The development of integrated agrifood production systems that address socio-economic development in emerging economies

Developing countries that are emerging economies have an important role to play in international markets and global trade. The political and economic mandate of developing countries is to promote growth. The direction development has to be guided through policies that work towards trying to achieve a socio-economic environment that promotes rapid growth and foreign direct investment.  The agrifood industry is a key economic driver and a major contributor to employment in developing countries. It makes it important that the focus should be on development in the sector to ensure the sustainability of food security, production, and trade. Developing countries have access to varied natural resources with varied risks to be managed to ensure long term sustainability of the land and the communities that inhabit that land.

Sustainable models of production are becoming more important in these countries to ensure that there is a balance between the economic, social, environmental and political needs and risks that are associated with production. Producers in developing countries require support and guidelines that will enable development at a regional level. There is a role for the government, guided by legislated policy, as well as agribusinesses that interact within the value chain. This study aims to address the opportunities in the development of integrated production models that address socio-economic and environmental development in developing countries.

Integrated production models can help address economic, social, environmental and political needs and risks by integrating production with innovation and development. The agribusiness sector has been challenged to address the human rights agenda whilst operating a business that will be profitable and sustainable. The production environment across value chains is faced with the globalisation of agriculture and the need to innovate to industrialise agriculture to ensure a sustainable and bankable market. Producers are also responsible for internal development to ensure that their business is sustainable.

Producers need guidelines to mitigate regional risks that stem from political agendas. This is prevalent in developing countries where there has been a shift in land ownership patterns, due to land reform systems that entail redistribution, restitution and tenure security for previously disadvantaged communities. To ensure continued foreign investment, producers need to operate businesses that do not infringe on labour rights and tenure to ensure the security of workers and surrounding communities.

Producers benefit from integrated models that optimize energy, alleviate the cost of production inputs and promote the recycling of nutrients. Integrated production systems should aim to ensure that nothing is wasted, and energy is preserved at the farm production level and that a viable ecosystem is maintained.  Integrated models also open up land to diversified production streams that create separate cash revenue streams. Most importantly, integrated models promote the production of quality food and promote an increased quantity of food produced per hectare as well as opening up avenues for processing and packaging that production.

The opportunities for developing producers lie in the increasing demand for livestock products as a protein source in the human diet. Important skills include the ability to breed or raise animals and to produce animal feed or substrates, or animal products at the farm level. This has fostered the development of crop-livestock systems as integrated innovations to optimise production on available or degraded land. Climate change has also led to innovations that produce energy from farming by-products which enable producers to operate off-grid or contribute to the regional or national grid as energy producers.

These sustainable approaches have allowed for the adoption of innovative practices and tools such as integrated pest management, manure management, agro-processing, stud breeding, precision agriculture and beekeeping. These practices manage risk at farm level, reduce producer's vulnerability to market-related risks, ensure food security, increase farm biodiversity, ensure employment opportunities, ensure carbon stock on the farm and improve the energy efficiency of farming production.

The development of sustainable models in developing countries where commercial agriculture is supported by different types of producers in different socio-economic situations needs to be addressed. Challenges include the skewed investment towards commercial monoculture agriculture which includes large cooperation’s and large commercial farmers which has left a gap in development and the absorption of innovation.

This study aims to highlight integrated production models that promote socio-economic conditions aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the United Nations Guiding Principles for Business & Human Rights. It will also note the role of the government in guiding proposals for policies that aim to address development in the agrifood sector.