Agrarian change in tropical landscapes

Agrarian change in tropical landscapes
Author: Liz Deakin
Publisher: CIFOR
Total Pages: 323
Release: 2016-01-25
Genre: Agriculture
ISBN: 6023870228

Agricultural expansion has transformed and fragmented forest habitats at alarming rates across the globe, but particularly so in tropical landscapes. The resulting land-use configurations encompass varying mosaics of tree cover, human settlements and agricultural land units. Meanwhile, global demand for agricultural commodities is at unprecedented levels. The need to feed nine billion people by 2050 in a world of changing food demands is causing increasing agricultural intensification. As such, market-orientated production systems are now increasingly replacing traditional farming practices, but at what cost? The Agrarian Change project, coordinated by the Center for International Forestry Research, explores the conservation, livelihood and food security implications of land-use and agrarian change processes at the landscape scale. This book provides detailed background information on seven multi-functional landscapes in Ethiopia, Cameroon, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Zambia and Burkina Faso. The focal landscapes were selected as they exhibit various scenarios of changing forest cover, agricultural modification and integration with local and global commodity markets. A standardized research protocol will allow for future comparative analyses between these sites. Each case study chapter provides a comprehensive description of the physical and socioeconomic context of each focal landscape and a structured account of the historical and political drivers of land-use change occurring in the area. Each case study also draws on contemporary information obtained from key informant interviews, focus group discussions and preliminary data collection regarding key topics of interest including: changes in forest cover and dependency on forest products, farming practices, tenure institutions, the role and presence of conservation initiatives, and major economic activities. The follow-on empirical study is already underway in the landscapes described in this book. It examines responses to agrarian change processes at household, farm, village and landscape levels with a focus on poverty levels, food security, dietary diversity and nutrition, agricultural yields, biodiversity, migration and land tenure. This research intends to provide much needed insights into how landscape-scale land-use trajectories manifest in local communities and advance understanding of multi-functional landscapes as socioecological systems.

Agroforestry and Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Landscapes

Agroforestry and Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Landscapes
Author: Götz Schroth
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 537
Release: 2013-03-22
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1597267449

Agroforestry -- the practice of integrating trees and other large woody perennials on farms and throughout the agricultural landscape -- is increasingly recognized as a useful and promising strategy that diversifies production for greater social, economic, and environmental benefits. Agroforestry and BiodiversityConservation in Tropical Landscapes brings together 46 scientists and practitioners from 13 countries with decades of field experience in tropical regions to explore how agroforestry practices can help promote biodiversity conservation in human-dominated landscapes, to synthesize the current state of knowledge in the field, and to identify areas where further research is needed. Agroforestry and Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Landscapes is the first comprehensive synthesis of the role of agroforestry systems in conserving biodiversity in tropical landscapes, and contains in-depth review chapters of most agroforestry systems, with examples from many different countries. It is a valuable source of information for scientists, researchers, professors, and students in the fields of conservation biology, resource management, tropical ecology, rural development, agroforestry, and agroecology.

Landscape of Migration

Landscape of Migration
Author: Ben Nobbs-Thiessen
Publisher: UNC Press Books
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2020-03-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1469656116

In the wake of a 1952 revolution, leaders of Bolivia's National Revolutionary Movement (MNR) embarked on a program of internal colonization known as the "March to the East." In an impoverished country dependent on highland mining, the MNR sought to convert the nation's vast "undeveloped" Amazonian frontier into farmland, hoping to achieve food security, territorial integrity, and demographic balance. To do so, they encouraged hundreds of thousands of Indigenous Bolivians to relocate from the "overcrowded" Andes to the tropical lowlands, but also welcomed surprising transnational migrant streams, including horse-and-buggy Mennonites from Mexico and displaced Okinawans from across the Pacific. Ben Nobbs-Thiessen details the multifaceted results of these migrations on the environment of the South American interior. As he reveals, one of the "migrants" with the greatest impact was the soybean, which Bolivia embraced as a profitable cash crop while eschewing earlier goals of food security, creating a new model for extractive export agriculture. Half a century of colonization would transform the small regional capital of Santa Cruz de la Sierra into Bolivia's largest city, and the diverging stories of Andean, Mennonite, and Okinawan migrants complicate our understandings of tradition, modernity, foreignness, and belonging in the heart of a rising agro-industrial empire.

The Conditions of Agricultural Growth

The Conditions of Agricultural Growth
Author: Ester Boserup
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 125
Release: 2014-01-14
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1134162146

When it first appeared in 1965, The Conditions of Agricultural Growth heralded a breakthrough in the theory of agricultural development. Whereas 'development' had previously been seen as the transformation of traditional communities by the introduction (or imposition) of new technologies, Ester Boserup argued that changes and improvements occur from within agricultural communities, and that improvements are governed not only by outside interference, but by those communities themselves. Using extensive analyses of the costs and productivity of the main systems of traditional agriculture, Ester Boserup concludes that technical, economic and social changes are unlikely to take place unless the community concerned is exposed to the pressure of population growth. In sharp contrast to widely accepted ideas, she shows how population growth may be the main stimulus to agrarian change. In developing this theme, the author identifies successive stages of agriculture, characterized by differences in techniques of cultivation and in social structure and show how they can be explained by differences in population density. This book is of relevance not only to economists, but also to historians interested in the way present changes in agrarian communities parallel those of the past.

Agroforestry Parklands in Sub-Saharan Africa

Agroforestry Parklands in Sub-Saharan Africa
Author: Jean-Marc Boffa
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 256
Release: 1999
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9789251043769

This document attempts to present the current state of knowledge on agroforestry parkland systems. These systems, which for many local populations are very important for food security, income generation and environmental protection, are found primarily in the semi-arid and sub-humid zones of West Africa. The document first provides a thorough description of their distribution and diversity and discusses different ways of classifying them. It also presents data on current trends in parkland development and assesses determining factors. The document then provides an in-depth analysis of biophysical tree-soil-crop interactions and the factors regulating them, and describes various improved parkland management techniques. It goes on to examine the strength and limitations of institutional arrangements as well as the constraints imposed by Sahelian forest policies on the sustainable management of parklands. The production, use and marketing of parkland products is reviewed with an emphasis on their contribution to food security, local and national income as well as social values. Overall costs and benefits of the practice of parkland agroforestry are evaluated. In conclusion, the document identifies crucial research needs and promising avenues for promoting sustainable management of parkland systems.

Agricultural Technologies and Tropical Deforestation

Agricultural Technologies and Tropical Deforestation
Author: Arild Angelsen
Publisher: CABI
Total Pages: 440
Release: 2001-04-20
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780851998992

This book has been developed from a workshop on Technological change in agriculture and tropical deforestation organised by the Center for International Forestry Research and held in Costa Rica in March, 1999. It explores how intensification of agriculture affects tropical deforestation using case studies from different geographical regions, using different agricultural products and technologies and in differing demographic situations and market conditions. Guidance is also given on future agricultural research and extension efforts.

Agroecology

Agroecology
Author: Peter Rosset
Publisher: Practical Action
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2017
Genre: TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING
ISBN: 9781853399947

Introduction : why agroecology? -- The scientific principles of agroecology -- The scientific evidence for agroecology : can it feed the world? -- Scaling up agroecology : social process and organization -- The politics of agroecology -- Conclusions : conform or transform?

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.

Operationalizing integrated landscape approaches in the tropics

Operationalizing integrated landscape approaches in the tropics
Author: Reed, J.
Publisher: CIFOR
Total Pages:
Release: 2020-10-29
Genre:
ISBN: 6023871380

Poverty, food insecurity, biodiversity and habitat loss are persistent global challenges that are further exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. These challenges are particularly hard felt in the tropical landscapes of the global South where tensions between local socio-economic and international environmental commitments are pervasive. Due to the apparent failure of sectorial approaches to address such challenges, more holistic strategies are being increasingly promoted. Integrated landscape approaches are one such example; essentially a governance strategy that engages multiple stakeholders to reconcile societal and environmental objectives at the landscape scale to identify trade-offs and potential synergies for more sustainable and equitable land management. Integrated landscape approaches have been widely endorsed in the international and national policy arena, within academia, and in the discourse surrounding conservation and development funding. However, despite strong scientific theories and concepts, the implementation, and particularly evaluation and reporting, of integrated landscape approaches in the tropics remains poorly developed. The COLANDS initiative represents an explicit attempt to contribute towards the evidence base by operationalizing integrated landscape approaches in Ghana, Zambia and Indonesia. In this regard we aim to provide regular, honest reporting of progress. This book details the experiences of researchers engaged in these landscape-scale initiatives across the first two years of implementation. With dedicated chapters on current progress, biodiversity, methods and evaluation the book provides useful tools and resources for research and implementation. Furthermore, we consider the complex socio-political challenges associated with landscape approaches with chapters focussed on how to effectively engaging stakeholders and understanding the national policy environment. We then provide profiles of the sites in each of the three countries and describe the historical context, current status and potential for more integrated landscape governance. This book explores the techniques and strategies that can be deployed to improve the governance and management of land and natural resources and better reconcile conservation and development objectives in tropical landscapes undergoing rapid change. Contents Foreword Acknowledgments Author bios Executive Summary Introduction and backgroundJames Reed, Mirjam Ros-Tonen and Terry Sunderland Integrated landscape approaches in the tropicsJames Reed, Amy Ickowitz, Colas Chervier, Houria Djoudi, Kaala B Moombe, Mirjam Ros-Tonen, Malaika Yanou, Elizabeth L Yuliani and Terry Sunderland The role of biodiversity in integrated landscape approachesJoli R Borah, Yves Laumonier, Eric RC Bayala, Houria Djoudi, Davison Gumbo, Kaala B Moombe, Elizabeth L Yuliani and Mathurin Zida Engaging multiple stakeholders to reconcile climate, conservation and development objectives in tropical landscapesJames Reed, Jos Barlow, Rachel Carmenta, Josh van Vianen and Terry Sunderland Theories of change and monitoring and evaluation types for landscape approachesColas Chervier, Marie-Gabrielle Piketty and James Reed A methods toolbox for integrated landscape approachesJames Reed, Joli R Borah, Colas Chervier, James Langston, Moira Moeliono, Alida O’Connor, Elizabeth L Yuliani and Terry Sunderland Potential for integration? An assessment of national environment and development policiesAlida O’Connor, Houria Djoudi, Moira Moeliono, Kaala B Moombe and Freddie S Siangulube Context for landscape approach implementation in the Western Wildlife Corridor Landscape (Northern Ghana)Eric RC Bayala, Houria Djoudi, Mirjam Ros-Tonen and Mathurin Zida Understanding landscape dynamics: A case study from Kalomo DistrictKaala B Moombe, Freddie S Siangulube, Bravedo M Mwaanga, Tiza I Mfuni, Malaika P Yanou, Davison J Gumbo, Rays C Mwansa and Gilbert Juunza Kapuas Hulu: A background analysis to implementing an integrated landscape approachAugusta M Anandi, Elizabeth L Yuliani, Moira Moeliono, Yves Laumonier and Sari Narulita Conclusion and the way forwardTerry Sunderland, James Reed and Mirjam Ros-Tonen