Search

Water scarcity is a global issue that disproportionately affects small-scale farmers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Through geospatial analysis, we estimated that less than 37% of small-scale farms probably have irrigation in water scarce regions across LMICs, compared with 42% of non-small-scale farms. Through a literature synthesis assisted by machine learning, we then systematically mapped the existing research for on-farm interventions that improve the incomes or yields of small-scale farmers in water scarce regions. We mapped over 888 on-farm interventions used to combat water scarcity from 560 publications and showed a research bias towards yields rather than livelihoods. We found gaps in evidence for many commonly proposed solutions, including livestock management, digital technology and solutions to protect natural resources at the farm-level, such as buffer strips. Our findings can be used to set a funding agenda for research on the geographies that are most at risk of water scarcity and the interventions that most lack evidence. A geospatial estimate of water scarcity in middle- to low-income countries finds that less than 37% of small-scale farms have irrigation. However, there exist considerable gaps in evidence for most commonly proposed, on-farm interventions.

Les chocolatiers bean-to-bar redéfinissent le chocolat en mettant l’accent sur le processus de transformation et la biodiversité cacaoyère. Basée sur une ethnographie multisituée à Montréal et à Piura (nord péruvien), cette recherche retrace le trajet de la fève de cacao le long d’une filière de chocolat bean-to-bar pour analyser l’articulation entre les valeurs des économies morales des chocolatiers et des producteurs de cacao fin. Grâce à une incursion dans l’histoire du chocolat, l’économie morale des chocolatiers est définie comme un positionnement contre l’industrie du chocolat conventionnel et ses standards. Alors que les valeurs des chocolatiers gravitent autour d’une éthique gustative engendrant des préoccupations pour la biodiversité cacaoyère et les droits des cacaoculteurs, celles des producteurs visent plutôt à renforcer leurs rôles familiaux et communautaires et à mettre en place un projet de développement local collectif. Cette étude suggère qu’une analyse des économies morales peut rendre compte de l’articulation entre des économies capitalistes et précapitalistes et des phénomènes qui y sont créés, dans le cas présent, la production d’une localité cacaoyère., Bean-to-bar chocolate makers redefine chocolate by drawing attention to the transformation process and cacao biodiversity. Based on a multi-sited ethnography in Montreal and Piura (northern Peru), this research follows the cacao bean through a bean-to-bar chocolate filière to study how the values of chocolate makers and fine cacao producers' moral economies are embedded. Through an incursion into the history of chocolate, the moral economy of chocolate makers is defined as a posture against the conventional chocolate industry and its standards. While chocolate makers' values gravitate towards a taste ethic that generates preoccupations for cacao biodiversity and cacao farmers' rights, producers' values aim to reinforce their family and community roles and to implement a collective project of local development. This research puts forward moral economy as a conceptual tool for studying the embeddedness between capitalist and pre-capitalist economies and the phenomena that emerge from this nexus, in this case, the production of a cacao locality.

Relay intercropping of maize with fodder crops is a promising option for sustainable intensification of dairy small-scale farms in the Cerrado of Brazil. Twenty-six intercropping trials were conducted on farmers’ fields with the following experimental treatments: sole maize crop cropping (MS), maize-Brachiaria intercropping (MB) and maize-pigeon pea intercropping (MP). The trials were managed by the farmers, i.e. choice of conventional tillage (CT) versus no-tillage (NT), sowing dates, fertilization and weed control. Maize grain yield varied strongly across the farmer fields, from 100 to 5900 kg ha−1 in the MS treatment, 500 to 6900 kg ha−1 in MP and 300 to 5500 kg ha−1 in MB. Intercropping did not significantly affect maize grain yields under NT, but yields were reduced under CT in one out of two seasons. Maize yields in the intercropped systems were also higher under NT than CT. Total biomass productivity was significantly higher in the maize-fodder than in the sole maize system. An increased interval between sowing of maize and fodder crop significantly reduced the fodder crop biomass. Relay intercropping, especially in combination with NT, is a promising option if crop calendars and fertilization are properly managed by farmers to reduce interspecific competition between the maize and fodder crop.

International audience; In French Guiana, the general environmental context and the growing need for energy and food products, linked to population growth, are responsible for increasing pressure on natural resources through land use changes. Low impact practices are emerging in the aim of reconciling production and environmental objectives. In French Guiana slash and burn practices are still used to increase agricultural area, and lead to a large loss of carbon. A field survey was carried out in order to understand the place of soil in farmers' choices, and to obtain a description of production systems and practices, focusing on identifying those with low impact on carbon dynamics. This step was realized through specific soil carbon stock measurements. Our results show that the "soil object" is mastered by farmers in terms of physical properties, and organic matter is a recognized indicator which is used to inform spatial management of farming systems. Farmers mobilizing low-impact practices have efficient production systems for their economic and environmental benefits.; En Guyane, les questions environnementales et le besoin croissant en énergie et produits alimentaires liés à la croissance démographique exercent une pression accrue sur les ressources naturelles par le changement d'affectation des sols qu'ils engendrent. Des agriculteurs testent cependant des pratiques à faible impact conciliant objectifs de production et respect de l'environnement. Une prospection dans les systèmes de production agricoles guyanais, basée sur des enquêtes de terrain, a permis la description de ces pratiques ; parmi celles-ci, les pratiques à faible impact sur la dynamique du carbone ont été sélectionnées dans des systèmes maraîchers et arboricoles, pour des mesures spécifiques des stocks de carbone des sols. En Guyane, la pratique de la défriche est toujours active afin d'étendre les surfaces agricoles utiles. Cela induit des pertes de carbone importantes. Nous cherchons donc à identifier des pratiques qui permettent de compenser ces pertes. La place du sol dans les prises de décision des agriculteurs a été appréhendée et des mesures spécifiques des stocks de carbone des sols ont complété l'enquête, pour mieux comprendre les logiques des pratiques mises en oeuvre et en cerner les effets. Nos résultats montrent que les agriculteurs maîtrisent « l'objet sol » dans ses composantes physiques ; la matière organique est un indicateur reconnu qui conditionne l'organisation des cultures sur l'exploitation. En Guyane, les agriculteurs mobilisant des pratiques à faible impact ont des systèmes de production efficients au niveau économique et environnemental (carbone et gaz à effet de serre). Mots clés : système de culture / Amazonie / petite agriculture tropicale Abstract-Identification and evaluation of agricultural practices that store soil carbon, a first step towards low impact agriculture. In French Guiana, the general environmental context and the growing need for energy and food products, linked to population growth, are responsible for increasing pressure on natural resources through land use changes. Low impact practices are emerging in the aim of reconciling production and environmental objectives. In French Guiana slash and burn practices are still used to increase agricultural area, and lead to a large loss of carbon. A field survey was carried out in order to understand the place of soil in farmers' choices, and to obtain a description of production systems and practices, focusing on identifying those with low impact on carbon dynamics. This step was realized through specific soil carbon stock measurements. Our results show that the "soil object" is mastered by farmers in terms of physical properties, and organic matter is a recognized indicator which is used to inform spatial management of farming systems. Farmers mobilizing low-impact practices have efficient production systems for their economic and environmental benefits.

To address the challenges associated with under-utilised smallholder irrigation schemes located in former homeland areas in South Africa, strategic partnerships between black farmers and white, established commercial farmers have been implemented by the Limpopo Provincial Department of Agriculture since the 2000s. This article aims to explain the adoption, and then the resilience over time, of this policy instrument, despite its failure to meet its objectives. We first demonstrate that policy instruments rarely result from an objective assessment of the situation at stake, and more often simply recycle previously used policies that were designed in attempts to provide solutions to other scenarios, which may not reflect the same characteristics as the situation currently under investigation. We then argue that the resilience of the particular policy instrument called 'strategic partnership' has been ensured thanks to a mechanism of 'path dependence' that is derived from previous policy decisions. Indeed, we demonstrate how the legacy of these earlier, primary policy choices makes it difficult to re-evaluate policy decisions favourable to strategic partnerships. Building on neo-institutionalist theories (sociological, historical and rational) that emphasise continuity within public policies, it will be made clear how strategic partnerships ultimately imposed themselves as a foregone policy 'choice', despite their disappointing results.

International audience; Food security, a long-established item on the international agenda, raises many issues including production, consumption, poverty, inequalities, healthcare and conflicts. However, in 2007/2008 the global food security debate was relaunched with a single dominant focus which continues to the present day: increasing agricultural production. This paper explains this productionist bias – which may translate into inadequate policies – by combining insights from institutionalist and cognitive analyses. We show that, despite recent reforms, the global food security field remains dominated by macro- and micro-institutions that put food availability and agricultural production at the heart of the problem and solutions. The political and discursive strategies developed by transnational corporations and private foundations to promote their productivist interests are also key, along with the demands of dominant farmers’ unions in exporting countries. Although advocating opposite development patterns, civil society actors implicitly reinforce the productionist perspective through their focus on family agriculture.

Dans la région soudanienne du Burkina Faso riche en bas-fonds, ces derniers représentent une facette du paysage inondable et fertile, ayant une fonction contre-aléatoire à travers des productions diversifiées en milieu humide en saison des pluies, et en contre-saison. Les activités de bas-fond permettent de réduire la vulnérabilité des groupes les plus exposés, comme les petites exploitations, les femmes et les jeunes, mais les arrangements fonciers restent précaires. C’est aussi un paysage particulièrement changeant avec des actions d’aménagement collectif hydraulique, rizicole et maraîcher. Les changements climatiques en cours atténuent l’aléa de la sécheresse sauf en début de saison, et un risque accru d’inondations est apparu. Ces tendances renforcent l’aléa du régime de l’eau, limitant les rendements, ce qui requiert des innovations dans les domaines technique et organisationnel, qui devront prendre en compte explicitement la dimension sociale et environnementale des bas-fonds.

Cet article vise a evaluer la contribution materielle et immaterielle des femmes rurales dans le cadre de la petite agriculture des arriere-pays du Maroc et notamment les contraintes qu’elles rencontrent pour depasser les difficultes d’acces aux principaux facteurs de production dont le foncier, l’eau, le credit et le conseil technique. L’activite des femmes rurales est generalement invisible, c’est-a-dire peu reconnue ou valorisee au sein de la societe, ce qui conduit a une sous-estimation de leurs contributions a l’economie et a la societe. Cela tient en grande partie a leur relative exclusion de la sphere monetaire et marchande.

This paper seeks to explain the emergence of South African inclusive agricultural business models in relation to the land reform policy. We demonstrate that in South Africa such policy instruments linking small-scale and large-scale farmers respond to endogenous dynamics linked to the failure of its land reform policy. We study the land reform policy change induced by its policy instruments. Indeed, introducing the market as the preferred means to implement land reform caused unanticipated side effects, creating constant pressure for change that such inadequate instrument exerted on the set policy objectives during the first phase of policy implementation. After cohabitating uneasily with rather antagonistic policy goals, policy instruments ultimately led to a change in policy objectives, shifting from supporting small-scale black subsistence agriculture to targeting a class of emerging farmers committed to commercial agriculture. Inclusive Business Model's policy instruments were subsequently identified as the best fit to achieve the re-adjusted policy goal.

Multiple constraints prevent smallholders from adopting fertilizers even with regional supply of agricultural inputs expanding and soils being weared-out. Using comprehensive farm-level data from the eastern Brazilian Amazon, we found that market proximity had a significant positive correlation with fertilizer adoption, even after controlling for liquidity, land tenure, education, experience and access to rural extension services. Nevertheless, few smallholders completely replaced nutrients from vegetation with fertilizers. Instead, we found that a hybrid system that combines nutrients from vegetation and fertilizers was approximately twice as common as exclusive fertilizer use. We suggest that the option for this diversified “nutrient portfolio” may result not only from a lack of capital or knowledge regarding return on fertilizer use, but also from the need to adapt to the economic constraints facing smallholders and minimize risk. Results indicate that a rural extension program aimed at supporting a rapid and complete replacement of ashes from vegetation by fertilizers could prove unsuccessful for Amazonian smallholders.

Rapid changes in agricultural systems call for profound changes in agricultural research and extension practices. The Diagnosis, Design, Assessment, Training and Extension (DATE) approach was developed and applied to co-design Conservation Agriculture-based cropping systems in contrasted situations. DATE is a multi-scale, multi-stakeholder participatory approach that integrates scientific and local knowledge. It emerged in response to questions raised by and issues encountered in the design of innovative systems. A key feature of this approach is the high input of innovative systems which are often although not exclusively based on conservation agricultural practices. Prototyping of innovative cropping systems (ICSs) largely relies on a conceptual model of soil–plant–macrofauna–microorganism system functioning. By comparing the implementation of the DATE approach and conservation agriculture-based cropping systems in Madagascar, Lao PDR, and Cambodia, we show that: (i) the DATE approach is flexible enough to be adapted to local conditions; (ii) market conditions need to be taken into account in designing agricultural development scenarios; and (iii) the learning process during the transition to conservation agriculture requires time. The DATE approach not only enables the co-design of ICSs with farmers, but also incorporates training and extension dimensions. It feeds back practitioners’ questions to researchers, and provides a renewed and extended source of innovation to farmers.

À l'initiative de l'Institut national de recherche agronomique de Tunisie (INRAT) et de l'équipe Agrimonde-Terra, et avec le Syndicat des agriculteurs de Tunisie (Synagri), en mars 2015, un atelier de construction de scénarios d'usages des terres a réuni une vingtaine de personnes, acteurs publics, parapublics et représentants de la société civile afin de construire des scénarios d'usages des terres en Tunisie. Quatre scénarios ont été construits dont un scénario tourné vers l'agro-écologie. Nous explicitons ici la méthode suivie et les conséquences du scénario " Des usages agro-écologiques des terres " pour les usages des terres et la sécurité alimentaire. Nous montrons les tendances favorables et hostiles à l'évolution vers cette trajectoire. Nous décrivons le chemin d'impact du processus de prospective.

his chapter presents key results obtained by the Joint Learning in and about Innovation Systems in African Agriculture (JOLISAA) team across its three target countries. It presents the approach used by JOLISAA for assessing innovation experiences and the diversity of experiences actually assessed. The chapter summarises the key insights into innovation processes gained from a cross-analysis of the case studies JOLISAA selected. It also provides lessons and recommendations about how best to assess and support innovation and make it more inclusive, with an emphasis on how to document and support local innovation. JOLISAA undertook its assessment in five major, partly overlapping phases: development of an analytical framework; inventory of innovation cases; collaborative case assessment; cross-analysis of cases; and development of policy recommendations. After the case assessments were completed, the cross-analysis was conducted at country level and across Benin, Kenya and South Africa.

International audience; Les agricultures des six pays étudiés de la région Nena (Egypte, Liban, Maroc, Mauritanie, Soudan et Tunisie) sont majoritairement le fait de petits agriculteurs familiaux. La plupart d’entre eux sont dans un processus de précarisation lié au morcellement de leur patrimoine foncier héritage des transmissions intergénérationnelles. Aider au développement de cette petite agriculture familiale ne peut plus aujourd’hui se baser sur la seule intensification agricole (car la faiblesse de la taille des exploitations ne permet pas de dégager suffisamment d’excédents commercialisables), ni sur une approche strictement agricole (car ces petites exploitations familiales ont déjà diversifié leurs sources de revenus hors de l’agriculture), pas plus que sur une dimension strictement productive (les transferts sociaux, notamment pour les retraites des aînés agriculteurs, ou pour les ménages les plus pauvres se justifient en termes d’équité et de solidarité intergénérationnelle).

Irrigation designers generally do not target smallholders for drip irrigation and their standard low-cost kits are often ill suited to smallholders' diverse and evolving requirements. Incremental farmer-led innovation of drip irrigation may be more suitable for small-scale farmers. This chapter describes the different farmer-led adaptations of drip irrigation systems in greenhouse horticulture in the Algerian Sahara, in particular, locally built water towers to regulate pressure and facilitate the organisation of water turns, and micro-fertigation units catering to individual greenhouses. These adaptations have gradually been improved through re-engineering, and disseminated through networks of users and innovation intermediaries. This "innovation factory" not only produces technical innovations, but also local actors capable of adapting technology to new situations.

La Petite Agriculture Familiale (PAF) est fortement fragilisée par la conjonction de plusieurs facteurs; d'abords le foncier avec la complexité des statuts, les problèmes des héritages, indivision et morcellement. Ensuite les marchés ; en dehors de la production laitière et des produits de terroirs (récemment impulsés par le Plan Maroc Vert), la PAF est très faiblement connectée aux filières. Et enfin le financement et les incitations de l'Etat ; seul 10% des exploitations agricoles du pays disposent des garanties conventionnelles qui leurs permettent de contracter des prêts bancaires. Si la PAF déploie des stratégies et des formes de bricolage technique et institutionnel pour accéder aux ressources productives (ex. eaux souterraines), la compétition avec les grandes entreprises agricoles risque de la mettre en dehors du circuit de production. Il en découle que l'installation des grandes entreprises agricoles autours des territoires fragiles (oasis, plaine en surexploitation des eaux) devrait être soumise à une rigueur extrême en ce qui concerne les impacts environnementaux et socio-économiques. L'histoire du rural marocain et les politiques publiques le concernant depuis la période du protectorat, ont abouti à une diversité notable et un dualisme tradition/modernité qui occulte toute une diversité de modes de production. Les efforts de l'Etat pour résorber les grandes inégalités économiques entre les deux pôles de l'agriculture se déclinent en grandes stratégies et programme de développement : le PMV, l'Initiative Nationale pour le Développement Humain, le programme de lutte contre les disparités sociales en milieu rural.

Initially associated with hi-tech irrigated agriculture, drip irrigation is now being used by a much wider range of farmers in emerging and developing countries. This book documents the enthusiasm, spread and use of drip irrigation systems by smallholders but also some disappointments and disillusion faced in the global South. It explores and explains under which conditions it works, for whom and with what effects. The book deals with drip irrigation 'behind the scenes', showcasing what largely remain 'untold stories'.Most research on drip irrigation use plot-level studies to demonstrate the technology’s ability to save water or improve efficiencies and use a narrow and rather prescriptive engineering or economic language. They tend to be grounded in a firm belief in the technology and focus on the identification of ways to improve or better realize its potential. The technology also figures prominently in poverty alleviation or agricultural modernization narratives, figuring as a tool to help smallholders become more innovative, entrepreneurial and business minded. Instead of focusing on its potential, this book looks at drip irrigation-in-use, making sense of what it does from the perspectives of the farmers who use it, and of the development workers and agencies, policymakers, private companies, local craftsmen, engineers, extension agents or researchers who engage with it for a diversity of reasons and to realize a multiplicity of objectives. While anchored in a sound engineering understanding of the design and operating principles of the technology, the book extends the analysis beyond engineering and hydraulics to understand drip irrigation as a sociotechnical phenomenon that not only changes the way water is supplied to crops but also transforms agricultural farming systems and even how society is organized. The book provides field evidence from a diversity of interdisciplinary case studies in sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean, Latin America, and South Asia, thus revealing some of the untold stories of drip irrigation.

Cow is the dominant species for providing milk to humans, but other dairy species (eg, buffalo, goat, sheep, camel, yak, horse and donkey, reindeer, and occasionally lama) provide 15% of the world’s milk supply. Non-cow milk is mainly collected in low-input systems managed by local communities, contributing to the food security of unproductive areas such as desert, steppe, high mountains, swamps, or polar zones. The organoleptic properties and physico-chemical composition of non-cow milk and its potential health benefits could contribute to food security and environmental preservation. Non-cow milk production systems include all types of farming systems from extensive to traditional, with low input and high mobility, to highly intensive production processes with indoor milking units. Improvement of productivity for non-cow dairy species, better milking hygiene in local communities, and diversification of dairy products are among the most important challenges for this sector.

Slash and burn agriculture is no longer feasible due to the rising population pressure and a dwindling resource base. Crop production intensification is required to produce more food per unit area of land, while rebuilding soil fertility. We explored the impact of reallocation of limited resources on crop productivity across farms of different resource endowment in central Mozambique. The results suggested that decreasing the cropped area and concentrating resources (fertiliser, manure and labour within the farmers’ means) to smaller fields can increase total farm maize production for poor as well as relatively richer farmers in central Mozambique, but that the fertility of the retained and abandoned land is important for the overall outcome. Concentrating resources to smaller areas would in most cases also lead to increased concentrations of soil organic carbon (SOC), indicating positive effects on soil fertility and crop productivity in the long term. However, this apparently does not apply when only fertiliser is used and if harvest residues and weeds are removed or burnt. Organic inputs are thus also required, such as retention of crop residues, and applications of manure if available can further increase SOC. The study has revealed that sustainable intensification or crop production requires that multiple constraints be addressed simultaneously. Success of crop intensification options will also depend on proper targeting to different farm types as well as variability in soil fertility. Differences in resource ownership and bio-physical circumstances lead to different opportunities for individual farmers even within the same area. While targeted interventions for individual farmers might not be feasible, targeting defined farmer/endowment groups may be a sustainable pathway to increase productivity. Although smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have limited assets, the study revealed opportunities to increase crop productivity without substantial capital inputs, but more efficient use and targeting.

Over the past half-century, major efforts have been made worldwide to develop sustainable alternatives to agricultural tillage. In line with these efforts, two main research development initiatives have supported the experimentation and dissemination of conservation agriculture (CA) in Laos. Here we present the results of a 4-year monitoring and evaluation study conducted in 21 villages targeted for dissemination. In a context of rapid transition to intensive commercial agriculture in Laos, CA has become an important constituent of agricultural landscapes. However, there are significant variations in adoption rates across the study region. Statistical and qualitative evidence suggests that experimentation and adoption are not contingent upon farm-level variables such as capital, labor, age and education. While access to land helps shape local decision-making, the land tenure threshold under which farmers are not willing to experiment with alternative cropping systems is relatively low and highly variable in both space and time. Rather, experience and awareness of land degradation, production costs, social cohesion and leadership appear to be key factors in explaining most variations in local adoption rates. These results indicate that the practice of CA is not necessarily incompatible with smallholder farming. However, while complex crop associations and rotations are necessary for integrated weed control and reduced chemical use, their diffusion would require a broader transformation of the agricultural industry and the current market demand.

L’histoire tunisienne a produit ce qui est perçu comme un fort dualisme entre petite et grande agriculture. Après avoir été longtemps marginalisée par des politiques agricoles productivistes, la petite agriculture est aujourd’hui encouragée, notamment suite à la révolution de 2011. Face à la paupérisation du monde rural, à l’exode et aux difficultés pour les jeunes diplômés de trouver du travail, la petite agriculture représente un véritable enjeu social et politique en Tunisie. Dans cet article, nous nous proposons de questionner la dichotomie usuellement présentée entre petite agriculture et agriculture productive, à partir d’une étude de cas approfondie en Tunisie Centrale. Une analyse du discours des jeunes de la localité de Haffouz, nous permettra de montrer ce à quoi ils aspirent, mais aussi les facteurs qui freinent leur accession à un modèle agricole « rêvé ». Notre réflexion met en avant le dynamisme de ces jeunes, souvent présentés comme attentistes. S’ils espèrent en effet un appui de l’État, ils mobilisent cependant leurs propres stratégies pour porter l’avenir de leurs exploitations.

Le document est disponible en ligne : http://www.cepal.org/es/publicaciones/37193-politicas-publicas-agriculturas-familiares-america-latina-caribe-balance; International audience

La question des jeunes ruraux est peu étudiée et souvent peu prise en compte dans les politiques publiques en Méditerranée, malgré le rôle actif de cette catégorie sociale au sein des exploitations agricoles et des territoires ruraux. Nous interrogeons ce paradoxe dans le numéro thématique des Cahiers Agricultures consacré aux jeunes ruraux en analysant leurs trajectoires innovantes dans l'agriculture irriguée au Maghreb. Les contributions de ce numéro montrent une e´mancipation des jeunes ruraux, qui se positionnent face à leurs aînés, prennent des initiatives et portent des innovations techniques et institutionnelles. Leur engagement dans l'agriculture est à l'origine du développement d'une agriculture irriguée qui couvre l'essentiel des besoins des villes maghrébines en produits maraîchers, notamment. Sur la base d'une démarche interdisciplinaire visant à rendre visible les dynamiques agricoles portées par ces jeunes, les articles apportent des éclairages originaux sur deux principales thématiques : i) l'émergence d'une catégorie sociale née de la libéralisation économique et animée par une aspiration générale à créer une petite agriculture entrepreneuriale ; ii) les stratégies de contournement et d'adaptation que les jeunes ruraux mettent en place pour construire leurs projets agricoles, face aux nombreuses difficultés d'accès aux ressources productives. Nous discutons le caractère informel des dynamiques observées sur le terrain dans la perspective de la mise en place de nouvelles politiques publiques qui pourraient tirer parti de l'opportunité que représente une jeunesse rurale apte à renouveler l'agriculture irriguée au Maghreb.

Thailand has adjusted its production strategy by increasing the manufacturing of standard rubber or block rubber (Standard Thai Rubber or STR) in order to meet global market demand. About 90% of block rubber is STR20, for which the major raw material is cup coagulum. Consequently, demand for this raw material is increasing. The quality of cup coagulum produced by smallholders is so variable. Harvesting and post-harvest practices may influence the quality of cup coagulum. However, this has yet to be studied in Thailand. A study was therefore conducted in Surat Thani province to fill this gap. The methodology combined a survey of 79 farmers using a structured questionnaire to describe farmers' behaviour in cup coagulum production. Analysis of the physical and chemical properties of cup coagulum collected from a subsample of 26 farmers, as well as the properties of the dry rubber obtained from those cup coagula were also carried out. Cup coagula sampled from the 26 farmer subsample were characterised for foreign matter content. The dry rubber samples obtained from the processing of these collected cup coagula (creping-drying) were characterised for initial Wallace plasticity (P 0 ) and the plasticity retention index (PRI). We found that farmers' harvesting and post-harvest practices were very diverse. A classification of farmers based on these practices was proposed. The quality related parameters showed significant differences between farmers, with some of them being interestingly correlated with certain groups identified by the survey. This study confirmed that the quality of Thai natural rubber starts to be established much earlier than on the factory processing line producing STR bales. Smallholder behaviour may also be of great influence, and training/communication drives could improve the quality of the cup coagulum sold to factories and thereby help the Thai industry to continue producing excellent quality natural rubber.

Depuis quelques annees, la petite agriculture familiale est mise sur le devant de la scene par les institutions internationales et presentee comme etant susceptible de repondre aux enjeux globaux (securite alimentaire et changement climatique), et ce, notamment, dans les pays du Sud ou ce type d’agriculture reste majoritaire. Un groupe d’acteurs cles est toutefois oublie des etudes agricoles : les jeunes agriculteurs, qui sont pourtant de potentiels innovateurs et qui assurent le relais entre les generations et le maintien de ces agricultures. Cet article etudie les processus d’installation des jeunes agriculteurs familiaux au Costa Rica, dans deux communautes issues de reformes agraires. Nous montrons qu’un important changement social est a l’œuvre avec la montee du travail a temps partiel dans l’activite agricole. Nous mettons en evidence l’existence de trois types d’installation distincts que nous qualifions de releve , reprise et creation. Alors que la reprise et la creation generent des changements dans l’exploitation et dans l’activite agricole, la releve , plus frequente, n’entraine aucun changement significatif. Les facteurs explicatifs sont a chercher du cote de logiques territoriales, de dotation en capitaux differencies et de la relation avec l’ancien chef d’exploitation qui est souvent le pere. Notre analyse souligne l’importance de la prise en compte de la diversite des formes d’installation pour promouvoir des politiques adaptees facilitant le renouvellement generationnel dans l’agriculture familiale dans les pays du Sud.

Ouvrage disponible en ligne: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/AGRO_Noticias/smart_territories/docs/PoliticaPublicasAgriculturales.pdf; International audience