Nature’s contributions to human well-being within social-ecological systems have been widely studied using multiple conceptual frameworks, yet there is a growing need to better articulate how both humans and nature contribute to quality of life. We present an operationalization of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) conceptual framework with an in-depth analysis of the coproduction of nature’s contributions to people (NCP) in a mountain social-ecological system. Based on a participatory process questioning stakeholders on nature’s contributions to their quality of life, we propose an analysis of NCP coproduction mechanisms in a multifunctional landscape. We refine the consideration of NCP coproduction in the IPBES framework by distinguishing three coproduction types at different steps of the benefits flow from ecosystems to quality of life: (1) ecosystem management; (2) mobilization, harvesting, and physical access; and (3) appropriation, social access, and appreciation. For each of these coproduction types, we describe the types of natural and human-derived capital involved. This approach highlights: nature’s key contributions to people as perceived by participants; landscape multifunctionality and interlinkages among NCP induced by their simultaneous coproduction to improve quality of life; and a gradient of natural and human-derived capital among coproduction types and among material, nonmaterial, and regulating NCP. This approach documents how NCP coproduction creates social-ecological trade-offs and synergies among multiple NCP, as well as collaborations and conflicts among beneficiaries at the landscape level. We conclude that the analysis of NCP coproduction can provide new opportunities for ecosystem services research by tackling the involvement of both humans and nature in quality of life objectives.
Tag: agriculture
From conventional to organic peanut farming: Preliminary on-farm field experiments in My Loi Climate-Smart Village, Ha Tinh province, Vietnam
This document summarizes the findings of participatory organic peanut experiment with three households in My Loi Climate-Smart Village in 2019, funded by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).
Land-use and land-cover affect inland fish catch in two rivers of Central Africa
Land-cover change can affect inland fisheries, which underpin food security of millions of people worldwide. Removal of forests from very large floodplains has been found to decrease fish catch via loss of feeding and nursery habitat for fish. However, it is unknown if similar effects occur in smaller rivers with limited floodplain areas. Little is also known about the mechanisms by which land-cover changes affect inland fish catch. Here, we assessed land-use and land-cover (LULC) effects on fish catch, diet, and condition at sites in two medium-sized rivers of Cameroon, in Central Africa. We found that LULC explained 30% of the variation in fish catch, with the catch of five species being positively, and of two species being negatively, related to floodplain forests. The niche breadth of fish diets was higher in the river surrounded by forests than in the river surrounded by agricultural land. However, contrary to expectations, condition of the fish, as indicated by occurrence of diseases or deformities, eroded fins, lesions or tumors, was not related to LULC. Our results support the notions that floodplain forests support fish populations in rivers with limited floodplain areas in ways similar to that of rivers with large floodplains, and that LULC affects fish populations via changes in fish diets and instream habitat features (i.e., riparian canopy closure, water clarity, substrate heterogeneity, and habitat volume). These effects imply that prevailing changes in LULC threaten the food and livelihood security services provided by inland fisheries, highlighting the importance of policies that maintain native vegetation along riverbanks and in floodplain areas.
Determinants in the Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Eastern and Southern Cameroon
Giving more attention to the adoption of conservation agricultural practices (CAPs) will help in improving yields to ensure food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, we are prompted to ask questions on the factors determining the adoption and adoption intensity of CAPS among Cameroon’s smallholder farmers. Thus, data collected from 350 farmers in South and East Cameroon were used to study the factors that determine the adoption of CAPs amongst these farmers. The study considered agroforestry, intercropping, crop rotation, cover crop, mulching, and zero-tillage as the CAPs under investigation. The study adopted the multivariate and ordered probit models. According to the multivariate probit analysis, our multivariate probit model results showed that gender, age, family size, extension services, use of modern farm technology, distance from house to farm, livestock owned, and infertile soil all significantly influenced CAP adoption. Results on adoption intensity displayed that gender, distance from house to farm, and the number of livestock owned were critical drivers of CAP adoption intensity. According to this study’s findings, to promote the adoption of CAPs, policymakers and concerned stakeholders should consider farmer, institutional, and biophysical aspects when developing policies. However, already existing extension services need to be improved upon.
Direct N2O emissions from global tea plantations and mitigation potential by climate-smart practices
Estimating N2O emissions from the agricultural sector and developing effective reduction strategies are essential to achieving the Paris Agreement 2 °C target. Based on 3705 observations from 435 articles, we demonstrated that the response of N2O emissions was more sensitive to N inputs on acidic soils than alkaline soils and that climatic factors influence this difference. Total global N2O emissions from tea plantations in the 2010s were estimated to be 46.5 Gg N yr–1 using an exponential model developed herein. Tea plantations are a significant contributor to N2O emissions from the agricultural sector in several countries. The intensity of yield-scale GHG emissions from tea was significantly higher than in other upland cereals. Applying climate-smart practices in Chinese tea plantations could reduce emissions equivalent to one-third of the global total. We conclude that accurate identification of N2O emission hotspots and implementation of targeted measures are essential to achieving global temperature control targets.
Research support to address barriers and accelerate the impact of the Great Green Wall Initiative
The Africa Union’s Great Green Wall Initiative Strategy and ten-year Implementation Framework, drafted in December 2022, reiterates the need to facilitate collaboration between stakeholders – including strengthening linkages with the research community – to coordinate and scale actions towards achieving its goals.
Considering barriers to and solutions for accelerating impact in the Great Green Wall Initiative. Summary Report of a Virtual Event Series 25 October and 24 November 2022
The Sahel offers a valuable example of the challenges that climate change can impose on livelihoods derived mainly from agriculture and livestock. Temperatures in the region are rising 1.5 times faster than in the rest of the world, while simultaneously, heavy rains have been accompanied by destructive river floods and numerous flooding episodes.
Regional Policy Coherence Analysis to Scale Up Action and Achievements of the Great Green Wall Initiative
The Great Green Wall initiative is a pan-African flagship programme of the African Union that seeks to tackle the triple challenges of desertification, climate change and loss of biodiversity. It aims to restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land stretching across 8 000 km of Africa from west to east, sequester 250 million tons of carbon, and create 10 million green jobs by 2030 across the Sahel region (UNCCD, 2020; GGW website).
Increasing rice productivity in degraded peatlands using improved planting methods and rice varieties
Sonor farming practical has become a habit for local community of South Sumatra. In fact, this agricultural practice still results in low production. This research was conducted to determine the comparison of planting methods by farmers with improving planting methods with 2 new high yielding varieties. This research was conducted in Perigi Village, Pangkalan Lampam District, Ogan Komering Ilir Regency, South Sumatra Province from December 2019 to April 2020. The research method used was a Split Plot Design with two factors, namely factor 1 was rice varieties and factor 2 was planting method, where the main plot was planting method including: T1: Broadcasting 25 kg/ha, T2: Broadcasting 75 kg/ha, T3: Legowo 2: 1 (20x40x10 cm), and T4: transplanting (20×20 cm) and the sub plot rice varieties, V1: Inpari 30 and V2: Inpara 3. There are 8 treatment combinations with 3 replications. The results showed that the improvement of planting methods showed an increasing in yield in terms of total tiller number, productive tiller number, grain number per panicles, grain weight panicles, grain weight per m2, and plant biomass. The Legowo method had higher productivity than otherplanting method with rice productivity 3.7 tonnes per ha. The Inpara 3 showed better growth and production on degraded peatlands.
Overview of the Exemplar Landscapes
The aim is to have exemplar landscapes serve as living laboratories, where the evidence is generated by farmers and other stakeholders within the landscape in order to co-develop solutions. This report provides a biophysical and socio-economic overview of the three exemplar landscapes across Andhra Pradesh, India.