Sustainable productive intensification for family farming in developing tropical countries

Abstract

In the past, agriculture was directed to satisfying human needs. Nowadays, it is directed to meeting the markets, forcing the peasantries to adapt to this condition. As a result, family farmers are multifaceted, incorporating both subsistence and market-oriented production. Traditional farming systems have been challenged since there is a pressure for the intensification of these systems. Then, it is important that scientific research about them goes on to recognize that many family farmers use limited resource bases. However, innovation and intensification are permanent needs of agriculture, although they must be adjusted to different contexts, respecting the cultural legacy of family farmers as a prerequisite for achieving the development.