Knowledge for Development

Sustainable intensification: a new buzzword to feed the world?

Author:

Date: 28/07/2014

Introduction:

Ian Scoones, at Future Agricultures, reviews the literature on ‘sustainable intensification’ (SI) in particular at what differentiate the concept of 'sustainable agriculture' from the one of 'sustainable intensification', only to find a 'crisis' narrative. Scoones notes that a social and political analysis is absent, a fact that undermines the approach. He concludes: 'For SI to be anything more than a rather odd collection of technical solutions, the questions of socio-technical choice and direction must be put at the forefront. This means having a political debate, and bringing in people more centrally, something that may jar with the rather bland techno-economic prescriptions offered to date.'    

(Futures Agricultures, 16/06/2014)

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