Multidimensional Performance of Agroecology: Validation of Results of the TAPE Application in Selected Districts in Ethiopia

The Measuring Agroecology Performance (MAP) is a collaborative project whose focus is evidence generation on the multidimensional performance of agroecology through gathering and analyzing reliable and consistent data at the farm and territorial levels, as well as the agroecological levels of transitions, using the Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation (TAPE). ICRAF, through its respective country offices (Benin, Ethiopia, and Kenya) will be in charge of implementing TAPE, including conducting the survey, processing of data and provision of analysis reports and providing technical assistance to relevant national stakeholders. As part of this, CIFOR-ICRAF assessed the agroecological transition of smallholder’s farms in the context of the GIZ ProSoil/ProSiliece project in three Woredas (Hula, Sodo-Zuria, and Walmara) in Ethiopia using the FAO TAPE (Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation) methodology. The preliminary findings, while indicating the comparative agroecological transition levels of the ISFM practicing and non-practicing farms, demonstrated the multidimensional performance of agroecology.

How to build Theories of Change for transdisciplinary research: Guidance and considerations

Transdisciplinary research (TDR) aims to solve problems in complex systems by drawing from a range of methods and expertise to contribute to change processes. Theories of Change (ToCs) are well-suited to support TDR design and implementation, but they rarely achieve their full potential. In practice, ToCs are often compromised by insufficient engagement with the context, weak theoretical bases, poor articulation, and a lack of iteration. This paper presents a process for ToC design based on the authors’ experience facilitating ToC development for research planning and evaluation. We illustrate the process using an in-progress TDR example on patient-oriented cancer care research. The approach begins by framing the social and research problems and then identifies activities and outputs, key actors, outcomes, and underlying causal assumptions. Skilled facilitation and strong conceptual familiarity are key to effectively mobilize ToC concepts into a cohesive and testable model to refine a strategy with TDR stakeholders. Key considerations and resources are offered to enhance ToC development planning and facilitation.

The Land Degradation Surveillance Framework Field Manual

The LDSF is a comprehensive method for assessing soil and land health, from the field to the use of new and advanced data analytics. Land health generally refers to the degree to which the integrity of the soil, vegetation, water and air, as well as ecological processes, are balanced and sustained.

The critical nexus between bioenergy and land use

A new policy brief from leading experts at the Centre for International Forestry Research-World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) and IPB University, as a part of the Center for Global Sustainability’s (CGS) Indonesia Program new guest policy brief series, provides an overview of the crucial interconnection between bioenergy and land use, focusing specifically on the production and employment of biomass for bioenergy and biomaterial. This guest analysis evaluates four case studies to understand sustainable biomass management methodologies.

Measuring agroecology and its performance: An overview and critical discussion of existing tools and approaches

Agricultural and food systems (AFSs) are inherently multifunctional, representing a major driver for global crises but at the same time representing a huge potential for addressing multiple challenges simultaneously and contributing systemically to the achievement of sustainable development goals. Current performance metrics for AFS often fail to take this multifunctionality into account, focusing disproportionately on productivity and profitability, thereby excluding “externalities,” that is, key environmental and social values created by AFS. Agroecology is increasingly being recognized as a promising approach for AFS sustainability, due to its holistic and transformative nature. This growing interest in and commitment to agroecology by diverse actors implies a need for harmonized approaches to determine when a practice, project, investment, or policy can be considered agroecological, as well as approaches that ensure the multiple economic, environmental, and social values created by AFS are appropriately captured, hence creating a level playing field for comparing agroecology to alternatives. In this contribution to the special issue on agroecology, we present an overview of existing tools and frameworks for defining and measuring agroecology and its performance and critically discuss their limitations. We identify several deficiencies, including a shortage of approaches that allow for measuring agroecology and its performance on landscape and food system scale, and the use of standardized indicators for measuring agroecology integration, despite its context-specificity. These insights highlight the need for assessments focused on these overlooked scales and research on how best to reconcile the need for globally comparable approaches with assessing agroecology in a locally relevant manner. Lastly, we outline ongoing initiatives on behalf of the Agroecology Transformative Partnership that aim to overcome these shortcomings and offer a promising avenue for working toward harmonization of approaches. All readers are invited to contribute to these collaborative efforts in line with the agroecology principle of participation and co-creation of knowledge.

Balancing Ambitions and Realities: Stakeholder Perspectives on Jurisdictional Approach Outcomes in Sabah’s Forests

The jurisdictional approach concept emerged in response to the widespread failure of sectoral forest conservation projects. Despite its increasing popularity, understanding jurisdictional approach outcomes is challenging, given that many remain in either the formation or implementation stage. Furthermore, diverse stakeholders hold different perspectives on what exactly a jurisdictional approach is intended to pursue. These different perspectives are important to unravel, as having a shared understanding of the outcomes is important to build the critical support needed for it. This study aims to add to the limited evidence with a case study in Sabah, Malaysia, which is committed to addressing a leading deforestation driver (palm oil) through sustainability certification in a jurisdiction. We used Q-methodology to explore stakeholder perceptions, revealing three distinct perspectives regarding what outcomes jurisdictional approaches should pursue. We asked about outcomes achievable within ten years (2022–2032) and considering real-world constraints. We found different perspectives regarding economic, environmental, governance, and smallholders’ welfare outcomes. However, we found consensus among stakeholders about some outcomes: (i) that achieving zero-deforestation is untenable, (ii) that issuing compensation or incentives to private land owners to not convert forests into plantations is unrealistic, (iii) that the human well-being of plantation workers could improve through better welfare, and (iv) the free, prior and informed consent given by local communities being required legally. The findings offer insights into key stakeholders’ perceptions of the deliverables of jurisdictional approaches and the difficulty of achieving its objectives under real-world constraints.

The Climate change atlas for Africa of tree species prioritized for forest landscape restoration in Ethiopia: A description of methods used to develop the atlas

This working paper describes the methods used to develop the online Climate change atlas for Africa of tree species prioritized for forest landscape restoration in Ethiopia. The purpose of the atlas, available at http://atlas.worldagroforestry.org/, is to indicate how climate change is likely to affect the locations where particular tree species can grow in Africa. The atlas shows the baseline and 2050s habitat distributions across Africa for 127 tree species. Methods behind the creation of the atlas described in this working paper include: the selection of tree species; the processing and selection of predictor variables; the selection of future climates; the compilation of occurrence observations, and their spatial and environmental thinning; the compilation of background observations; the spatial folding of occurrence and background observations; the calibration of species distribution models and the generation of suitability maps; the discrimination of areas with novel environmental conditions; the generation of habitat change maps; and the creation of convex hulls for an a posteriori distance constraining method. This working paper is not a beginner’s guide to species distribution modelling; however, for users who also require an initial introduction, we provide references to appropriate resources.

Methods for studying Covid-19 impacts on wildlife conservation policies and local livelihoods in Vietnam

Over the past 10 years, the Government of Vietnam has developed many policies towards wildlife conservation. The introduction of the Vietnam Forestry Development Strategy for 2021–2030 and vision to 2050 outlines strategies and priorities in biodiversity conservation and implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). However, effective implementation of these strategies requires context-relevant actions that address issues currently facing central and local governments and people.

ShadeTreeAdvice methodology: Guiding tree-species selection using local knowledge

Selection of shade tree species for agroforestry systems must take the complexity of these systems into account. Tree species selection should maximize the provision of ecosystem services while minimizing disservices. Selected species must be adapted to local agroecological conditions and cater to farmers’ needs, while considering their preferences and constraints. The ShadeTreeAdvice methodology was developed to support said selection process using farmers’ local ecological knowledge. It provides the steps to rapidly identify tree species and evaluate their impacts on a range of locally important ecosystem services. Results are uploaded to a decision support tool to tailor tree species recommendations to individual farmers’ needs (www.shadetreeadvice.org). During the 5 year timeframe between 2016 and 2020, eight studies following this methodology were conducted in various coffee and cocoa growing regions across Africa, Asia and Central America. This article looks back at these studies to synthesize their findings and evaluate the methodology. We identified similarities in the use of tree species across different study areas, notably regarding leguminous and fruit tree species. We showed that the method was efficient to evaluate tree species’ impacts on soil and climate regulation, crop production, and economic benefits. It was less efficient for evaluating impacts related to incidence of pests and diseases, often associated with knowledge gaps. The method also successfully allowed investigating the links between LEK and socio-economic groups or environmental factors. Furthermore, we suggest a series of improvements in the methodology for future studies. These improvements include (i) broadening the scope of studies beyond tree species provision of ecosystem services to include tree species impact on farming practices; (ii) allowing the comparison of tree performances in agroforestry systems versus in full sun; (iii) providing a clear pathway for validation of the results; (iv) using tree species’ functional traits to generalize the results.

Summary for policymakers of the methodological assessment of the diverse values and valuation of nature of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body comprising over 130 member Governments. Established by Governments in 2012, IPBES provides policymakers with objective scientific assessments about the state of knowledge regarding the planet’s biodiversity, ecosystems and the contributions they make to people, as well as options and actions to protect and sustainably use these vital natural assets. The IPBES Methodological Assessment of the Diverse Values and Valuation of Nature was initiated following a decision from the IPBES Plenary at its sixth session (IPBES 6, Medellin, 2018), and considered by the IPBES Plenary at its ninth session (IPBES-9, Bonn, 2022). It is composed of a summary for policymakers which was approved at IPBES-9, and six chapters, which were accepted at IPBES 9.

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