scholarly journals Gender mainstreaming in local potato seed system in Georgia

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Potato Production ◽  
Gender Mainstreaming ◽  
Potato Seed ◽  
Production Environment ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
Root Tuber ◽  
Seed System

This report presents the study findings associated with the project “Enhancing Rural Livelihoods in Georgia: Introducing Integrated Seed Health Approaches to Local Potato Seed Systems” in Georgia. It also incorporates information from the results of gender training conducted within the framework of the USAID Potato Program in Georgia. The study had three major aims: 1) to understand the gender-related opportunities and constraints impacting the participation of men and women in potato seed systems in Georgia; 2) to test the multistakeholder framework for intervening in root, tuber, and banana (RTB) seed systems as a means to understand the systems themselves and the possibilities of improving gender-related interventions in the potato seed system; and 3) to develop farmers’ leadership skills to facilitate women’s active involvement in project activities. Results of the project assessment identified certain constraints on gender mainstreaming in the potato seed system: a low level of female participation in decision-making processes, women’s limited access to finances that would enable their greater involvement in larger scale potato farming, and a low awareness of potato seed systems and of possible female involvement in associated activities. Significantly, the perception of gender roles and stereotypes differs from region to region in Georgia; this difference is quite pronounced in the target municipalities of Kazbegi, Marneuli, and Akhalkalaki, with the last two having populations of ethnic minorities (Azeri and Armenian, respectively). For example, in Marneuli, although women are actively involved in potato production, they are not considered farmers but mainly as assistants to farmers, who are men. This type of diversity (or lack thereof) results in a different understanding of gender mainstreaming in the potato seed system as well. Based on the training results obtained in three target regions—Akhalkalaki, Akhaltsikhe, and Marneuli—it is evident that women are keen on learning new technologies and on acquiring updated agricultural information, including on potato production. It is also clear that women spend as much time as men do on farming activities such as potato production, particularly in weeding and harvesting. However, women are heavily burdened with domestic work, and they are not major decision-makers with regard to potato variety selection, agricultural investments, and product sales, nor with the inclusion of participants in any training provided. Involving women in project activities will lead to greater efficiency in the potato production environment, as women’s increased knowledge will certainly contribute to an improved production process, and their new ideas will help to improve existing production systems, through which women could also gain confidence and power. As a general recommendation, it is extremely important to develop equitable seed systems that take into consideration, among other factors, social context and the cultural aspects of local communities. Thus, understanding male and female farmers’ knowledge may promote the development of seed systems that are sustainable and responsive to farmers’ needs and capacities.

On-farm Development of Potato Production from True Seed in Indonesia

1992 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Gunadi ◽  
M. J. Potts ◽  
R. Sinung-Basuki ◽  
Greta A. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Potato Production ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Potato Seed ◽  
True Potato Seed ◽  
Yield Difference ◽  
Tuber Crop ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Comparable Quality ◽  
Better Than

SummaryThree seasons of on-farm experimentation to develop potato production from botanical or true potato seed (TPS) under cool fertile conditions in West Java, Indonesia, are described. Twenty-three farmers experimented with two production systems: use of transplants, and use of seedling tubers produced in nursery beds. There was little yield difference between the systems, but an apparent progeny × system × season interaction was observed. All progenies were more resistant to late blight than the present cultivars grown from tubers. Appropriate matching of progeny and system gave seed of comparable quality with, but total yields slightly less than, certified imported seed of cv. Granola. Ware quality was slightly better than that of cv. Granola. Production costs were markedly less than for a tuber crop, making TPS ideal for small, resource-poor farmers.

G0 Potato Seed Production Management in Indonesia: An Overview and The Challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-90
Author(s):  
Asma Sembiring ◽  
Rini Roro Murtiningsih ◽  
Kusmana Kusmana
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Production Management ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Potato Production ◽  
Potato Seed ◽  
Production Scale ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Seed System ◽  
Potato Plantlets

The availability of Indonesian potato seed and production of potato for consumption depends on the availability and quality of Generation 0 (G0) potato seed. This study aims to observe G0 potato seed production management in Indonesia. Data were collected through Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and survey. Thirty-seven G0 potato seed producers participated in the survey. Data were analyzed descriptively, while the feasibility of the farm budget of G0 potato production was calculated using the enterprise budget method. The results showed that the producers had challenges on capital to broaden the screen house to extend the production scale and limited plantlet availability. Meanwhile, they did not have any problems with other production aspects, such as controlling pests and diseases and the marketing of the G0 seed. Government supports to provide screen houses to fulfil producers' necessity and delegate the legality of potato plantlets are needed to create a better Indonesia's potato seed system.

scholarly journals Bung: A traditional practice of potato cultivation in eastern hills of Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-50
Author(s):  
Kalika Prasad Upadhyay ◽  
Amit Prasad Timilsina
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Potato Production ◽  
Potato Seed ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Basic Information ◽  
Traditional Practice ◽  
Hill Region ◽  
High Yielding Varieties ◽  
Cultivation Practice

Eastern hill region is one of the high potato producing areas of potato in Nepal. There are many traditional potato production systems existing in the region. Among them, 'Bung' and 'Lhose' are very popular systems. There are some under-proven views of naming to this unique cultivation practice. Field observations, key informants' interview, and group discussion were carried out at three sites of Okhaldhunga and Solukhumbu districts in July 2019 to explore the basic information on the bung system. The results of this investigation revealed that the century-old practice utilized marginal sloppy lands of mountains for cultivation of potatoes. Farmers left land fallow for 4-5 years to grow weeds and herbs. Thereafter, they slashed them with a thin layer of soil, stacked them over winter, burned and mixed with the soil making a raised pit. They planted 15-25 potato seed tubers into these pits depending upon the pit size. No additional fertilizer is added to these pits. No intercultural operations are carried out until harvesting. It was explained that the yield of potato from the bung was significantly higher   15-20 kg)  than that of general local practice called lhose system (5-7 kg) from the area equivalent to Bung . Some interventions such as high yielding varieties, easy-to-handle equipment for bung preparation and introduction of fast-growing non-hazardous weeds, etc. were the demands of the farmers to increase profit from the bung system.

scholarly journals Why interventions in the seed systems of roots, tubers and bananas crops do not reach their full potential: a reflection based on literature and thirteen case studies

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conny J.M. Almekinders ◽  
Stephen Walsh ◽  
Kim Jacobsen ◽  
Jorge Andrade
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
System Development ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
True Seed ◽  
Root Tuber ◽  
Implementation Time ◽  
Seed System ◽  
Seed Crops ◽  
System Paradigm

With RTB seed system initially not given much attention and – in very general way – in a less ‘advanced stage’, the awareness of their importance for food security, nutrition and income of rural households has caught up. In this publication we review the state-of-the art in relation to seed systems of root, tuber and banana (RTB) crops, with particular reference to potato, sweet potato, cassava, yam, banana, the five major vegetatively propagated food crops in developing countries. We reflect on current seed system development paradigms, and how seed systems of RTB crops feature in context, and how they differ from seed systems of “true” seed crops. Literature and 13 case studies of RTB seed system interventions are used to underpin the argument that more systematic and interdisciplinary research is needed to identify gaps in our knowledge on degeneration processes, farmer practices in multiplying in and sourcing seed. The interactions of these elements have important consequences for strategies to improve availability and access of farmers to quality seed. The evaluation of the 13 cases indicated that RTB seed system interventions are highly variable in scale and orientation. Despite the ambitious goals of the project interventions, the project implementation time was in the majority of the cases two to four year. The interventions appeared to have no links to national government policies to seed sector development, did not make specific efforts to build on existing informal seed systems and in general the efforts to learn from the experiences of the interventions seems to be meagre. Understanding farmers’ effective demand for seed and how this affects the economic sustainable supply of quality seed by specialized producer-entrepreneurs is of paramount importance, regardless of the seed system paradigm, in order to be able to prioritize investments in improved use of seed by farmers. Few interventions are designed without rigorous understanding of the bottlenecks in the functioning of the existing seed system, i.e. who are the actors, what does and does not work where and for whom and why.

scholarly journals Distribution and incidence of viruses in Irish seed potato crops

2015 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Hutton ◽  
J.H. Spink ◽  
D. Griffin ◽  
S. Kildea ◽  
D. Bonner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Potato Virus ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Potato Production ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Potato Seed ◽  
Virus Diseases ◽  
Aphid Control ◽  
Daily Weather Data ◽  
Potato Crops

Abstract Virus diseases are of key importance in potato production and in particular for the production of disease-free potato seed. However, there is little known about the frequency and distribution of potato virus diseases in Ireland. Despite a large number of samples being tested each year, the data has never been collated either within or across years. Information from all known potato virus testing carried out in the years 2006–2012 by the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine was collated to give an indication of the distribution and incidence of potato virus in Ireland. It was found that there was significant variation between regions, varieties, years and seed classes. A definition of daily weather data suitable for aphid flight was developed, which accounted for a significant proportion of the variation in virus incidence between years. This use of weather data to predict virus risk could be developed to form the basis of an integrated pest management approach for aphid control in Irish potato crops.

Emerging Industrial Revolution: Symbiosis of Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy: The Role of Universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seeram Ramakrishna ◽  
Alfred Ngowi ◽  
Henk De Jager ◽  
Bankole O. Awuzie
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Jobs

Growing consumerism and population worldwide raises concerns about society’s sustainability aspirations. This has led to calls for concerted efforts to shift from the linear economy to a circular economy (CE), which are gaining momentum globally. CE approaches lead to a zero-waste scenario of economic growth and sustainable development. These approaches are based on semi-scientific and empirical concepts with technologies enabling 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and 6Rs (reuse, recycle, redesign, remanufacture, reduce, recover). Studies estimate that the transition to a CE would save the world in excess of a trillion dollars annually while creating new jobs, business opportunities and economic growth. The emerging industrial revolution will enhance the symbiotic pursuit of new technologies and CE to transform extant production systems and business models for sustainability. This article examines the trends, availability and readiness of fourth industrial revolution (4IR or industry 4.0) technologies (for example, Internet of Things [IoT], artificial intelligence [AI] and nanotechnology) to support and promote CE transitions within the higher education institutional context. Furthermore, it elucidates the role of universities as living laboratories for experimenting the utility of industry 4.0 technologies in driving the shift towards CE futures. The article concludes that universities should play a pivotal role in engendering CE transitions.

scholarly journals Making sense of farmers’ demand for seed of root, tuber and banana crops: a systematic review of methods

Food Security ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Pircher ◽  
Conny J. M. Almekinders
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Classification Scheme ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
The Body ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Root Tuber ◽  
Agricultural Research And Development

AbstractA demand-driven approach is becoming increasingly central in the efforts to improve agricultural research and development. However, the question of how exactly demand is studied usually remains unstated and is rarely discussed. We therefore carried out a systematic review in order to better understand how farmers’ demand for seed in root, tuber and banana seed systems is studied. The review is based on data from a consultation with an expert panel and a structured literature search in the SCOPUS database. Screening the gathered articles resulted in 46 studies on a global scale, fitting the scope of our investigation. Through qualitative analysis and categorization of these studies, we developed a classification scheme according to the types of approaches applied in the retained studies. One group of studies explicitly articulates farmers’ preferences and choices through surveys or engagements in trials, auctions, choice experiments and interviews. Other studies implicitly articulate farmers’ demand by characterising their current use of varieties and seed. We discuss opportunities and limitations in the use of each type of study and we reflect on the body of available literature as a whole. Our conclusion is that a framework is necessary that purposefully combines the existing different methods and that it is necessary to involve stakeholders in a process where demand is articulated. Together, these two steps would characterise existing demands in a more effective and precise way, thus providing better guidance to decision-makers in their reactions pertaining to seed systems.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment to Highlight the Environmental Burdens of Early Potato Production

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 879
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Timpanaro ◽  
Ferdinando Branca ◽  
Mariarita Cammarata ◽  
Giacomo Falcone ◽  
Alessandro Scuderi
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Potato Production ◽  
Conventional Agriculture ◽  
Production Models ◽  
Real Performance

Climate change, food security, and the protection of the planet’s resources require the adoption of sustainable production models. Achieving sustainable development in the agri-food sector enables the creation of new opportunities for operators, guiding farmers towards more environmentally friendly practices and offering cost-effective results. Organic farming paradigms are promoted by the transformation of some harmful practices of conventional agriculture, such as the wide use of chemical products of synthesis, the deep workings that favor the erosive processes, the excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers. There are still gaps in the knowledge of the real performance of some products that strongly support the local economic system of Sicily (Italy). The research aims to highlight the differences in environmental impact caused by the cultivation of organic early potatoes compared to the conventional regime and the same per kg of product obtained. To this end, the widely used methodology for comparing the environmental impacts of agricultural production systems is the Life Cycle Assessment, which allows us to highlight the phases in which environmental criticalities are most concentrated. An interesting agroecological picture of knowledge emerges, since organic farming is by definition an ecological model that supports the principles of the Green Deal, it often requires interventions to improve the yields obtained in order to achieve a positive result both in terms of cultivated surface and kg of product obtained.

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