Agroecosystem resilience. A conceptual and methodological framework for evaluation

Abstract

This article proposes a conceptual and methodological framework for analyzing agroecosystem resilience, in which aspects such as agrarian structure and peasant community agency are included as determining factors. The methodology is applied to a comparison of two peasant communities in Latin America (Brazil and Colombia), emphasizing the capacity to transform unsustainable power structures in place of adapting to them. We find that when agrarian structure is more equitable and peasant agency is strongly developed through political formation, organization and women's participation, then there is a greater construction of resilience that improves peasant livelihoods and dignity. This application demonstrates that when agency is strongly developed, as in the case of Brazil, it is possible to transform structural conditions that restrict resilience. The inclusion and consideration of biophysical variables, management practices, agrarian structure and agency, through a participatory approach, allows for the identification of factors that inhibit or potentiate the resilience of agroecosystems.

Agroecosystemic Resilience Index (AgRI): a method to assess agrobiodiversity

“…In agroecosystem analysis, (28) propose a complementary concept by stating that resilience is an emergent property that is not intrinsically neutral, positive or negative "due to the lack of consensus in society on the objectives and strategies to respond or interact with changes or disturbances ". Likewise, this concept has been associated with power, increasing in social groups with greater access to resources and political participation, and decreasing in groups with less economic capacity (71).…”

“…This includes the incorporation of ancestral knowledge and practices that promote agrobiodiversity through an articulation with the principal ecological landscape structure, the management of vegetation cover and water and soil conservation processes. This is done in a way that allows farmers and communities to continue with their traditional production processes, based on their culture, food autonomy and well-being (28,35) (Fig. 3).…”

“…Faced with the occurrence of these events, the affected system responds to the disturbance dynamically, thanks to an emerging property of these open systems called resilience (1). In recent decades, this concept has motivated the development of numerous scientific investigations (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10), due to multiple challenges experienced by sociological systems (11) and reflected in political turmoil, power relations, terrorism, famines, forced displacement, refugee crises, and high recurrence and intensity of extreme weather events.…”

Manejo Agroecológico Em Agroecossistemas Diversificados No Brejo E Cariri Da Paraíba

“…Agroecossistemas são sistemas de cultivo que tentam imitar ao máximo os ecossistemas naturais. Para se alcançar essa meta é necessário que o manejo desses sistemas seja feito obedecendo-se a princípios agroecológicos (Cordoba et al, 2020). Numa propriedade agroecológica, o respeito à natureza é um fator de extrema importância (Canuto, 2017).…”

Sostenibilidad y resiliencia en los agrosistemas: identificación de criterios e indicadores (póster)

“…Pero el concepto ha evolucionado de la perspectiva ecológica al análisis de sistemas complejos integrados de personas y naturaleza "agroecosistemas". En este sentido Córdoba et al (2020), indican que los agrosistemas al ser dirigidos por el hombre se adaptan según intereses o valores y no permiten la determinación de una estructura y función como sistema único sino de poder transformarse e innovar. Por lo que la resiliencia en los agrosistemas estaría dado de acuerdo a la planificación de diferentes grupos de poder con mayor o menor acceso a recursos.…”