Nature-based solutions in agriculture: The case and pathway for adoption

Nature-based solutions in agriculture: The case and pathway for adoption
Author: ​Iseman, T., Miralles-Wilhelm, F.
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 53
Release: 2021-02-03
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9251339082

Food system demands have increased exponentially in recent decades and are estimated to continue growing as global populations increase and economic affluence expands. However, the very foundation of a productive system – healthy lands and soils and clean water supply – is already under immense pressure. In fact, by the most credible estimates, up to 52% of global agricultural lands are now moderately to severely degraded, with millions of hectares per year degrading to the point they are abandoned by the land manager. The loss of productive land, coupled with increased food demand, pushes agriculture to be the primary driver in 80% of native habitat loss. Agricultural irrigation is driving the majority of water scarcity issues in high-risk basins threatening food systems, community water supplies and ecosystem health. These pressures have resulted in the global agriculture sector driving more biodiversity loss, destruction of natural habitat, soil degradation and depletion of natural resources around the world than any other industry.

Nature-Based Solutions for agricultural water management and food security

Nature-Based Solutions for agricultural water management and food security
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 69
Release: 2019-03-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9251311250

Accessibility to clean and sufficient water resources for agriculture is key in feeding the steadily increasing world population in a sustainable manner. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) offer a promising contribution to enhance availability and quality of water for productive purposes and human consumption, while simultaneously striving to preserve the integrity and intrinsic value of the ecosystems. Implementing successful NBS for water management, however, is not an easy task, since many ecosystems are already severely degraded and exploited beyond their regenerative capacity. Furthermore, ecosystems are large and complex and the many stakeholders involved may have conflicting interests. Hence, implementation of NBS requires a structured and comprehensive approach that starts with the valuation of the services provided by the ecosystem. The whole set of use and non-use values, in monetary terms, provides a factual basis to guide the implementation of NBS, which is ideally based on transdisciplinary principles, i.e. complemented with scientific and case-specific knowledge of the ecosystem in an adaptive decision-making process that involves the relevant stakeholders. This discussion paper evaluated twenty-one NBS case studies using a non-representative sample, to learn from successful and failed experiences and to identify possible causalities among factors that characterize the implementation of NBS. The case studies give a minor role to valuation of ecosystem services, an area for which the literature is still developing guidance. Less successful water management projects tend to suffer from inadequate factual and scientific basis and uncoordinated or insufficient stakeholder involvement and lack of long term planning. Successful case studies point to satisfactory understanding of the functioning of ecosystems and importance of multi-stakeholder platforms, well-identified funding schemes, realistic monitoring and evaluation systems and endurance of its promoters.

Nature-based solutions in agriculture: Sustainable management and conservation of land, water and biodiversity

Nature-based solutions in agriculture: Sustainable management and conservation of land, water and biodiversity
Author: Miralles-Wilhelm, F.
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 68
Release: 2021-02-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9251339074

In recent years, considerable progress has been made in the area of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) that improve ecosystem functions of environments and landscapes affected by agricultural practices and land degradation, while enhancing livelihoods and other social and cultural functions. This has opened up a portfolio of NbS options that offer a pragmatic way forward for simultaneously addressing conservation, climate and socioeconomic objectives while maintaining healthy and productive agricultural systems. NbS can mimic natural processes and build on land restoration and operational water-land management concepts that aim to simultaneously improve vegetation and water availability and quality, and raise agricultural productivity. NbS can involve conserving or rehabilitating natural ecosystems and/or the enhancement or the creation of natural processes in modified or artificial ecosystems. In agricultural landscapes, NbS can be applied for soil health, soil moisture, carbon mitigation (through soil and forestry), downstream water quality protections, biodiversity benefits as well as agricultural production and supply chains to achieve net-zero environmental impacts while achieving food and water security, and meet climate goals.

Nature for Water: A Series of Utility Spotlights

Nature for Water: A Series of Utility Spotlights
Author: Jessica Ertel
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2019-11-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1789060818

By 2025, two thirds of the world’s population will be living in water stressed conditions. Meanwhile, the degradation of water ecosystems is occurring at alarming rates. Water utilities and water regulators that choose to play an active role in catchment management with nature based solutions (NBS) are uniquely positioned to help. Building a robust knowledge base and supporting opportunities for cross-sector collaboration are fundamental to the mainstreaming of NBS. The International Water Association (IWA) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are working together to encourage and facilitate active utility involvement in NBS, as well as promoting stronger connections between water utilities and regulatory bodies. Implementation of NBS involves multiple, interdependent stakeholders at various governance levels, and consequently regulators a key role in creating the enabling environments for these interactions and negotiations. This publication taps into diverse geographies and contexts, delving into case studies for a richer conversation that addresses the variety of challenges and elements for success for integrating NBS into water utility operations and planning. By publicizing successful case studies, the IWA/TNC partnership fulfils a dual purpose of endorsing these efforts and providing actionable guidance for other water utilities striving to improve their sustainability and resiliency.

Nature-based Solutions for Resilient Ecosystems and Societies

Nature-based Solutions for Resilient Ecosystems and Societies
Author: Shalini Dhyani
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 474
Release: 2020-07-07
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9811547122

Over the past few decades, the frequency and severity of natural and human-induced disasters have increased across Asia. These disasters lead to substantial loss of life, livelihoods and community assets, which not only threatens the pace of socio-economic development, but also undo hard-earned gains. Extreme events and disasters such as floods, droughts, heat, fire, cyclones and tidal surges are known to be exacerbated by environmental changes including climate change, land-use changes and natural resource degradation. Increasing climate variability and multi-dimensional vulnerabilities have severely affected the social, ecological and economic capacities of the people in the region who are, economically speaking, those with the least capacity to adapt. Climatic and other environmental hazards and anthropogenic risks, coupled with weak and wavering capacities, severely impact the ecosystems and Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) and, thereby, to human well-being. Long-term resilience building through disaster risk reduction and integrated adaptive climate planning, therefore, has become a key priority for scientists and policymakers alike. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is a cost-effective approach that utilizes ecosystem and biodiversity services for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, while also providing a range of co-benefits like sustainable livelihoods and food, water and energy security. This book discusses the concept of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) – both as a science and as art – and elaborates on how it can be applied to develop healthy and resilient ecosystems locally, nationally, regionally and globally. The book covers illustrative methods and tools adopted for applying NbS in different countries. The authors discuss NbS applications and challenges, research trends and future insights that have wider regional and global relevance. The aspects covered include: landscape restoration, ecosystem-based adaptation, ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction, ecological restoration, ecosystem-based protected areas management, green infrastructure development, nature-friendly infrastructure development in various ecosystem types, agro-climatic zones and watersheds. The book offers insights into understanding the sustainable development goals (SDGs) at the grass roots level and can help indigenous and local communities harness ecosystem services to help achieve them. It offers a unique, essential resource for researchers, students, corporations, administrators and policymakers working in the fields of the environment, geography, development, policy planning, the natural sciences, life sciences, agriculture, health, climate change and disaster studies.

The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture

The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2013-06-17
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1136498877

The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture is FAO's first flagship publication on the global status of land and water resources. It is an 'advocacy' report, to be published every three to five years, and targeted at senior level decision makers in agriculture as well as in other sectors. SOLAW is aimed at sensitizing its target audience on the status of land resources at global and regional levels and FAO's viewpoint on appropriate recommendations for policy formulation. SOLAW focuses on these key dimensions of analysis: (i) quantity, quality of land and water resources, (ii) the rate of use and sustainable management of these resources in the context of relevant socio-economic driving factors and concerns, including food security and poverty, and climate change. This is the first time that a global, baseline status report on land and water resources has been made. It is based on several global spatial databases (e.g. land suitability for agriculture, land use and management, land and water degradation and depletion) for which FAO is the world-recognized data source. Topical and emerging issues on land and water are dealt with in an integrated rather than sectoral manner. The implications of the status and trends are used to advocate remedial interventions which are tailored to major farming systems within different geographic regions.

Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Areas

Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Areas
Author: Nadja Kabisch
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2017-09-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3319560913

This open access book brings together research findings and experiences from science, policy and practice to highlight and debate the importance of nature-based solutions to climate change adaptation in urban areas. Emphasis is given to the potential of nature-based approaches to create multiple-benefits for society. The expert contributions present recommendations for creating synergies between ongoing policy processes, scientific programmes and practical implementation of climate change and nature conservation measures in global urban areas. Except where otherwise noted, this book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Sustainable Intensification

Sustainable Intensification
Author: Jules N. Pretty
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2012-06-25
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1136529276

Continued population growth, rapidly changing consumption patterns and the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation are driving limited resources of food, energy, water and materials towards critical thresholds worldwide. These pressures are likely to be substantial across Africa, where countries will have to find innovative ways to boost crop and livestock production to avoid becoming more reliant on imports and food aid. Sustainable agricultural intensification - producing more output from the same area of land while reducing the negative environmental impacts - represents a solution for millions of African farmers. This volume presents the lessons learned from 40 sustainable agricultural intensification programmes in 20 countries across Africa, commissioned as part of the UK Government's Foresight project. Through detailed case studies, the authors of each chapter examine how to develop productive and sustainable agricultural systems and how to scale up these systems to reach many more millions of people in the future. Themes covered include crop improvements, agroforestry and soil conservation, conservation agriculture, integrated pest management, horticulture, livestock and fodder crops, aquaculture, and novel policies and partnerships.

Sustainable Solutions for Food Security

Sustainable Solutions for Food Security
Author: Atanu Sarkar
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 559
Release: 2019-01-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319778781

This volume is the first centralized source of technological and policy solutions for sustainable agriculture and food systems resilience in the face of climate change. The editors have compiled a comprehensive collection of the latest tested, replicable green technologies and approaches for food security, including smart crops and new agricultural paradigms, sustainable natural resources management, and strategies for risk assessment and governance. Studies from resource-constrained countries with vulnerable populations are emphasized, with contributions on multisector partnership from development professionals. Debates concerning access to climate-smart technologies, intellectual property rights, and international negotiations on technology transfer are also included. The editors are, respectively, a public health physician, a development professional and an environmental scientist. They bring their varied perspectives together to curate a holistic volume that will be useful for policy makers, scientists, community-based organizations, international organizations and researchers across the world.