Does labour invested in sustainable intensification practices give sufficient yield returns?

The increasing demands for nutritious food, feed, fibre and fuel of a growing world population with changing consumption patterns cannot be satisfied through increasing the arable land area. Sustainable intensification of crop production is needed, as in producing more without environmental harm but with positive effects on natural resources, profits and social capital. However, smallholder farming systems in e.g. sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face many barriers to increased crop productivity, one being labour shortages during key periods that strongly influence yields. For example, insufficient labour often leads to late planting and a mismatch with the growing season, and to poor weed control leading to high competition for nutrients, water and light and thus to low yields.