Pablo Tittonell

TL;DR: Conservation agriculture is claimed to be a panacea for the problems of poor agricultural productivity and soil degradation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It is actively promoted by international research and development organisations, with such strong advocacy that critical debate is stifled as mentioned in this paper.

TL;DR: In this article, a review of methods to estimate yield gaps, with a focus on the local-to-global relevance of outcomes, is presented, based on which the authors recommend key components for a yield gap assessment that can be applied at local to global scales.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify two major yield gaps: (1) the gap between actual yields (YA) and the water-limited yield potential (Yw), which is the maximum yield achievable under rainfed conditions without irrigation if soil water capture and storage is optimal and nutrient constraints are released, and (2) The gap between YA, and a locally attainable yield (YL) which corresponds to the water and nutrient-limited yields that can be measured in the most productive fields of resource endowed farmers in a community.

TL;DR: The authors examines conceptual differences between sustainable and ecological intensification as used in research, development, policy and the industry, particularly with respect to the balance between agriculture and nature, and compares different discourses on models of intensification that differ in the role nature plays in the actual design of the systems.

TL;DR: The Nutrient Use in Animal and Cropping systems -Efficiencies and Scales (NUANCES) framework as mentioned in this paper offers a structured approach to unravel and understand the complexity of African farming to identify what we term "best-fit" technologies, targeted to specific types of farmers and to specific niches within their farms.