It is internationally recognized that conservation policies should respect indigenous cultures and consider the livelihoods of people affected by conservation restrictions. Countering this are concerns that human occupation and use of natural reserves is incompatible with conservation aims. But in China today the continued use and management of natural areas by local communities is likely to deliver better conservation outcomes than the current drive to establish public protected areas. The effectiveness of many protected areas in China is compromised by institutional conflicts, lack of ongoing financial and technical support, confusion between the objectives of generating revenue and conservation, dubious scientific definitions, lack of community trust in policies, and obscure user rights and land tenures. Southwestern China-one of the most biologically and ethnologically diverse areas on Earth-is a good illustration of a place where culture and biological diversity are closely linked. The indigenous people in this area have shown that local livelihood practices can be advantageous for the long-term maintenance of conservation goals. Rather than creating new protected areas, we argue that China is better advised to support ongoing sustainable use of natural areas by the people who have lived and nurtured these environments for generations.
Tag: conservation tillage
Innovations within upland rice-based systems in northern Vietnam with Tephrosia candida as fallow species, hedgerow, or mulch: net returns and farmers’ response
Land degradation and crop yield decreases in tropical uplands in general and in southeast Asia have been recognised as the main problems arising from intensification of upland cultivation. With the purpose to search for solutions to these problems, agroforestry systems with a leguminous shrub Tephrosia candida (Roxb.) D.C. were experimentally tested on-farm in an upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) system on sloping land in northern Vietnam during the period 1996–1999. The upland rice-based systems tested were: (1) fallow crop rotation, including natural fallow (NaFa) and Tephrosia fallow (TepFa); (2) continuous cropping, including monocropping (Mono), Tephrosia hedgerow intercropping (TepAl), and Tephrosia mulch transfer (TepMu). In this paper, findings concerning net returns per labour day and the response of farmers to the test systems are presented. The Tephrosia systems (TepFa, TepAl, and TepMu) and the existing systems (NaFa and Mono) were evaluated using both experimental measurements and participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques. In the different treatments over a 4-year rotation, 386–778 labour days ha1 were used, while 2612–4924 kg ha1 upland rice grain and 939–9601 kg ha1 fuel wood were harvested. The upland rice grain harvested was enough to feed 8.7–16.4 persons ha1. During the same period, the economic net present values were positive for the NaFa and TepMu treatments, but negative for the TepFa, Mono and TepAl treatments. The returns per unit labour were 3.7–6.7 kg rice or US$ 0.8–1.44 labour per day. Farmer criteria concerning management, labour input and soil conservation were well in accordance with the findings on labour input, crop yields and net returns. The Tephrosia systems seemed not to be rational alternatives for situations where the natural fallow systems are still viable. However, the Tephrosia fallow and the Tephrosia mulch transfer systems could increase crop yield per hectare at acceptable rates of return to labour.
The potential of using Agroforestry as a win-win solution to climate change mitigation and adaptation and meeting food security challenges in Southern Africa
Some of the most profound and direct impacts of climate change in southern Africa over years have been droughts, fluctuations in annual rainfall, extreme temperatures and floods. These have resulted in low and unstable food production, especially maize which is the staple food in most Southern African countries. Furthermore, research suggests that 30% of threatened plant species will be critically endangered or extinct due to drought, thus further worsening food availability, accessibility and stability in the region. Drought is therefore is assumed to be the major obstacle to the achievement of food security in Southern Africa. Agroforestry is emerging as the promising option to sustain agricultural productivity and livelihoods of farmers. We discussed the need for further selection and releasing new tree germplasm with superior capacity to adapt to the changing climatic and ecological conditions in the region. Innovative mechanisms to further enhance the contribution of agroforestry to climate change mitigation and adaptation are examined.