Status of integrated crop-livestock research in the mixed farming systems of the Global South: a scoping study
Mixed farming systems (MFS) are the main food source and exist across almost all agroecological regions in the Global South. A systematic scoping review was conducted to identify the status of integrated crop-livestock research in MFS of the Global South. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1241675/full |
| _version_ | 1797671884154732544 |
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| author | Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi Tendai Polite Chibarabada Alok Sikka |
| author_facet | Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi Tendai Polite Chibarabada Alok Sikka |
| author_sort | Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mixed farming systems (MFS) are the main food source and exist across almost all agroecological regions in the Global South. A systematic scoping review was conducted to identify the status of integrated crop-livestock research in MFS of the Global South. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol was used to identify 210 studies (excluding reviews) addressing productivity, resilience, challenges, opportunities, and perceptions of integrating crops and livestock in the Global South from the Scopus and Web of Science database. Publication details, problem statement, experimental details and research outcomes of each study were extracted into an MS. Excel sheet. Descriptive methods such as frequency counting and the word frequency cloud were used to analyze the data and identify emerging themes. Integrated crop-livestock research was mostly conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia and not much from North Africa and the Caribbean. The integrated research has been focused on farm production of human food and animal feed by smallholder farmers and soil productivity. Maize was the most dominant crop, while for livestock, it was sheep and cattle. The integrated crop-livestock research seeked to address various challenges, including the growing demand for food and fodder, water scarcity, land scarcity and degradation, climate change, disease outbreaks and social changes. The review summarized proposed strategies and approaches to improve the efficiency of MFS in the Global South. Under the current challenges, feed quality and supply can be improved through adoption of high biomass, climate smart and improved drought-tolerant fodder crops. Using crop residues incorporated in crop fields for improved soil organic matter and controlled grazing were some strategies suggested for land rehabilitation. Building the resilience of smallholder farmers in MFS can be done through diversification and ensuring access to information, markets and finance. Policies that promote the business component, i.e., markets, training, gender equality, private investments, tenure systems and technology adoption were identified for the sustainability of MFS. There is need for research that integrates crop-livestock systems and natural resource management innovations and that evaluates sustainable intensification strategies to meet productivity goals without compromising social and ecological outcomes in MFS. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:20:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7577b619d39a4b6f89fc6e991ecca3d4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:20:57Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-7577b619d39a4b6f89fc6e991ecca3d42023-09-28T05:43:32ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2023-09-01710.3389/fsufs.2023.12416751241675Status of integrated crop-livestock research in the mixed farming systems of the Global South: a scoping studyTafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi0Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi1Tendai Polite Chibarabada2Alok Sikka3International Water Management Institute (IWMI-SA) – Southern Africa Regional Office, Pretoria, South AfricaCentre for Transformative Agricultural and Food Systems, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South AfricaCentre for Transformative Agricultural and Food Systems, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South AfricaInternational Water Management Institute, New Delhi, IndiaMixed farming systems (MFS) are the main food source and exist across almost all agroecological regions in the Global South. A systematic scoping review was conducted to identify the status of integrated crop-livestock research in MFS of the Global South. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol was used to identify 210 studies (excluding reviews) addressing productivity, resilience, challenges, opportunities, and perceptions of integrating crops and livestock in the Global South from the Scopus and Web of Science database. Publication details, problem statement, experimental details and research outcomes of each study were extracted into an MS. Excel sheet. Descriptive methods such as frequency counting and the word frequency cloud were used to analyze the data and identify emerging themes. Integrated crop-livestock research was mostly conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia and not much from North Africa and the Caribbean. The integrated research has been focused on farm production of human food and animal feed by smallholder farmers and soil productivity. Maize was the most dominant crop, while for livestock, it was sheep and cattle. The integrated crop-livestock research seeked to address various challenges, including the growing demand for food and fodder, water scarcity, land scarcity and degradation, climate change, disease outbreaks and social changes. The review summarized proposed strategies and approaches to improve the efficiency of MFS in the Global South. Under the current challenges, feed quality and supply can be improved through adoption of high biomass, climate smart and improved drought-tolerant fodder crops. Using crop residues incorporated in crop fields for improved soil organic matter and controlled grazing were some strategies suggested for land rehabilitation. Building the resilience of smallholder farmers in MFS can be done through diversification and ensuring access to information, markets and finance. Policies that promote the business component, i.e., markets, training, gender equality, private investments, tenure systems and technology adoption were identified for the sustainability of MFS. There is need for research that integrates crop-livestock systems and natural resource management innovations and that evaluates sustainable intensification strategies to meet productivity goals without compromising social and ecological outcomes in MFS.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1241675/fullcattlecrop-livestock systemsfodderfoodmaizesheep |
| spellingShingle | Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi Tendai Polite Chibarabada Alok Sikka Status of integrated crop-livestock research in the mixed farming systems of the Global South: a scoping study Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems cattle crop-livestock systems fodder food maize sheep |
| title | Status of integrated crop-livestock research in the mixed farming systems of the Global South: a scoping study |
| title_full | Status of integrated crop-livestock research in the mixed farming systems of the Global South: a scoping study |
| title_fullStr | Status of integrated crop-livestock research in the mixed farming systems of the Global South: a scoping study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Status of integrated crop-livestock research in the mixed farming systems of the Global South: a scoping study |
| title_short | Status of integrated crop-livestock research in the mixed farming systems of the Global South: a scoping study |
| title_sort | status of integrated crop livestock research in the mixed farming systems of the global south a scoping study |
| topic | cattle crop-livestock systems fodder food maize sheep |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1241675/full |
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