Agriculture & food

Overview

Most poor people in developing countries are reliant to some extent on agriculture for their livelihoods. But new pressures, risks and uncertainties are complicating the dynamics of already highly variable agricultural ecologies. Pressures from climate change and localised environmental pollution, for instance, or from resource extraction, industrial activities and urbanisation.

Pathways out of poverty in rural worlds

STEPS research will explore the possible pathways out of poverty for poor people living in different ‘rural worlds’ and identify how they can become more economically, ecologically and socially sustainable in an era of growing risk and uncertainty.

Globalised systems

New agricultural technologies, including biotechnology applications, are emerging alongside established technological repertoires, such as longstanding farmer practices. The governance of agricultural technology transitions increasingly involves globalised agri-food systems, influencing innovation processes, markets and access, and globalised standards and regulations – such as in food safety and biosafety.These globalised systems increasingly affect options in the developing world, although in diverse ways, as they interact with the particularities of national and local institutions.

The challenge

Our research in this domain will build on and draw together established Institute of Development work on agriculture-livelihoods links and SPRU work on standards and regulations, especially for food safety. In this way we will address the challenge of understanding contemporary agricultural social, technological and environmental pathways.

Film: Pathways in and out of Maize

This film documents the Sakai project on Maize innovation in Kenya. Farmers talk about how they are living with concerns about climate change and food security.
Pathways in and out of Maize - Part 1(blip.tv)
Pathways in and out of Maize - Part 2 (blip.tv)

STEPS Working Paper 4: Agriculture & Food

The 'modernist' project that has come to dominate food and agricultural policy has failed to provide sustainable outcomes for many poor people in developing countries. Countering orthodox notions, the paper makes a case for a deeper understanding of diverse 'rural worlds' in an ara of short-terms shocks and long-terms stresses like climate change

Creative Commons License This work is licenced under a
Creative Commons Licence

STEPS briefing 4: Agri-food System Dynamics for Sustainability
Agri-food system dynamics briefing cover

Sally Brooks
Download this briefing (pdf 273kb)

Research Projects: cutting across domains & themes

  • Enhancing water for food - how agricultural productivity can be enhanced and sustained by irrigation, through improved management of ecosystem services, in order to alleviate poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Biochar and African Dark Earths - West African farmers are using charred carbon to enrich their soils. How can biochar be used in ways that support small farmers and the environment?
  • Environmental change and innovation pathways in Africa - focussing on dryland Kenya, maize and farming system dynamics in areas affected by climate change.
  • Urbanisation in Asia - urbanisation and sustainability in Asia's growing cities, on the expanding peri-urban fringe of a major city, indicative of conditions for an increasing proportion of global poor.
  • Rethinking regulation -addressing the gap between current assumptions about regulation in the cases of drugs, seeds and water in China and Latin America, and more complex realities.
  • Risk, uncertainty and technology - how different institutions and groups frame and respond to risks and uncertainties in areas of rapid scientific and technological advance.
  • Epidemics, livelihoods and politics - HIV-AIDS, SARS, avian flu, BSE - procedures for addressing epidemics that support rather than compromise poor people and support social justice.

Related research & events

Affliated projects

Find out more about our affiliated projects

Future Agricultures Consortium Ethiopia, Kenya and Malawi.
Aiming to encourage critical debate and policy dialogue on the future of agriculture in Africa.

TERESA (Types of interaction between environment, rural economy, society and agriculture in European regions), Europe.

Veterinary Science, Transboundary Animal Diseases and Markets
Southern Africa – Botswana, Nambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Exploring the economic, social and political trade-offs arising from foot and mouth disease control strategies.

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sorghum seedling

Sorghum seedling struggles to grow / Ami Vitale / Panos

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