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Agricultural Land-Use Systems and Management Challenges

  • This chapter aims at providing an overview of the diversity of agroecological conditions, features of main farming systems, agricultural land use, its dynamics and drivers during the last two decades as well as major threats in ten countries of southern Africa (SA10). Based on this, we attempt to identify the resultant challenges for sustainable land management and outline potential interventions with a focus on smallholder farmers. By analyzing cropland dynamics during 2000–2019, we show how land use has been shaped by climate, demographic development, economic imperatives and policy realities. Concrete examples of these complex interactions illustrate both considerable shrinkage in South Africa and Zimbabwe or expansion of cropland in Mozambique and Zambia. During the past 20 years, cropland increased by 37% on average across SA10 mainly at the expense of forestland—showing huge spatiotemporal heterogeneity among countries. Most smallholders face shrinking farm size and other resource limitations that have resulted in soil nutrientThis chapter aims at providing an overview of the diversity of agroecological conditions, features of main farming systems, agricultural land use, its dynamics and drivers during the last two decades as well as major threats in ten countries of southern Africa (SA10). Based on this, we attempt to identify the resultant challenges for sustainable land management and outline potential interventions with a focus on smallholder farmers. By analyzing cropland dynamics during 2000–2019, we show how land use has been shaped by climate, demographic development, economic imperatives and policy realities. Concrete examples of these complex interactions illustrate both considerable shrinkage in South Africa and Zimbabwe or expansion of cropland in Mozambique and Zambia. During the past 20 years, cropland increased by 37% on average across SA10 mainly at the expense of forestland—showing huge spatiotemporal heterogeneity among countries. Most smallholders face shrinking farm size and other resource limitations that have resulted in soil nutrient mining and low agricultural productivity—a highly unsustainable situation. We conclude with an outlook on potential transformation pathways (“TechnoGarden” and “AdaptiveMosaic”) for the near future and thereby provide a frame for further studies on sustainable land management options under given local settings.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author: Reimund P. RötterORCiD, Mandla Nkomo, Johannes Meyer zu Drewer, Maik VesteORCiD
URL:https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-10948-5_20
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10948-5_20
ISBN:978-3-031-10947-8
ISBN:978-3-031-10948-5
Title of the source (English):Sustainability of Southern African Ecosystems under Global Change
Publisher:Springer
Place of publication:Cham
Editor: Graham P. von MaltitzORCiD, Guy F. MidgleyORCiD, Jennifer VeitchORCiD, Christian BrümmerORCiD, Finn A. Viehberg, Maik VesteORCiD
Document Type:Part of a book (chapter)
Language:English
Year of publication:2024
Tag:Agroecology; Climate Change; SPACES II; Southern Africa
First Page:551
Last Page:586
Series ; volume number:Ecologcigal Studies ; 248
Way of publication:Open Access
Faculty/Chair:Fakultät 2 Umwelt und Naturwissenschaften / FG Bodenschutz und Rekultivierung
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