Georgia’s potentials for sustainable intensification, increasing food security and rural incomes
Increasing global demand for agricultural commodities spurs conversions of natural ecosystems. Sustainable intensification in areas of high yield gaps has been proposed as a pathway to achieve food security, support rural livelihoods, and improve resource efficiency while also reducing the impact of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Food Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2976-601X/ad8bc8 |
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| author | Florian Gollnow Owen Cortner Shijuan Chen Pontus Olofsson Rachael Garrett |
| author_facet | Florian Gollnow Owen Cortner Shijuan Chen Pontus Olofsson Rachael Garrett |
| author_sort | Florian Gollnow |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Increasing global demand for agricultural commodities spurs conversions of natural ecosystems. Sustainable intensification in areas of high yield gaps has been proposed as a pathway to achieve food security, support rural livelihoods, and improve resource efficiency while also reducing the impact of commodity production by narrowing yield gaps on existing agricultural lands. Following the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Georgia experienced one of the highest losses of agricultural productivity among all former USSR countries and is now highly dependent on food imports. Closing yield gaps in Georgia through sustainable intensification has the potential to increase food self-sufficiency, support rural livelihoods, and strengthen food security and sovereignty. We estimated Georgia’s potential for sustainable intensification in current agricultural areas to achieve self-sufficiency for wheat, maize, and barley. We found that crop yields can be doubled to tripled under high-input production systems, using high-yielding varieties, optimized inputs, fertilizers, and pest control. Yet, self-sufficiency in wheat can only be reached if at least 80% of the attainable yields are achieved and if land is strategically allocated between crops. To achieve such increases, farmers need access to and training for using different crop varieties, fertilizers, and pest and disease control practices and products. Intensification with very high levels of inputs can increase the ecological and human risks of agriculture and raise equity concerns. Yet, intensifying very low input agricultural production systems is often found to be more sustainable, with high yield increases compared to limited impacts on the environment. The high employment rate in the agricultural sector in Georgia provides opportunities for intensification to help reduce poverty and improve livelihoods by increasing incomes and food security. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0d0ac7a6a35d480d83d0ccbc4e4f7a4d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2976-601X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-0d0ac7a6a35d480d83d0ccbc4e4f7a4d2024-12-03T18:04:08ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Food Systems2976-601X2024-01-012101500510.1088/2976-601X/ad8bc8Georgia’s potentials for sustainable intensification, increasing food security and rural incomesFlorian Gollnow0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6314-1877Owen Cortner1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7138-0229Shijuan Chen2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0018-4471Pontus Olofsson3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8406-4719Rachael Garrett4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6171-263XDepartment of Earth and Environment, Boston University , Boston, MA, United States of America; Department of Geography and Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge , Cambridge, United Kingdom; Environmental Policy Lab, ETH Zürich , Zürich, Switzerland; Stockholm Environment Institute , Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Earth and Environment, Boston University , Boston, MA, United States of America; Environmental Policy Lab, ETH Zürich , Zürich, Switzerland; Yale School of the Environment, Yale University , New Haven, CT, United States of AmericaDepartment of Earth and Environment, Boston University , Boston, MA, United States of America; Yale School of the Environment, Yale University , New Haven, CT, United States of AmericaNASA Marshall Space Flight Center , Huntsville, AL, United States of AmericaDepartment of Geography and Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge , Cambridge, United KingdomIncreasing global demand for agricultural commodities spurs conversions of natural ecosystems. Sustainable intensification in areas of high yield gaps has been proposed as a pathway to achieve food security, support rural livelihoods, and improve resource efficiency while also reducing the impact of commodity production by narrowing yield gaps on existing agricultural lands. Following the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Georgia experienced one of the highest losses of agricultural productivity among all former USSR countries and is now highly dependent on food imports. Closing yield gaps in Georgia through sustainable intensification has the potential to increase food self-sufficiency, support rural livelihoods, and strengthen food security and sovereignty. We estimated Georgia’s potential for sustainable intensification in current agricultural areas to achieve self-sufficiency for wheat, maize, and barley. We found that crop yields can be doubled to tripled under high-input production systems, using high-yielding varieties, optimized inputs, fertilizers, and pest control. Yet, self-sufficiency in wheat can only be reached if at least 80% of the attainable yields are achieved and if land is strategically allocated between crops. To achieve such increases, farmers need access to and training for using different crop varieties, fertilizers, and pest and disease control practices and products. Intensification with very high levels of inputs can increase the ecological and human risks of agriculture and raise equity concerns. Yet, intensifying very low input agricultural production systems is often found to be more sustainable, with high yield increases compared to limited impacts on the environment. The high employment rate in the agricultural sector in Georgia provides opportunities for intensification to help reduce poverty and improve livelihoods by increasing incomes and food security.https://doi.org/10.1088/2976-601X/ad8bc8sustainable intensificationyield gapfood securityfood sovereigntyself-sufficiencyrural development |
| spellingShingle | Florian Gollnow Owen Cortner Shijuan Chen Pontus Olofsson Rachael Garrett Georgia’s potentials for sustainable intensification, increasing food security and rural incomes Environmental Research: Food Systems sustainable intensification yield gap food security food sovereignty self-sufficiency rural development |
| title | Georgia’s potentials for sustainable intensification, increasing food security and rural incomes |
| title_full | Georgia’s potentials for sustainable intensification, increasing food security and rural incomes |
| title_fullStr | Georgia’s potentials for sustainable intensification, increasing food security and rural incomes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Georgia’s potentials for sustainable intensification, increasing food security and rural incomes |
| title_short | Georgia’s potentials for sustainable intensification, increasing food security and rural incomes |
| title_sort | georgia s potentials for sustainable intensification increasing food security and rural incomes |
| topic | sustainable intensification yield gap food security food sovereignty self-sufficiency rural development |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2976-601X/ad8bc8 |
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