Timothy Silberg

Balancing on a Planet: the Future of Food and Agriculture, David
A. Cleveland (Ed.). University of California Press, Berkeley, CA,
USA (2014). 352 pp., $34.95, ISBN: 978-0-520-27742-7 (paperback);
$70.00, ISBN: 978-0-520-27741-10 (hardback); $34.95, ISBN:
978-0-520-957084 (PDF E-Book & ePUB format)

Taking account of end-user perspectives is crucial in the design and development process to ensure successful technology adoption considering the evolving customer demands. This study utilized the user-centric Human Center Design (HCD) framework to redevelop food processing equipment, specifically pulpers and pasteurizers, previously developed by the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (DABE) of Makerere University. The study implemented several interventions to augment the adoption of processing equipment among MSME agro-processors in Uganda. This included development of modified pasteurizers (biomass and electrical) and pulpers, development of user manuals, and training of processors on the use of equipment. All interventions were designed with a focus on the needs and preferences of the end users. This study demonstrates how HCD can be used to develop food processing equipment that addresses the dynamic needs of micro, small, and mediumscale agro-processors in form of production capacity and cost of ownership. The study findings can influence large-scale research and policy toward the production and adoption of user-centric food processing equipment, which in turn can provide agro-processors with increased livelihoods and reduce the major challenge of postharvest losses.

Ecological practices such as intercropping maize (Zea mays) with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) have been promoted to combat parasitic weeds like Striga (Striga asiatica). Intercropping has been promoted across Africa as a Striga control practice (SCP) and food security measure. Despite past efforts, millions of smallholder farmers (cultivating < 2 ha of maize) still struggle to implement SCPs. Social and ecological factors that prevent SCP implementation are well documented in the literature, but their underlying interactions have remained elusive. System dynamics modeling can uncover these interactions and assess their effect on intercropping rates as well as Striga emergence. This study presents a participatory mixed methods approach to build a system dynamics model based on two theories: diffusion of innovations and resource pool dynamics. The model estimates the population of fields where Striga emerged in response to intercropped fields when various interventions were implemented. According to model simulations, if new policies are not enacted to support intercropping, Striga is likely to spread to 2,625,000 maize fields, parasitizing almost 75% of smallholder farms across Central Malawi by 2036. The participatory approach allowed us to evaluate several policies, one of which sustained enough adopters to limit Striga emergence to < 500,000 fields, reducing the weed's threat to food security. This policy considers how input costs and erratic rainfall can lead to disadoption, therefore, supporting the implementation of five to six consecutive years of intercropping by providing both fertilizer subsidies and demonstration plots. In this study, our participatory approach has shown to develop a model that can highlight interactions in social ecological systems, their leverage points, and how they can be exploited to develop effective food security policies.

Compost micro-entrepreneurship has been used as strategy to increase the incomes of poor and rural farming communities. Nevertheless, several difficulties can arise to sustain these small businesses. The conversion of organic material into compost requires labor, tools and infrastructure. Many poor and rural microenterprises
cannot afford all of these inputs to sustain operations. Literature suggests that social capital and collective action can address challenges related to limited resources for communities and small businesses. Little research, however, has explored how coworker characteristics and their cooperative efforts affect the financial sustainability of compost micro-enterprises. The objective of this study was to unveil whether rural compost microenterprises use social capital and/or collective action to address various challenges related to natural and financial capital, and if so, in what manner. A multisite case study framework was implemented using participant observation to identify common challenges faced by compost microenterprises in Chimaltenanago, Guatemala. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine if coworker characteristics (related to social capital) addressed these challenges, and if so, how. Four characteristics related to social capital emerged from a thematic analysis, including 1) raw material access based on coworker occupation, 2) overhead savings from human capital, 3) credit/market-entry granted from social networks, and 4) consumer trust gained from social capital/gender. It appears the investigation and development of compost microenterprises should be more cognizant of opportunities related to coworker characteristics, especially those related to social capital and collective action. As a result, management training can be integrated within entrepreneurship development to sustain urban and rural economies.

Across southern Africa (SA), significant maize yield losses are attributed to invasive and parasitic weeds. Abundance of Striga (Striga asiatica) has become more frequent in smallholder farms (<2 ha) in the past decade. Various Striga control practices (SCPs) have been disseminated across SA, yet often, without decision support tools to inform extension officers and researchers which ones are most appropriate for smallholder contexts. System dynamics modeling (SDM) provides an opportunity to evaluate the efficacy of SCPs across multiple seasons in different agroecosystems and their associated environments. We developed a SDM to evaluate the long-term efficacy of four SCPs popularly used in maize-based cropping systems. Observations from studies outlining local soil seedbanks, emergence and flowering rates in farmer fields were used to calibrate the SDM. Model simulations indicate that while a combination of SCPs are necessary to manage the weed, future research should focus on developing smallholder-adapted SCPs that address the attachment stage of the weed's lifecycle (e.g., timely manure application) rather than its germination, emergence or flowering stages. Given the devastating effects S. asiatica has had on food security in Malawi and across SA, it is imperative to develop decision support tools like systems models to evaluate SCPs for smallholders. Models that do not capture the underlying mechanisms driving S. asiatica infestations may provide extension officers with potentially misleading information , and subsequently, the delivery of ineffective SCPs.

Compost micro-entrepreneurship has been used as strategy to increase the incomes of poor and rural farming communities. Nevertheless, several difficulties can arise to sustain these small businesses. The conversion of organic material into compost requires labor, tools and infrastructure. Many poor and rural microenterprises cannot afford all of these inputs to sustain operations. Literature suggests that social capital and collective action can address challenges related to limited resources for communities and small businesses. Little research, however, has explored how coworker characteristics and their cooperative efforts affect the financial sustainability of compost micro-enterprises. The objective of this study was to unveil whether rural compost microenterprises use social capital and/or collective action to address various challenges related to natural and financial capital, and if so, in what manner. A multisite case study framework was implemented using participant observation to identify common challenges faced by compost microenterprises in Chimaltenanago, Guatemala. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine if coworker characteristics (related to social capital) addressed these challenges, and if so, how. Four characteristics related to social capital emerged from a thematic analysis, including 1) raw material access based on coworker occupation, 2) overhead savings from human capital, 3) credit/market-entry granted from social networks, and 4) consumer trust gained from social capital/gender. It appears the investigation and development of compost microenterprises should be more cognizant of opportunities related to coworker characteristics, especially those related to social capital and collective action. As a result, management training can be integrated within entrepreneurship development to sustain urban and rural economies.

Weed abundance in cereal-based systems has increased in recent years across sub-Saharan Africa for smallholder farmers (cultivating less than two hectares). Smallholders can employ numerous practices to control weeds such as intercropping cereal crops with legumes. We conducted a review to identify the possible mechanisms responsible for weed control according to legume species, weed species and agroecosystem. In the review, we first present common weed species found in specific agroecological contexts. Then, we propose several legume in-tercrops that provide some control of these species and the reasons why. Finally, we highlight possible social and biophysical tradeoffs for cultivating legumes as a weed control practice in smallholder cereal systems. The review found that while many studies explained the effect a certain legume-intercrop had upon weeds (e.g., emergence rates), few identified the mechanism or mechanisms (e.g., increased predation) behind their control. Without understanding these mechanisms, it is difficult to propose management recommendations for inter-cropping (e.g., seeding rates). Furthermore, few studies have investigated how legume intercrops affect multiple components of farming systems, including the smallholders that cultivate them. Determining how these components connect and impose tradeoffs for smallholders unveils the drivers (or barriers) behind legume inter-cropping as a weed control practice.

The economic sustainability of innovations disseminated to rural communities is an important issue in agricultural development. However, individuals working in international development often do not fully employ monitoring systems to analyze the long-term profit of an innovation prior to diffusion. This multi-case study used qualitative methods, including individual/group interviews and observations, to gather data to analyze all necessary inputs of compost micro-enterprises in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Each micro-enterprise’s relative output was examined to determine how agricultural extension efforts could modify its operations to produce profits. The results revealed entrepreneurs lacked an awareness of total inputs used/needed for a compost operation and lacked effective financial record keeping practices. Net profit fell when inexpensive unskilled labor was used, when the operation’s infrastructure deterred access to transport or deterred vision of the operation and when entrep...

Considering the development of the Brazilian energy matrix and the benefits associated with the biogas chain, the present article seeks to project the diffusion of the biogas production in the country and to propose scenarios aiming its expansion. A system dynamics model was built, based on the theory of technology diffusion, with data on the number of plants and scientific publications on the country potential. The results indicate a slow expansion with great potential to be accessed. The analysis indicated that the country's production will most likely reach 4.03 million cubic meters of methane equivalent per day by 2030, capable of providing about 0.5% of the energy demand of the country , nearly 3.39 TWh of energy produced. Results also have shown that the actual scenario of Brazil is not favorable to technology, feed-in tariffs and incentives development. New policies should support Medium and Small plants in order to reach higher biogas yields, since these plants can spread quickly and promote a decentralized energy matrix more widely, policy should also promote an import tax reduction to enhance plants lifespan with state of the art technology. Institutions have the means to promote incentives as well as promote new business models.