Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) is being promoted for restoration beyond its original range in the Sahel. FMNR involves farmers selecting and managing natural regeneration on their fields, while keeping them under the primary function of agricultural production. However, little is known about what regenerates in different contexts, even though this underlies potential restoration impact. Here we assess how human impact, land degradation and dispersal limitation affect structural and functional properties of regeneration across 316 plots in agroforestry parklands of Ghana and Burkina Faso. We found that intensity of land use (grazing and agricultural practices) and dispersal limitation inhibited regeneration, while land degradation did not. Functional composition of regenerating communities shifted towards shorter statured, small-seeded and conservative strategies with intensity of land use. We conclude that the presence of trees of desired species in the vicinity is a precondition for successfully implementing FMNR for restoration, and that regeneration needs to be protected from grazing. Assessment of regeneration potential is imperative for scaling out FMNR and where natural regeneration will be insufficient to achieve restoration targets, FMNR needs to be complemented with tree planting.
Tag: Agroecology
Farmer-led approaches to increasing tree diversity in fields and farmed landscapes in Ethiopia
Increasing tree cover and managing trees better on farms in Ethiopia supports livelihoods and the environment but most tree-planting schemes promote only a few species. This research aimed to understand farmers’ tree planting priorities in Oromia, Ethiopia and address challenges involved in meeting them. Tree species and planting niches were elicited through focus group discussions. Participatory trials compared 17 tree species across seven on-farm planting niches and seedling survival and growth patterns were evaluated. Farmers suggested a high diversity of tree species suitable for each niche with fruit species mainly selected for homesteads. The diversity of desired tree species is much higher than that typically available in nurseries or promoted by tree planting projects. Meeting planting demands was difficult because the existing seedling supply does not support diversity. Evaluation of tree survival showed striking differences among species, farms, agroecologies and planting niches. There was high variation in seedling survival amongst the tree species planted on 1893 farm/planting niche locations, indicating impact of local level risk factors attributable to management, biotic and abiotic causes. Growth differences of the six shared species common to both agroecologies across different niches, showed that the effects of species and niche were significant on growth. A farmer-led approach to increasing tree cover that couples understanding of species and planting niche preferences with appropriate seedling supply and management is proposed as a means to increase the diversity of trees in farmed landscapes.
Global scientific progress and shortfalls in biological control of the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda
Since 2016, the fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda has spread over extensive areas of the tropics and subtropics, imperiling food security, economic progress and the livelihoods of millions of cereal farmers. Although FAW has received long-standing scientific attention in its home range in the Americas, chemical inputs feature prominently in its mitigation and biological control uptake is globally lagging. Here, building upon a quantitative review of the global literature, we methodically dissect FAW biological control science. Of the known entomopathogens (46), parasitoids (304) and predators (215) of FAW, approx. 40% have been subject to laboratory- or field-level scrutiny. Laboratory-level performance has partially been assessed for 14–18% of the above invertebrate taxa. Yet, organismal, geographic, methodological and thematic biases hamper efforts to relate in-field biodiversity to actual ecosystem service delivery. Often, single-guild ‘snapshot’ surveys are preferred over comprehensive bio-inventories or population dynamics appraisals, trophic interactions are wrongly inferred from co-occurrence, standard pest infestation metrics are lacking and natural enemy censuses are performed arbitrarily. Diurnal biota receive inordinate attention, while egg and pupal predation – the main biotic sources of mortality – are routinely overlooked. Multiple microbial and invertebrate biota are investigated with a view towards mass-rearing and augmentative release, but the basis for agent selection is often unclear. Lastly, conservation biological control receives marginal attention and cross-disciplinary engagement with the agroecology domain is lagging. We lay out several steps, including standardized methodologies, smart use of biodemographic toolkits, networked field trials and a fortification of its ecological underpinnings, to sharpen the science of (FAW) biological control and urge further momentum in its global implementation.
Tracking the implementation of CFS policy recommendations on agroecological approaches
The global food system is characterized by a confluence of challenges, among which include demographic changes, climate change, land degradation, biodiversity loss, and competition over renewable resources. Agriculture accounts for 60 percent of terrestrial biodiversity loss, 33 percent of soil degradation, 61 percent of the depletion of commercial fish stocks (UNEP, 2016), and an estimated 34 percent of GHG emissions. Moreover, with an estimated 3.1 billion people unable to afford a healthy diet in 2020 nearly 670 million people projected to be hungry in 2030, and the growing concerns around equity and social justice, the global food system is moving in the wrong direction, and a profound transformation is needed at all scales.
Evaluating the Integration of Agroecological Principles into Kenya’s Legal and Policy Framework
This paper evaluates the integration of three high – level categories of the 13 principles of agroecology — resource efficiency, resilience, and social equity and responsibility — into Kenya’s Constitution and 14 sectoral strategies, policies, and laws. Policy, legal, and strategy documents were analyzed to identify enabling and exemplary provisions and barriers to the agroecological transformation of Kenya’s food system. Kenya has a raft of laws, policies, and strategies that integrate agroecological principles and support the agroecological transition of the food system. These include provision for: i) integrated soil and plant health; ii) re – design of farms and landscapes through integrated soil, water and management, and the integration of crops, trees and livestock to support farm diversification; iii) enhancing climate resilience; iv) strengthening co-creation of knowledge and ensuring equity through participation of local communities in the food system. The focus on achieving high cereal yields, bolstered by public subsidies for mineral fertilizers and hybrid seeds, limits the investment in agroecological approaches. Despite a raft of enabling and exemplary provisions, uneven distribution of resources and inconsistent implementation present veritable barriers to agroecological transition. More importantly, there is a need to strengthen institutional mechanisms for consultation and cooperation between the national and county governments to ensure the agroecological transformation of food systems nationally.
CIFOR-ICRAF: Building resilient landscapes
In January 2019, the most trusted international research organizations on forests and trees – the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry (ICRAF) – decided to merge to support resilient terrestrial landscapes across the planet. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and other key partners provided critical support.
Three years later, CIFOR-ICRAF is positioned to respond to the greatest crises of our time, with a single governing Board and leadership team and harmonized internal processes guided by the CIFOR-ICRAF Strategy 2020–2030. This 44-page report outlines the why, when and how of the merger and the creation of Resilient Landscapes, CIFOR-ICRAF’s new private-sector-facing arm, which is catalysing investments in nature-based solutions from the private sector and financial institutions.
Detailing three new innovative approaches – Transformative Partnership Platforms, Engagement Landscapes and Flagship Products, it describes undertakings and impacts in agroecology, restoration, food and nutrition security, improved tree genetic resources, and more, from sustainable oil palm in Brazil to cocoa agroforestry in Cameroon to agroforestry on sloping land in Northwest Viet Nam.
Agroecology is a body of knowledge, practices and political movements that aims to support transformation of food and agricultural systems to long-term social and environmental sustainability. African farmers face multiple challenges, and agroecology has been proposed as contributing to solutions and hence is being supported and promoted on the continent. However, the viability of agroecological practices for African farmers has been questioned.
The project that produced the results in this paper was set up to understand more about the viability of agroecological practices at farm and household level, identifying the lockins and drivers of use of agroecology and paying particular attention to labour and work. A case study approach was used, with 11 cases across eight countries from Tunisia to Madagascar contributing evidence. A common framework was used in all cases but with adaptation of details to local contexts. After two years collecting data, case-study and coordinating teams met in December 2022 to look at results and plan detailed analyses. Although the analysis of the extensive data had only just begun, some important messages were emerging. These have been summarised in this paper and are presented with examples of the evidence supporting them.
Agroecology is a body of knowledge, practices and political movements that aims to support transformation of food and agricultural systems to long-term social and environmental sustainability. African farmers face multiple challenges, and agroecology has been proposed as contributing to solutions and hence is being supported and promoted on the continent. However, the viability of agroecological practices for African farmers has been questioned.
The project that produced the results in this paper was set up to understand more about the viability of agroecological practices at farm and household level, identifying the lockins and drivers of use of agroecology and paying particular attention to labour and work. A case study approach was used, with 11 cases across eight countries from Tunisia to Madagascar contributing evidence. A common framework was used in all cases but with adaptation of details to local contexts. After two years collecting data, case-study and coordinating teams met in December 2022 to look at results and plan detailed analyses. Although the analysis of the extensive data had only just begun, some important messages were emerging. These have been summarised in this paper and are presented with examples of the evidence supporting them.
Agroecology is a body of knowledge, practices and political movements that aims to support transformation of food and agricultural systems to long-term social and environmental sustainability. African farmers face multiple challenges, and agroecology has been proposed as contributing to solutions and hence is being supported and promoted on the continent. However, the viability of agroecological practices for African farmers has been questioned.
The project that produced the results in this paper was set up to understand more about the viability of agroecological practices at farm and household level, identifying the lockins and drivers of use of agroecology and paying particular attention to labour and work. A case study approach was used, with 11 cases across eight countries from Tunisia to Madagascar contributing evidence. A common framework was used in all cases but with adaptation of details to local contexts. After two years collecting data, case-study and coordinating teams met in December 2022 to look at results and plan detailed analyses. Although the analysis of the extensive data had only just begun, some important messages were emerging. These have been summarised in this paper and are presented with examples of the evidence supporting them.
Agroecology is a body of knowledge, practices and political movements that aims to support transformation of food and agricultural systems to long-term social and environmental sustainability. African farmers face multiple challenges, and agroecology has been proposed as contributing to solutions and hence is being supported and promoted on the continent. However, the viability of agroecological practices for African farmers has been questioned.
The project that produced the results in this paper was set up to understand more about the viability of agroecological practices at farm and household level, identifying the lockins and drivers of use of agroecology and paying particular attention to labour and work. A case study approach was used, with 11 cases across eight countries from Tunisia to Madagascar contributing evidence. A common framework was used in all cases but with adaptation of details to local contexts. After two years collecting data, case-study and coordinating teams met in December 2022 to look at results and plan detailed analyses. Although the analysis of the extensive data had only just begun, some important messages were emerging. These have been summarised in this paper and are presented with examples of the evidence supporting them.