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... current agrarian crisis lies beyond the ambit of cheap credit or a new green revolution. In fact, the latter is blamed for many of the structural problems afflicting farmers’ production process. These problems, including the socioecological impacts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers and alarming depletion of groundwater due to the use of waterguzzling crop varieties promoted since the green revolution, are argued to lie at the root of the agrarian crisis. Thus, their preferred solution lies in the widespread adoption and development of agroecological methods (AEMs) (e.g., Sustainet 2006; Eyhorn et al. 2007; Shiva 2007; Ramanjaneyulu et al. 2009; also see International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development 2009). AEMs allow farmers to reduce costs of cultivation, for example, by substituting chemical pesticides and fertilizers with non-pesticidal and integrated nutrient management respectively, while creating avenues for the regeneration of farm ecology. AEMs are generally knowledge-based processes, often embedded in farming communities through participatory initiatives. They require on-farm experimentation and collective learning undergirded by two-way kno...

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...vantageous situation for organic cotton farmers has been shown in the central India state of Madhya Pradesh, where organic farmers achieved an average net return 30-40% higher than Bt cotton farmers (=-=Eyhorn et al., 2007-=-). Indeed, a recent World Bank-funded project in Andhra Pradesh aimed at scaling up the non-chemical community-based agriculture first promoted by NGOs (e.g. Centre for Sustainable Agriculture) has sh...

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...Cotton aphids and predators in organic and conventional cottons Z-Z. Lu et al. Moreover, organic cotton production has increased rapidly in the USA, Europe, India and other countries (Raynolds, 2004; =-=Eyhorn et al., 2007-=-; Swezey et al., 2007; Seufert et al., 2012). Several studies have shown that the abundance of various predators, including spiders, carabid beetles and parasitoids, can be greater under organic manag...

Citation Context

...vantageous situation for organic cotton farmers has been shown in the central India state of Madhya Pradesh, where organic farmers achieved an average net return 30-40% higher than Bt cotton farmers (=-=Eyhorn et al., 2007-=-). Indeed, a recent World Bank-funded project in Andhra Pradesh aimed at scaling up the non-chemical community-based agriculture first promoted by NGOs (e.g. Centre for Sustainable Agriculture) has sh...