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Amaranth farming: Rural sustainable livelihood of the future?

Bjarklev, Araceli; Kjær, Tyge and Kjærgård, Bente (2008) Amaranth farming: Rural sustainable livelihood of the future? Poster at: Cultivating the Future Based on Science: 2nd Conference of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research ISOFAR, Modena, Italy, June 18-20, 2008.

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Summary

Though amaranth has been studied intensively for its exceptional nutritional properties, little has been reported about its capacity for fighting poverty, securing food supplies, turning migrations, or its impact on the environment and the prospect for improvement of living conditions of those farmers cultivating amaranth. This paper addresses possibilities and limitations that Mexican small-scale farmers are facing to enhance sustainable livelihoods in the amaranth value chain. The study reveals that amaranth, as an alternative crop and livelihood, is perhaps one of the most complete endogenous natural resources that small-scale farmers have to combat the above-mentioned problems. The study identified several local and regional barriers for increasing the level of farming, production, processing and consumption. A striking and paradoxical limitation is the monopolization practices developed by some of the associations in relation to knowledge and technology transfer, seeds distribution and contact to potential national and foreign buyers.


EPrint Type:Conference paper, poster, etc.
Type of presentation:Poster
Keywords:Rural development, poverty, amaranth, sustainable livelihoods, value chain, environment
Subjects: Food systems > Food security, food quality and human health
Food systems > Markets and trade
Farming Systems > Social aspects
Research affiliation: International Conferences > 2008: IFOAM OWC: Research Track / ISOFAR > 1.2 Consumers - Product Quality - Farming Practices
Deposited By: Bjarklev, Mrs Araceli
ID Code:12410
Deposited On:22 Sep 2008
Last Modified:12 Apr 2010 07:36
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Peer-reviewed and accepted
Additional Publishing Information:This paper is published in the conference proceedings:
Neuhoff, Daniel; Halberg, Niels; Alfldi, Thomas; Lockeretz, William; Thommen, Andreas; Rasmussen, Ilse A.; Hermansen, John; Vaarst, Mette; Lck, Lorna; Carporali, Fabio; Jensen, Henning Hgh; Migliorini, Paola and Willer, Helga, Eds. (2008) .Cultivating the Future Based on Science. Proceedings of the Second Scientific Conference of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), held at the 16th IFOAM Organic World Congress in Cooperation with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and the Consorzio ModenaBio, 18 . 20 June 2008 in Modena, Italy.. International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), c/o IOL, DE-Bonn, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, CH-Frick. http://orgprints.org/13672 and http://orgprints.org/13674

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