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Principles – What are "good agricultural practices"?
The term "good agricultural practice" (GAP) is used in many areas of international cooperation as well as in the private
sector. GAP refers to practices which work particularly well and are therefore exemplary in character. There is no standard
definition, however.
For SUSTAINET a good agricultural practice must possess the following characteristics:
- Measurable outputs and results: The project has already been in existence for a few years and has achieved
results with identifiable impacts. A distinction is made between short-term (e.g. higher yields) and longer-term
results (e.g. lasting food security).
- Transferability: The goal of a project should be to develop sustainable agriculture practices which can be
transferred to other regions with little or no external assistance. Thus they will not remain one-off solutions.
- Local applicability: The type of sustainable agricultural practices to be promoted should be easily understood
and readily applied at local level without undue effort and expense. This boosts their acceptance by the target group.
- Sustainability: Sustainability criteria such as environmental soundness, economic and financial sustainability,
technical appropriateness and social and cultural acceptability are crucial in the agricultural sector, as in many others.
Over and above these criteria, it is important to establish institutions which are capable of introducing, supporting and
sustaining good practices over the long term.
In the agricultural context, these criteria have the following meanings:
- Environmental soundness: The good practice has a positive impact on the environment and contributes to improving
soil fertility, and to restoring the ecological balance of water resources and biodiversity.
- Economic viability: The good practice generates long-term economic benefits for the families and rural
communities (e.g. higher income, food security, balanced diet).
- Social and cultural acceptance: Use of the good practice respects local traditions and belief systems. The good
practice is accepted by all social groups of the village community (e.g. consideration of food customs, traditional
division of tasks).
- Establishment of institutions: In order to sustain the good practices in the long term, it is necessary to
establish and strengthen reliable institutions. All social groups within the rural population should be represented
(e.g. castes in India). Furthermore, links with other private and public institutions are important.
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