Sustainability of conventional agriculture and conservation agriculture in small-scale cotton-based regions in west and central Africa : lessons from northern Cameroon
Sustainability of agricultural practices is a suitable concept to evaluate both agronomic and economic performances of conventional agriculture and conservation agriculture. In this study, the concept of sustainability is analysed through its three main components: economic sustainability also called economic efficiency, dealing with the ability of the farming system to ensure sufficient and competitive output production to fulfil market and population needs; social sustainability or social equity, dealing with agricultural ability to ensure equitable revenue or return to different stakeholders of the agricultural production chain; ecological sustainability, dealing with intergenerational preservation of the environment referring here to the sum of natural resources used to ensure agricultural production such as soil fertility. Ecological sustainability is commonly the only aspect of sustainability taken into account by agronomists. Sustainability of conventional agriculture is addressed in this study in small-scale cottonbased agriculture surveys in northern Cameroon. Economic efficiency of cotton in conventional agriculture is analysed through a multi-year data base of a permanent agricultural survey of SODECOTON (Cotton Development Company), while social equity is addressed based on different production cost distribution within cotton production stakeholders. Ecological sustainability is analysed through agronomic variables such as yield variation over time, and mainly soil fertility evolution. Results of the study revealed that economic efficiency of cotton cultivation in conventional agriculture, after attaining acceptable levels in the early 1990's mainly due to high yields and prices and low inputs cost, is now declining. Fertiliser prices for example varied from 500 US $ per ton in 2005 to more than 1000 US $ per ton in 2008. Social equity even if strongly reinforced by an equalizing prices approach and inputs cost determination system, is limited with a high ecological differentiation between ecological areas varying from 600 mm rainfall in the far north to 1200 mm rainfall in the south of the cotton belt, hence affecting different respective yields. As for soil fertility, decreasing yields and increasing expenditures on fertilisers and other water harvesting and soil conservation technologies revealed progressive weak response of soil resource to cropping systems management. Conservation agriculture appears to be a suitable alternative to conventional production systems for small-scale cotton based agriculture to attain the three main objectives of a sustainable agriculture, since it can ensure economic efficiency of the farming system, a better social equity and a better soil resource management.
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | conference_item biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Published: |
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry [Laos]
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| Subjects: | F08 - Systèmes et modes de culture, E14 - Économie et politique du développement, |
| Online Access: | http://agritrop.cirad.fr/560100/ http://agritrop.cirad.fr/560100/1/document_560100.pdf |
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| Summary: | Sustainability of agricultural practices is a suitable concept to evaluate both agronomic and economic performances of conventional agriculture and conservation agriculture. In this study, the concept of sustainability is analysed through its three main components: economic sustainability also called economic efficiency, dealing with the ability of the farming system to ensure sufficient and competitive output production to fulfil market and population needs; social sustainability or social equity, dealing with agricultural ability to ensure equitable revenue or return to different stakeholders of the agricultural production chain; ecological sustainability, dealing with intergenerational preservation of the environment referring here to the sum of natural resources used to ensure agricultural production such as soil fertility. Ecological sustainability is commonly the only aspect of sustainability taken into account by agronomists. Sustainability of conventional agriculture is addressed in this study in small-scale cottonbased agriculture surveys in northern Cameroon. Economic efficiency of cotton in conventional agriculture is analysed through a multi-year data base of a permanent agricultural survey of SODECOTON (Cotton Development Company), while social equity is addressed based on different production cost distribution within cotton production stakeholders. Ecological sustainability is analysed through agronomic variables such as yield variation over time, and mainly soil fertility evolution. Results of the study revealed that economic efficiency of cotton cultivation in conventional agriculture, after attaining acceptable levels in the early 1990's mainly due to high yields and prices and low inputs cost, is now declining. Fertiliser prices for example varied from 500 US $ per ton in 2005 to more than 1000 US $ per ton in 2008. Social equity even if strongly reinforced by an equalizing prices approach and inputs cost determination system, is limited with a high ecological differentiation between ecological areas varying from 600 mm rainfall in the far north to 1200 mm rainfall in the south of the cotton belt, hence affecting different respective yields. As for soil fertility, decreasing yields and increasing expenditures on fertilisers and other water harvesting and soil conservation technologies revealed progressive weak response of soil resource to cropping systems management. Conservation agriculture appears to be a suitable alternative to conventional production systems for small-scale cotton based agriculture to attain the three main objectives of a sustainable agriculture, since it can ensure economic efficiency of the farming system, a better social equity and a better soil resource management. |
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