Natural Resource Management in the Hillsides of Honduras

Natural Resource Management in the Hillsides of Honduras
Author: Bruno Barbier
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 81
Release: 2001-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0896291251

Farmers who live in fragile tropical hillsides often operate under severe resource constraints and face difficult tradeoffs when confronted with changes in production conditions. Using a bioeconomic linear programming model, this study simulates the effects of population, market, and technological changes on farmers' income and on their management of the natural resource in a hillside area of Central Honduras. The results show that economic growth and agricultural intensification are not necessarily adverse for fragile environments. In fact, farmer incomes would be much lower and degradation much higher if intensive agriculture had not been adopted. Such a result, however, must be framed within a complex set of conditioning factors, among which agroecology plays a fundamental role. Although the economic advantages of horticultural production are clear in the area studied, this strategy is not suited for all contexts. This report offers a series of policy recommendations that implicitly recognize such limitations, thereby helping to direct resources where they will have their greatest impact.

Natural Resources Management in Agriculture

Natural Resources Management in Agriculture
Author: Bekele Shiferaw
Publisher: CABI
Total Pages: 398
Release: 2005
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0851998283

Part I: Introduction; Part II: Valuation of ecosystem services and biophysical indicators of NRM impacts; Part III: Methodological advances for a comprehensive impact assessment; Part IV: NRM impact assessment in practice.

Integrated Natural Resource Management

Integrated Natural Resource Management
Author: Bruce Morgan Campbell
Publisher: CABI
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2003
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0851997317

This book, which contains 15 separately authored chapters, discusses both the principles and applications of an integrated approach to natural resource management. Such an approach must embrace the complexity of systems and redirect research towards the greater inclusion of issues such as participatory approaches, multi-scale analysis and an array of tools for system analysis, information management and impact assessment. Case studies, particularly from developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, are included. This book is of interest to a wide range of readers in many disciplines, including forestry, soil and management sciences, agriculture, and development studies.

Strategies for Sustainable Land Management in the East African Highlands

Strategies for Sustainable Land Management in the East African Highlands
Author: J. Pender
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 502
Release: 2006
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0896297578

Deforestation, overgrazing, and unsustainable methods of cultivation are threatening agriculture and food security in the highlands of East Africa. In response, economists and other development professionals have turned their attention to combating the pr

Policy Analysis for Sustainable Land Management and Food Security in Ethiopia

Policy Analysis for Sustainable Land Management and Food Security in Ethiopia
Author: Stein Terje Holden
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 86
Release: 2005-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0896291456

Policymakers and technology development institutions have mostly focused on high-potential farming areas, which have better resource endowments and greater access to markets and infrastructure than less-favored areas. However, in developing nations more than one billion people live in less-favored areas, where, despite disadvantages, appropriate policies and programs can generate high returns and contribute significantly to poverty reduction. IFPRI and its partners' research in the highlands of Ethiopia shows how poverty and land degradation can be reduced in a less-favored area. Using a bioeconomic model to analyze the effects that land degradation, population growth, stagnant technology, market imperfections, and increased risk of drought have on household production, welfare, and food security, the report gauges how alternative policy choices affect poverty and land degradation. According to the study, land quality and household welfare are both in peril in the Ethiopian highlands.The population in the region could suffer devastating effects if proper policies are not put in place. The bioeconomic modeling approach used in this study can be usefully adapted and applied in many other settings and at larger spatial and socioeconomic scales.

Integrated Watershed Management in Rainfed Agriculture

Integrated Watershed Management in Rainfed Agriculture
Author: Suhas P. Wani
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 490
Release: 2011-09-16
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1466512822

This book provides a comprehensive presentation of the realization of improved rainfed agriculture yield in semi-arid and dry land areas. The incentive of watershed programs is to increase the return on investment with over 20% for 65% of the projects that are currently underperforming. Besides techniques to improve the livelihood of the many small

Sustainable Land Management Sourcebook

Sustainable Land Management Sourcebook
Author: World Bank
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2008-06-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0821374338

Policies promoting pro-poor agricultural growth are the key to helping countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals especially the goal of halving poverty and hunger by 2015. The public sector, private sector, and civil society organizations are working to enhance productivity and competitiveness of the agricultural sector to reduce rural poverty and sustain the natural resource base. The pathways involve participation by rural communities, science and technology, knowledge generation and further learning, capacity enhancement, and institution building. Sustainable land management (SLM) an essential component of such policies will help to ensure the productivity of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and hydrology. SLM will also support a range of ecosystem services on which agriculture depends. The 'Sustainable Land Management Sourcebook' provides a knowledge repository of tested practices and innovative resource management approaches that are currently being tested. The diverse menu of options represents the current state of the art of good land management practices. Section one identifies the need and scope for SLM and food production in relation to cross-sector issues such as freshwater and forest resources, regional climate and air quality, and interactions with biodiversity conservation and increasingly valuable ecosystem services. Section two categorizes the diversity of land management systems globally and the strategies for improving household livelihoods in each system type. Section three presents a range of investment notes that summarize good practice, as well as innovative activity profiles that highlight design of successful or innovative investments. Section four identifies easy-to-access, Web-based resources relevant for land and natural resource managers. The 'Sourcebook' is a living document that will be periodically updated and expanded as new material and findings become available on good land management practices. This book will be of interest to project managers and practitioners working to enhance land and natural resource management in developing countries.

Rural Development Policies and Sustainable Land Use in the Hillside Areas of Honduras: A Quantitative Livelihoods Approach

Rural Development Policies and Sustainable Land Use in the Hillside Areas of Honduras: A Quantitative Livelihoods Approach
Author: Jansen, Hans G. P.
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 116
Release: 2006
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0896291561

Poverty is deep and widespread in Honduras. This is especially the case in the hillside areas-home to one-third of the country's population, the majority of whom earn their living through agriculture. While both policymakers and donors are under strong pressure to provide adequate interventions, they require guidance on what drives sustainable rural productivity growth, how to prioritize expenditures, and how to formulate effective development strategies. In this report, the authors develop an integrated econometric framework, based on the livelihoods concept, and demonstrate how it can be used as a policy targeting tool. Using this framework, the authors provide policymakers and stakeholders with empirical information on the livelihood strategies currently employed in the hillside areas of Honduras, existing opportunities for alleviating poverty, and potential priorities for policy and investments.