Sustainable intensification in African agriculture

For many developing countries, agricultural production gains have facilitated rural and urban economic growth. However, African countries in general are viewed as being unsuccessful in increasing productivity. Sustainable intensification is a method of production that incorporates the principles of natural resource conservation and efficient use with intensive agricultural practices. Recently, it is a coming into ideological and practical popularity among agriculturalists, environmentalists, and economists as a means to increase productive capacity sustainably. In this study, forty projects and programs utilizing concepts of sustainable intensification in twenty African states were evaluated the determine the commonalities of success. Increased yields and benefits to farmers and their families were demonstrated, and scaling out now presents significant issues and challenges. Common factors in the success of these forty endeavors include farmer and scientist-generated animal integration technologies, improving social infrastructure, incorporation of the private sector, adoption of modern communication technologies, developing rural banking and microfinance opportunities, garnering support from the public sector, and focusing on impacts and issues related to gender.