income regions, which witnessed a 42 percent reduc-tion in the prevalence of undernourished people between the periods 1990 - 1992 and 2012-2014. Despite this progress, in 2016, the global prevalence of undernourishment surged (FAO et al., 2017). 5. Potential interventions of agroecology for food security 5.1 Agricultural practices improvement 5.2 Increased agricultural production and productivity 5.3 Reducing inputs expenses and diversifying income sources 5.4 Agroecology and resiliency to climate change 5.5 Agroecology and gender 5.6. Agroecology and health promotion 81 eoai-africa.org Transforming Food Systems for Responsible Production, Consumption and Social Wellbeing Conclusion - As it is mentioned in this paper, many researchers demonstrate that agroecology offers the possibility to increase agricultural production and productivity through agroecological practices and local available resources. Agroecology is therefore increasingly being looked at as the best option to sustain food security and combat hunger without destroying the environment at small scale farming levels due to its advantages. It is healthy and offers long lasting and fully sustainable solutions to rural employment, environmental and climate chal-lenges, today and for the future. However, if this is to be wholesomely accepted and embraced by all, a lot more empirical evidence pointing to positivity must be provided.
The role of agroforestry systems in improving farmlands and livelihoods in Agroecological highlands zones of Buberuka-Rwanda
(Ecological Organic Agriculture - Growing Sustainability, 2023-03-30) Mubashakwaya, Isaac
Introduction - Agroforestry systems are recognized as key factors to contribute to the farmlands and livelihoods improvement through soil protection and soil fertility that lead to the increase of income from agroforestry products and services for small-scale farmers in rural areas in Rwanda. However, soil degradation and infertility remain one of the underlying causes of low agricultural production in some areas of Rwanda, especially in high mountains regions. This study analyses different agroforestry systems adopted by farmers and highlights their effect on farmlands management and livelihoods improvement in the Agroecological highlands zones of Buberuka. Methodology • Agroecological highlands zones of Buberuka are located in Northern part of Rwanda and is generally dominated by small scale farming systems. • Out of 1650 agroforestry farmers, 64 were selected as sample size. This sample technique was able to give us a global vision of the field realities. The farmers used as respondents in the study were selected randomly with their respective various farm sizes. • A questionnaire consisting of structured items was designed, administered and conducted for the collection of primary data from the field. • Qualitative and quantitative approaches were applied using the research techniques, use value matrix, free listing, priority ranking and preference-ranking to gather data sets. • The data were entered and analyzed using the Statistics Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results & Discussion - Agrosilvopastoral system (combination of trees, livestock and crops) occupy the first place with 71.8%. It is highly practiced by farmers because it plays many purposes of producing food and increasing soil fertility. Most agroforestry species used in this system are Grevillea robista , Calliandra , Alnus acuminate and Leuceana leucocephala. For Agrisilviculture system (combination of crops and trees), 64% of agro forestry farmers used to mix big trees with some leguminous trees (Leuceana leucocephala, Leuceana leucocephala) for feeding their animals, mainly cattle in zero grazing system. Trees also act as windbreaks, preventing crop damage. In silvopastoral system (combination of livestock and trees), 18.7% of small agro forestry species are mainly used for fodder production to animals. During the study, the researchers found that beekeeping is applied by few farm-ers (7.8%).Therefore it seems logical, compatible, and pragmatic to accept the components as the basic criteria in the hierarchy of agro forestry classification (P.K. Ramachandran Nair, 1993). Conclusion - The findings of this study confirmed that there are four (4) main different agroforestry systems applied in Agroecological highlands zones of Buberuka which are Agrisilvicultural system, agrosilvopastural system, silvopastural system and Agrohorticultural systems. Most of agroforestry species are intercropped with plants such as Leguminous (calliandra spp, Leuceana leucocephala), no Leguminous (Alnus acuminata, Cedrella ser-ata, Grevillea robusta) and fruit (Avocado, Mangoes, Citrus, carca Papaya). Agroforestry systems contribute to the farm land improvement for the population through soil protection and soil fertility. Agroforestry systems contribute to the livelihood improvement for the population of Agroecological highlands zones of Buberuka through crop and animal production improvement. Agroforestry trees products make increase of income gen-erations, improvement of education, health, insurance, and assurance of food security