Approaches to managing disturbance and change: Resilience, vulnerability and adaptability

The concepts of resilience, vulnerability and adaptability have been used for a long time by several disciplines in relation to the characteristics of a system regarding its ability to react to a changing surrounding. Studies on the ecological resilience of species and ecosystems or on the socio-economic vulnerability of populations are not infrequent, on the contrary, they are well-established in research and scientific communities. Nevertheless, since these concepts were first applied in interdisciplinary research a few years ago, they have gained great popularity, become widely utilized, and are often considered as surrogates of sustainable behaviour, based on the understanding that a highly resilient, little vulnerable and very adaptable system would then be likely able to last longer performing the expected roles. This rapid expansion created several other needs, such as methods for classification, evaluation and analysis, implementation guidelines, etc. In practice, this led to a large and diverse set of definitions and methodological tools with a large degree of overlapping, and often a limited capacity to address the questions inherent to these systems. The purpose of this working paper is therefore to compile and structure the concepts, operational tools and premises of implementation of the main concepts that address disturbance and change, i.e., resilience, vulnerability and adaptability, in the interdisciplinary scientific arena. Although focused on concepts, the basis of this working paper is operational. The 'know-how' is highlighted in order to extract from the review criteria to develop and promote sustainability in practice. Hence, the concepts described are illustrated utilizing relevant examples in general scientific case studies

Farming and cropping systems in the West African Sudanian Savanna. WASCAL research area: Northern Ghana, Southwest Burkina Faso and Northern Benin

Ecological fragility combined with institutional weakness and political and economic instability make West Africa one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. The West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) tackles this vulnerability by investigating the interface of climate and rural socia-ecological systems, in order to propose ad hoc adaptation measures. In this context, the characterization of the livelihoods of rural communities is crucial since these constitute the units of evaluation and analysis of ongoing and forthcoming studies. Purposefully, this paper provides a joint description of these livelihoods. Divided in three sections, the first one focuses on the agroecological (biophysical) characteristics, detailing climatic, edaphological and hydrological qualities mainly; the second section, portrays the principal socioeconomic features: demography, culture, and organizational and economic institutions; and the third section, describes the main farming and cropping systems themselves, matching the first sections outcomes with managerial aspects, such as farming practices and regional variations, planting patterns, etc. The paper concludes with an overview on relevant features of the farming and cropping systems, recalling the main limiting factors and the local strategies used to overcome them

An approach to environmental services assessment: functional biodiversity in tropical agroforestry systems (The case of Tomé-Açú, Northern Brazil)

Agriculture is one of the main sources of income in developing countries and at the same time one of the major drivers causing environmental conflicts like loss of biodiversity. Agroforestry, which combines agricultural with forestry components at plot, community and landscape level, through a component-specific management can satisfy a series of multiple demands, among them, biodiversity conservation and in general the provision of environmental services. Since environmental services are proposed as alternative compensation schemes to prevent and remediate negative environmental impacts, incentives that support ecologically sound agricultural management practices are therefore needed. These incentives (e.g., compensation payments) have to be based on an adequate understanding and evaluation of the services provided by the agricultural systems. For this purpose, the concept of biodiversity in land-use systems has been revised. ‘Functional biodiversity’, in contrast to traditional approaches, emphasizes the system’s dynamics at various levels and the implications of these on its functioning as a whole. To operationalize such a concept, an assessment protocol based on multicriteria analysis has been developed. The approach combines productive, ecological and operational indicators to describe functional biodiversity, and aims at the identification of those management decisions and interventions that support this. The suitability of the evaluation protocol was tested with 70 farms in the Brazilian Amazon region divided in three groups, which had been defined based on the time of settlement, property size, technological know-how, organization and access to market, i.e., 'CAMTA partners' long-ago established farmers, 'immigrated' some time ago and recently immigrated farmers 'newcomers'. The analyses reveal that the most relevant factors supporting functional biodiversity in agroforestry systems are: (1) the farmers' technical qualification, (2) their preference for low impact techniques, (3) their capacity to adapt to environmental, social and political changes, (4) the diversification of species composition at plot level, (5) the increase in the use of perennial species; and (6) the financial profitability of the system. Concerning the differences among groups, the ‘CAMTA partners’ farmers are significantly superior to the two other groups only in agricultural practices related to production. As the functional biodiversity concept is based on an integrative approach, its outputs provide a supportive platform for the proposed assessment framework. In turn, the developed protocol can be used to optimize biodiversity roles on farms and support decisions regarding compensation payments. Nevertheless, its further validation, testing and adaptation as a monitoring tool are necessary.Die Bewertung von Umweltserviceleistungen: funktionale Biodiversität in tropischen Agroforstsystemen (Das Beispiel Tomé-Açú, Nordbrasilien) Landwirtschaft ist eine der Haupteinnahmequellen in den Entwicklungsländern und gleichzeitig einer der größten Verursacher von Umweltkonflikten wie z. B. Biodiversitätsverlust. Agroforstwirtschaft, die landwirtschaftliche und forstliche Komponenten auf Feld-, Gemeinde- und Landschaftsebene verbindet, kann durch flächenspezifisches Management vielfältige Anforderungen erfüllen, unter anderem den Erhalt von Biodiversität und ganz allgemein die Bereitstellung von Umweltdienstleistungen. Da Umweltdienstleistungen dazu beitragen können, Umweltprobleme zu verhindern oder zu lösen, sind Anreize notwendig, die ein ökologisch sinnvolles Landmanagement unterstützen. Diese Anreize (z.B. Ausgleichszahlungen) müssen sich auf eine fundierte Kenntnis und auf die Bewertung der Umweltleistungen von Landnutzungssystemen stützen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde ein Konzept erarbeitet, das auf der funktionellen Rolle der Biodiversität in Landnutzungssystemen basiert. ‘Funktionelle Biodiversität’, im Gegensatz zu traditionellen Ansätzen, betrachtet auf verschiedenen Ebenen die Dynamik des Systems sowie deren Auswirkungen auf das Funktionieren des Systems als Ganzes. Als wesentlicher Bestandteil des Konzeptes wurde auf der Grundlage einer 'Multicriteria Analysis' ein Bewertungsprotokoll entwickelt. Dieser Ansatz verbindet produktive, ökologische und operationale Indikatoren mit dem Ziel, funktionelle Biodiversität zu beschreiben und Managemententscheidungen und -eingriffe zu ermitteln, die diese unterstützen. Die Eignung des Bewertungsprotokolls wurde auf 70 Farmen in der brasilianischen Amazonasregion überprüft. Die Farmen wurden in folgende drei Gruppen eingeteilt: (1) Zeitpunkt der Niederlassung des Farmers, (2) Größe der Farm, und (3) technologisches Know-how, Organisation und Zugang zum Markt. Die untersuchten Farmen gehörten Farmern, die sich (1) vor Jahrzehnten ('CAMTA Partner'), (2) vor längerem ('immigrated'), und (3) vor kurzem niedergelassen hatten ('newcomers'). Die Analysen ergaben, dass (1) die technische Qualifikation der Farmer, (2) minimale Bodenbearbeitung, (3) die Fähigkeit der Farmer, sich an ökologische, gesellschaftliche und politische Veränderungen anzupassen, (4) die Artendiversifizierung auf der Fläche, (5) der verstärkte Einsatz von mehrjährigen Arten, und (6) die Wirtschaftlichkeit des Systems zur Aufrechterhaltung der funktionellen Biodiversität in agroforstlichen Systemen beitragen. Hinsichtlich-- der Unterschiede zwischen den Gruppen, heben sich die lang etablierten Farmer ('CAMTA Partner') signifikant von den anderen beiden Gruppen nur in den produktionsspezifischen landwirtschaftlichen Aktivitäten ab. Da das Konzept der funktionellen Biodiversität auf einem integrativen Ansatz beruht, liefern die Ergebnisse eine Grundlage für den vorgeschlagenen Bewertungsrahmen. Das entwickelte Protokoll kann zur Optimierung der Rolle der Biodiversität auf der Farm und als Entscheidungshilfe hinsichtlich Ausgleichszahlungen eingesetzt werden. Weitere Validierungen und Anpassungen als Monitoringinstrument sind notwendig

Does income imply food security in coffee growing communities? A case study in Yayu, Southwestern Ethiopia

The impacts on food security of a transition from agriculture focused on local consumption to the participation in global markets are uncertain, with both positive and negative effects reported in the literature. In Ethiopia, coffee production for global markets has attracted growers from across the country to the coffee-forest zones. From a national perspective, the area is not a priority for food security enhancement, as financial indicators suggest food sufficiency. In this setting, we collected food security and dietary intake data from a total of 420 (3X140) units of households, non-breast-feeding children under 5 years, and women of reproductive age. Sampling was done in two-stages, a random selection of 300 households (out of a total of 4,300) Yayu, followed by sub-sampling of households with a child and woman meeting the above-mentioned criteria. Samples were used to determine a number of food and nutrition security indicators. More than 83% of the households were found to be hunger-free in the shortage season, but dietary diversity was suboptimal. More than 50% of children under 5 years of age and women lacked foods containing heme iron in the surplus season and 88% in the shortage season. Household food security during the surplus season did not depend on income, but wealth was significantly correlated (p < 0.01) with all of the food insecurity indicators except the “Body Mass Index” of target women in the shortage season. The strongest and weakest correlation was with the “House Food Insecurity Access Scale” (−0.85), and “Weight-to-Age Z-Score” (0.25), respectively. Overall, Yayu is not fully food secure, though the situation is better than average for the country. While household income helps in achieving calorific sufficiency, greater awareness of the relevance of dietary diversity and the local means to achieve it is needed to further improve nutritional status, regardless of the participation in global markets

The ‘fine balance’ of West African savannah parklands: biomass generation versus firewood consumption

In sub-Saharan Africa, the long-awaited fuelwood gap, resulting of the unbalance between a declining supply of firewood and the increasing demand of households, remains a latent social-ecological challenge. As its quantitative basis remains elusive, we have assessed agroforestry parklands, assumedly main providers of firewood, and firewood consumption in Dassari, Benin and Dano, Burkina Faso, both in the West African savannah. Data collected included botanical inventories, tree biomass estimations, householders’ firewood collection habits and consumption. Our findings show a drifting in preference for firewood-provider species, either by resource exhaustion or as preventive strategy. Tree biomass stock is a misleading proxy of firewood availability, by the increased use of other species, and the bias in calculations caused by non-used larger species. Firewood gathering has expanded towards communal lands and even natural reserves and its trade is emerging, what aside the ecological harm, started to weaken regulatory institutions and the internal social networks. Although the estimated firewood per capita consumption rounds 1 kg day-1 (inferior to precedent estimations), the signs of forest degradation persist. Commercial uses, like local breweries, pose the main challenge, as their demands are disproportional, up to one third of the whole; their demand of larger pieces that leads to more detrimental chopping, and contributes to emerging firewood markets fed by pieces of doubtful origin

When neglected species gain global interest: Lessons learned from quinoa's boom and bust for teff and minor millet

Until recently, many so-called neglected and underutilized species (NUS) were not present in global markets despite playing a pivotal role in the local livelihoods in their places of origin. Today, some NUS receive substantial global interest and face growing global demands. Sudden increases in consumer demand trigger prices to rise; land-use change at the farm and national levels results in a rapid production increase. This phenomenon is known as “boom” and is usually followed by a “bust”, a rapid decrease in prices, and subsequently, production. This review elaborates on the boom-and-bust phases of two NUS: quinoa from the Andes and teff from Ethiopia. We explored the potential upcoming boom of minor millets in India. Our study proposes a generic framework for exploring cross-scale interactions and rethinking sustainability pathways for future NUS booms.EEA FamailláFil: Andreotti, Federico. Wageningen University & Research. Laboratory of Geo-information Science and Remote Sensing; Países BajosFil: Andreotti, Federico. CIRAD; FranciaFil: Andreotti, Federico. Université Paul Valery Montpellier; FranciaFil: Bazile, Didier. CIRAD; FranciaFil: Bazile, Didier. Université Paul Valery Montpellier; FranciaFil: Biaggi, Maria Cristina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; ArgentinaFil: Callo-Concha, Daniel. University of Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF); AlemaniaFil: Callo-Concha, Daniel. University of Koblenz-Landau. Institute for Environmental Sciences (iES); AlemaniaFil: Jacquet, Julie. University Paris Ouest-Nanterre (LAVUE); FranciaFil: Jacquet, Julie. French Institute of Pondicherry; IndiaFil: Jemal, Omarsherif M. Arsi University. College of Agriculture and Veterinary Science. Department of Forestry; EtiopíaFil: King, Oliver I. M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation; IndiaFil: Mbosso, C. Bioversity International; ItaliaFil: Padulosi, Stefano. Bioversity International; ItaliaFil: Speelman, Erika N. Wageningen University & Research. Laboratory of Geo-information Science and Remote Sensing; Países BajosFil: van Noordwijk, Meine. World Agroforestry (ICRAF); IndonesiaFil: van Noordwijk, Meine. Wageningen University & Research. Plant Production Systems; Países Bajo

Describing complex interactions of social-ecological systems for tipping point assessments: an analytical framework

Humans play an interconnecting role in social-ecological systems (SES), they are part of these systems and act as agents of their destruction and regulation. This study aims to provide an analytical framework, which combines the concept of SES with the concept of tipping dynamics. As a result, we propose an analytical framework describing relevant dynamics and feedbacks within SES based on two matrixes: the “tipping matrix” and the “cross-impact matrix.” We take the Southwestern Amazon as an example for tropical regions at large and apply the proposed analytical framework to identify key underlying sub-systems within the study region: the soil ecosystem, the household livelihood system, the regional social system, and the regional climate system, which are interconnected through a network of feedbacks. We consider these sub-systems as tipping elements (TE), which when put under stress, can cross a tipping point (TP), resulting in a qualitative and potentially irreversible change of the respective TE. By systematically assessing linkages and feedbacks within and between TEs, our proposed analytical framework can provide an entry point for empirically assessing tipping point dynamics such as “tipping cascades,” which means that the crossing of a TP in one TE may force the tipping of another TE. Policy implications: The proposed joint description of the structure and dynamics within and across SES in respect to characteristics of tipping point dynamics promotes a better understanding of human-nature interactions and critical linkages within regional SES that may be used for effectively informing and directing empirical tipping point assessments, monitoring or intervention purposes. Thereby, the framework can inform policy-making for enhancing the resilience of regional SES

Describing complex interactions of social-ecological systems for tipping point assessments: an analytical framework

Humans play an interconnecting role in social-ecological systems (SES), they are part of these systems and act as agents of their destruction and regulation. This study aims to provide an analytical framework, which combines the concept of SES with the concept of tipping dynamics. As a result, we propose an analytical framework describing relevant dynamics and feedbacks within SES based on two matrixes: the “tipping matrix” and the “cross-impact matrix.” We take the Southwestern Amazon as an example for tropical regions at large and apply the proposed analytical framework to identify key underlying sub-systems within the study region: the soil ecosystem, the household livelihood system, the regional social system, and the regional climate system, which are interconnected through a network of feedbacks. We consider these sub-systems as tipping elements (TE), which when put under stress, can cross a tipping point (TP), resulting in a qualitative and potentially irreversible change of the respective TE. By systematically assessing linkages and feedbacks within and between TEs, our proposed analytical framework can provide an entry point for empirically assessing tipping point dynamics such as “tipping cascades,” which means that the crossing of a TP in one TE may force the tipping of another TE. Policy implications: The proposed joint description of the structure and dynamics within and across SES in respect to characteristics of tipping point dynamics promotes a better understanding of human-nature interactions and critical linkages within regional SES that may be used for effectively informing and directing empirical tipping point assessments, monitoring or intervention purposes. Thereby, the framework can inform policy-making for enhancing the resilience of regional SES

Describing complex interactions of social-ecological systems for tipping point assessments: an analytical framework

Humans play an interconnecting role in social-ecological systems (SES), they are part of these systems and act as agents of their destruction and regulation. This study aims to provide an analytical framework, which combines the concept of SES with the concept of tipping dynamics. As a result, we propose an analytical framework describing relevant dynamics and feedbacks within SES based on two matrixes: the “tipping matrix” and the “cross-impact matrix.” We take the Southwestern Amazon as an example for tropical regions at large and apply the proposed analytical framework to identify key underlying sub-systems within the study region: the soil ecosystem, the household livelihood system, the regional social system, and the regional climate system, which are interconnected through a network of feedbacks. We consider these sub-systems as tipping elements (TE), which when put under stress, can cross a tipping point (TP), resulting in a qualitative and potentially irreversible change of the respective TE. By systematically assessing linkages and feedbacks within and between TEs, our proposed analytical framework can provide an entry point for empirically assessing tipping point dynamics such as “tipping cascades,” which means that the crossing of a TP in one TE may force the tipping of another TE. Policy implications: The proposed joint description of the structure and dynamics within and across SES in respect to characteristics of tipping point dynamics promotes a better understanding of human-nature interactions and critical linkages within regional SES that may be used for effectively informing and directing empirical tipping point assessments, monitoring or intervention purposes. Thereby, the framework can inform policy-making for enhancing the resilience of regional SES