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Paper short abstract:

Examining social justice and resilience in agri-food systems in Sudan. Studying experiences on how to navigate historical injustices, power dynamics, and conflict sensitivity amid a rapidly changing context through a food systems lens.

Paper long abstract:

Within the context of the protracted crisis in Sudan, the project “Strengthening Inclusive Partnerships for Smallholders in Rain-fed Areas” (SIPRA) was originally designed in 2022 to improve household food and nutrition security through sustainable, resilient, and fair economic development of smallholders and SMEs in the rain-fed agriculture areas in Darfur and South Kordofan. With the impact of climate change, decades of historical injustices, and identity- and resource-based conflict in Sudan, the outbreak of conflict between the SAF and RSF in April 2023 compounded existing climate and conflict related shocks and stressors. The project had to adapt to an increasingly complex operating and access scenario, as well as changing perceptions, priorities and needs amongst project participants in areas of intervention.

In the face of these shocks and stressors, how sustainable and resilient are agriculturally-based food systems, and how does this interplay with social justice in a context like Sudan?

By bringing together the stakeholders of a food systems in an inclusive and iterative manner to develop and validate resilience pathways, SIPRA has tried to meaningfully engage the social justice concepts of rights and representation. However, navigating the complex and dynamic power relations of these actors relative to a rapidly changing context raises issues of conflict sensitivity given the role of armed actors in the areas of intervention. Moreover, in acknowledging the importance of understanding vulnerability and how it develops, how can using a food system lens engage with aspects of reproduction and production through HDP-oriented interventions?

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Paper short abstract:

The study investigates how government-induced displacement affects indigenous farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria. Findings reveal that inadequate compensation leads to social unrest, livelihood diversification and farmers’ vulnerability. The research suggests fair land acquisition and compensation.

Paper long abstract:

The displacement of indigenous landowners by the government emerges as a critical issue, profoundly affecting farmers' livelihoods in recent times. This widespread issue of land dispossession, coercive displacement, and subsequent forced evictions have resulted in alarming rates of individuals and communities being deprived of farming lands, thus exposing them to unexpected economic challenges, consequently impacting farm labour participation, and compelling a shift to alternative occupations. This research investigates the socio-economic implications of government-induced displacement and land dispossession on indigenous farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria, with a focus on the challenges they face in transitioning to alternative occupations and the long-term impact on farm labor participation. Structured questionnaires were utilized to gather primary data from 180 farmers who experienced forced eviction from their ancestral lands. The data was analysed using Descriptive Statistics and Logit models. The Descriptive Statistics showed that insufficient compensation serves as a catalyst for social and political unrest, leaving dispossessed farmers vulnerable to market forces. The Logit model unveiled that the displacement of indigenous farmers and the inadequacy of compensation paid by the government had marginal effects of 0.86 and 0.42, respectively. These effects result in an increased probability of farmers engaging in non-farm labor participation by 0.86 and 0.42 percent, respectively. The study advocates for immediate implementation of flexible land acquisition methods, along with fair and timely compensation.

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Paper short abstract:

This paper examined spatial and gender disparities in organic and conventional cocoa farm productivity for selected soil types to promote social justice and equitable resource distribution and development support within moribund cocoa farming areas in Ghana

Paper long abstract:

It is imperative to understand spatial and gender dynamics of farm productivity to dismantle historical inequities in cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) agroforestry systems. Cocoa agroforestry systems (CAS) are essential for mitigating deforestation, soil degradation and adverse climate change that impact sustainable farming. However, a paucity of information about the spatial distribution of farms and their gender dynamics in organic and conventional CAS have historically hampered equitable access to development support for resource-deprived farmers in remote places. Therefore, the current study examines the spatial and gender dynamics of organic cocoa (OC) and conventional cocoa (CC) farm productivity to enhance equitable distribution of development support within CAS in Ghana. The study employs multi-stage stratified random sampling within three soil types in selected agroecological zones. For each soil type, 11 CC and 11 OC farms were randomly selected. The data collected encompassed cocoa farm sizes and polygons, cocoa yield and socioeconomic attributes of the farmers. The results revealed spatially dispersed polygons of the OC and CC farms. Characterizing the farmers revealed significant gender disparities, with notable male dominance in cocoa farm ownership. Despite gender disparities in farm ownership, female cocoa farmers outperform their male counterparts in cocoa productivity. These findings imply that gendered spatial equity in CAS development support can empower resource-deprived farmers to contribute to sustainable development goals (SDG) number 6 (sustainable agriculture) and 7 (gender equality). Promoting equity in CAS is socially just and environmentally prudent, as it aligns with agroecosystem services (SDG13&15) delivery and partnership support (SDG17) for the farmers.

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Paper short abstract:

Empowering women, land tilting to enhance the security of Land Tenure and Property Rights (LTPRs) in agriculture productivity are crucial to the Sustainable Development Goals. This paper focuses on role of women’s empowerment and LTPRs as they affect production among smallholder farmers in Nigeria.

Paper long abstract:

Land is one of the most stressed resources and its distribution as well as tenure structures are key issues in nation’s development strategy. This paper examined women empowerment, LTPRs among smallholder farmers in Southern Nigeria as well as the influence on Agricultural production. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 521 farmers using a structured questionnaire. Data collection was by personal interviews of adult members of the household focusing on the socioeconomics, livelihoods and tenure and property rights on cultivated land. Women empowerment was measured using Abbreviated women empowerment in Agriculture Index (A-WEAI), LTPRs were measured in terms of tenure type and title registration to farmlands. A-WEAI results showed women achievement rates in Productive Assets Ownership (49.0%), Participation in Production Decisions (62.0%), Control Over Use of Income (52.0%), Access to and Participation on Credit Decisions (19.0%), Group Membership (74.0%) as well as workload (67.0%) were significantly (p

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Paper short abstract:

Climate change remains of concern to policy makers due to the threat it poses to food security and its effects on male and female agricultural practitioners. This panels looks at the influence of Climate Smart Agriculture Adoption on smallholders’ welfare in Nigeria through a gender lens.

Paper long abstract:

Climate change has impacted more severely on the poor and marginalized, with women being more affected than any other farmer group in the society. This is due to their disadvantaged access to resources, technologies, information and power. An understanding of these gaps enables the development of strategies that address such gaps and cause a shift to sustainable practices such as Climate Smart Agriculture. A gender-responsive approach to (CSA) means that specific needs, priorities and realities of men and women are recognized and adequately addressed in the design and application of CSA so that men and women can equally benefit. This paper assessed how CSA adoption influences smallholder farmers’ welfare outcomes through a gender lens. The study specifically tried to contribute to previous literatures on agricultural technology adoption in two ways. Firstly, the study examined the factors affecting the adoption of CSA (six bouquet) by gender in Nigeria. Secondly, it identified the influence of CSA adoption on household welfare (proxy by food consumption score and household dietary diversity score). The study made use of secondary data obtained from rice/maize farmers across six Agro-ecological zones in Nigeria, subjected to descriptive statistics, Multivariate Probit Regression (MVP) and Ordinary Least square regression model. Results from the study have shown that the adoption of CSA is generally low, although with higher adoption among the male heads as compared to female households. CSA Adoption was found to mitigate the impact of climate change and thus influence household welfare. Particularly the female household.

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Paper short abstract:

Rural development hinges on access to land, yet land tenure systems and expropriation threaten the livelihoods of farmers. While land ownership fuels rural productivity and sustainability, insecure tenure and expropriation undermine farmers' well-being.

Paper long abstract:

The rural economy relies heavily on land for agricultural production. However, the existing land tenure system, with its ambiguities and potential for expropriation, jeopardizes the livelihoods of rural farmers, hindering their ability to invest in sustainable practices and secure their future.

The study assessed the effects of land expropriation on the livelihood outcomes (poverty and food security) of rural farming households in Ogun state, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was employed to get a sample size of 400 respondents, using a well-structured questionnaire to collect the primary data for the study. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Ordered Logit, and Tobit regression. Poverty and food security analyses were carried out using the Multinomial Poverty Index (MPI) and USAID 18-questions household food security framework, respectively.

Findings revealed that a considerable proportion of the expropriated landowners have not been compensated for their expropriated land. The households were moderately food secure. MPI results showed variations in multidimensional deprivation. Influencers of food security were found to be age (p

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Paper short abstract:

This study aims to examine the exploitation of resources and farmer's conditions in the western Uttar Pradesh region of India from a historical standpoint and proposes a shift towards sustainable agriculture to safeguard resources considering the water-energy-food nexus and uplift the farmers.

Paper long abstract:

It is a challenge for the global community to handle resource insecurity with social inequality. This is observed in the Indian agriculture sector, where it is trapped in a great paradox of depletion of resources and the poor state of farmers. India is the greatest consumer of groundwater and irrigation for agriculture is the major reason for groundwater withdrawals. Uttar Pradesh in India has the largest groundwater reservoir beneath the Gangetic Alluvial Plain but it is still impacted by the unregulated and unsustainable extraction. The key reasons for this are high production of water-intensive crops such as sugarcane and rice, shift to private tube well pumping devices due to inefficient supply from the government canals and tube wells, and prevalence of energy subsidies for political vote banks which reinforces pumping of groundwater. Moreover, the farmers are vulnerable and in debt. Hence, the study converges sustainable agriculture and social justice from a water-energy-food nexus perspective to resolve these issues holistically. The objective of the study is to examine the connection between groundwater depletion, food security, and power subsidies in agriculture sector from a historical standpoint since the green revolution keeping in view the socio-economic and political dimensions. It also suggests possible sustainable agricultural solutions carried out by the government and the individual farmers which can reshape the historical injustices. A mix of quantitative and qualitative methods was used to conduct the study. Interviews of farmers and stakeholders were conducted along with Case Studies, Cases, Focused Group Discussions, and Participatory Rural Appraisal.

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Paper short abstract:

Global patterns of inequality are deeply entwined with climate change. Achieving global food security requires recognising the detrimental social, economic and health effects of climate change on the poorest and most vulnerable and the establishment of sustainable food systems.

Paper long abstract:

Climate change is more than an environmental issue with consequences observed in social, economic, and human rights. Climate crisis continues to widen existing global inequalities and injustices with women being disproportionally disadvantaged as they witness extreme weather events, property losses, ill-health, food and livelihood insecurity. Their susceptibility may be due to combined socio-cultural factors inclusive of geographical locations, financial, socio-economic, cultural and gender construed activities such as domestic responsibility and unpaid care work. At the heart of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) lies the goal of sustainable food systems, aimed at transforming agriculture so as to end hunger, improve nutrition and ultimately achieve food security by 2030. Establishing a socially just global sustainable food system requires the food system to be environmentally resilient, redesigned for increased productivity and inclusive of the voices of the poor and socially marginalised groups. Gender equality is key towards achieving a sustainable food system, but it becomes impossible to achieve it if women are still disproportionally disadvantaged. This study examines the gender gap, sustainable food systems, and social justice nexus among smallholder farmers in Nigeria by specifically examining historical and existing socio-cultural norms and how it has influenced the food systems in Nigeria. The study made use of secondary data obtained from the ECOWAS-RAAF-PASANAO survey conducted in Nigeria. The result has shown that males owned more assets and participated more in decision making across the six agro-ecological zones while the women were more involved in unpaid child care thus limiting agricultural labour participation.