Water scarcity is one of the key problems in northern China. Efficient use and management of agricultural water resources is an important challenge in China's agricultural food production under a background of climate change. This chapter addresses issues of impacts of climate change and adaptation ...

There are literally hundreds of thousands of plant species in the wild that are potential food sources for humans. However, plant species ultimately selected as the basis for agricultural societies both in antiquity and modern times became limited to only a very few. This chapter explores the...

Population and economic growth are expected to be the main drivers of increased food demand through 2050. This increase in food production will come primarily from intensively managed agricultural systems. Currently these systems are already important contributors of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. ...

Some of the farm-level factors that are crucial for intensified food crop production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is discussed. The current trends and indicators of intensification, including yield, total production per farm and consumption unit and sale of crops are also discussed, based on the...

This chapter summarizes key lessons emerging from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) review of African agricultural successes. The discussions focus primarily on the role of technology in triggering advances in African agriculture. 'Success' was defined by the IFPRI team as a...

The influence of climatic, policy and institutional-related (infrastructure, technology, institutional support) factors on the decline in maize output and yields and the subsequent deepening and broadening of food poverty in Kenya is discussed. This chapter provides lessons to enable a re-focusing...

The role of Ghana's Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) is discussed with particular reference to intensification of the major staple food crops, viz. cassava, maize, rice and sorghum. The SAP is reviewed from the standpoint of how its policies and programmes have affected the supply,...

Nine Collaborative Research Support Programs (CRSPs) were established by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in response to Public Law 94-161, Title XII Legislation: Famine Prevention and Freedom from Hunger Act, which was originally approved in December 1975 and amended and...

In this study, the fertility status of the soils in the Cotacachi area, Ecuador, was analysed, and the nutrient limitations in different zones of the areas were identified. The soil fertility parameters studied include: soil organic matter, nitrogen, amorphous materials and phosphorus, cation...