International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology (6 papers in press)

• Farmers facing rapid agricultural land condition changes in two villages in the Upper Amazon, Peru. Can action learning contribute to resilience?
  by Kristina Marquardt Arévalo, Ulrika Geber, Lennart Salomonsson 
  Abstract: This article analyses a case study of Amazonian (native non-Indian) farmers’ adaptation and learning for more resilient management of agricultural land. Two villages in north-eastern Peru, with different conditions and contexts for land management, are described, analyzed and compared, with respect to the processes of adaptation in farming systems in transition from extensive swidden agriculture to more intensive and semi-permanent mono-cropping. The article argues that farmers’ practical experiential learning style presents opportunities for experimenting and testing activities which support local farming resilience. This contributes to cultivating local agricultural diversity and further farmers’ learning. An action research (AR) methodology was used to facilitate collective learning related to management of land degradation. Framed by a local institution (choba choba), learning situations in terms of experimental fields were created in order to speed the joint learning process between farmers, a local NGO and researchers.
  Keywords: Amazon; Peru; swidden agriculture; land management; resilience; action research; farmer learning
   
• A Review of the Phosphorus Content of Dry Cereal and Legume Crops of the World.
  by John Lott, Marla Bojarski, Jurek Kolasa, Graeme Batten, Lindsay Campbell 
  Abstract: When food scarcity increases, instability in society increases. The majority of food consumed is from cereals and legumes. Phosphorus is essential for crop plant growth and soils are depleted as this element is removed from crop lands with harvested grains/seeds. To sustain yields, inputs of nutrients are required to balance losses. On global and continental/regional bases, we assembled nine years data on: total dry cereal grain and total dry legume seed production, production of barley, maize, rice, soybean and wheat grains/seeds, yields, area farmed, the tonnage of phosphorus and phytic acid removed in these crops and the elemental phosphorus applied as mineral fertilizers to all plant crops. Some significant imbalances were found that may affect food security. Asia consumes significantly more mineral P fertilizer in proportion to crop production than any other region – a potential environmental, economic and social problem. Approaches which could address nutrient (P) imbalances are discussed.
  Keywords: crop production; yield; cereal grains; legume seeds; phosphorus pollution; global estimates; continent estimates; lpa mutants; phosphorus fertilizer; grain/seed phosphorus; phytic acid; sustainability; food security.
   
• Multiple sources of local knowledge: A global review of ways to reduce nuisance from the beneficial weaver ant Oecophylla
  by Paul Van Mele, Nguyen Thi Thu Cuc, Zuberi Seguni, Koumandian Camara, Joachim Offenberg 
  Abstract: The weaver ants Oecophylla smaragdina and O. longinoda are abundant in tropical Asia, Australia and Africa. Although local people and a handful of scientists appreciate the benefits these tree-dwelling ants bring in terms of medicinal and food source, protection of tree crops, and enhancement of fruit and nut quality, Oecophylla has one major drawback: it also bites people. Perception of this nuisance, and the response to it, is influenced by the frequency of encounters and the perceived benefits gained from Oecophylla. We used a range of methods in more than 10 countries to document how people reduce weaver ant nuisance, including interactive rural radio programs. Apart from growers, also ant brood collectors, fruit-pickers and intermediaries in the value chain hold in-depth ecological knowledge on weaver ants. Ways to make Oecophylla more widely accepted and build ecological literacy at various levels of the society are discussed.
  Keywords: Oecophylla; local knowledge; sustainable agriculture; learning; communication; ecological literacy
   
• Local governance systems and smallholder cooperatives in Ethiopia
  by David Spielman, Marc Cohen, Tewodaj Mogues 
  Abstract: There is ample evidence to suggest that improving the on-farm productivity of small-scale farmers and integrating them into commercial markets is a promising strategy for alleviating poverty and leveraging agriculture as an engine of wider economic growth. Yet persistent market failures in large parts of sub-Saharan Africa have limited the impact of this strategy. As a result, there is increasing interest in the study of state and community failures—the underlying rural governance issues—that affect small-scale farmers. This paper contributes to this area of inquiry by examining the role of farmers’ cooperatives in local governance systems in Ethiopia. By drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data sources, the paper offers new insights into the potential role of rural governance systems in national development strategies, the interactions between formal and informal rural governance systems, and possible avenues through which farmers’ cooperatives can contribute to improving rural governance and national development.
  Keywords: Rural producer organizations; farmer cooperatives; rural governance; Ethiopia
   
• Moving on – European organic farming movements between political action and self-reflection
  by Heidrun Moschitz 
  Abstract: Organic farming movements in Europe are widely recognised as a positive force by market actors and civil society, as well as relevant actors in policy networks. At the same time, the organic movement is in a process of self-reflection, reconsidering its value basis. Taking account of both a policy network and a social movement perspective, this article seeks to understand political action of the organic sector. Making use of a cross-country comparison of European organic farming policy networks, it conceptualises the consequences of such action with regard to political influence and the identity of the organic farming movement. While different strategies are employed to influence politics, a space needs to be opened up within the movements for continuous innovation and the re-construction of a collective identity.
  Keywords: social movement; organic farming; institutionalisation; policy networks; cross-country comparison; Europe
   
• Toward an economics of the rural third sector
  by Constantine Iliopoulos, Vladislav Valentinov 
  Abstract: Third sector organizations play a prominent role in rural development. Yet, economists have not examined whether rurality represents a distinct rationale for the existence of the rural third sector. This paper argues some rural third sector organizations exist for reasons that are interrelated with various aspects of agriculture and rurality. Some of these reasons are related to rural areas’ characteristics that reduce the return on for-profit firms’ investment. Other reasons emerge from the need to overcome the organizational disadvantages of small-scale family farms, and the call for maintaining the balanced multifunctional character of agriculture. Illustrative examples from three European countries provide preliminary support to our arguments.
  Keywords: Rurality; agriculture; governance; third sector; rural development