Farmer perception and utilization of leaf functional traits in managing agroecosystems

Abstract

Abstract1. Using knowledge of leaf functional traits, such as those forming the leaf economics spectrum (LES), to understand plant responses to environmental change is wellestablished and now being more widely applied to agroecosystems. Yet, little is known about how farm managers invoke leaf functional traits to inform management decisions. (4) identify the farmer and farm attributes that best predict the agreement between the FES and the LES.3. We collaborated with coffee (Coffea arabica) farmers in the Turrialba Valley, Costa Rica. We used a visual elicitation tool of fresh leaves along an intraspecific spectrum of leaf size, leaf thickness and leaf colour (as a proxy for leaf nutrients); respondents were asked to rank leaves in response to shade and nutrient scenarios as well as yield potential. On-farm biophysical data, management practices and socio-economic attributes were also collected. Synthesis and applications.In scientific literature, analyses of crop intraspecific trait variation have provided important insights into the mechanistic bases of multiple key agroecological processes. We demonstrate that farmers use crop leaf trait variation as an indicator to both evaluate management prescriptions and to initiate management actions including shade-tree species selection and abundance, cropand shade-tree pruning regimes and fertilization treatments. These findings signify

Functional traits in agroecology: Advancing description and prediction in agroecosystems

“…But here, Isaac et al. () tackle this challenging theme directly by analysing farmer perceptions on how variation in the leaf economics traits of coffee ( Coffea arabica ) influence the management and understanding of agroecosystem functions. Through in‐depth interviews and surveys, coupled with a visual elicitation tool dubbed “the leaf book,” Isaac et al.…”

“…Through in‐depth interviews and surveys, coupled with a visual elicitation tool dubbed “the leaf book,” Isaac et al. () show that farmers diagnose major management concerns based on, and adjust their practices at least in part according to, intraspecific variation in leaf economics traits. This research represents a major contribution to the literature on how farmers employ an understanding of plant functional traits other than yield alone to manage agroecological systems.…”

“…In theorizing the presence of a “Farmer Economics Spectrum,” Isaac et al. () contribute a conceptual advancement through their hypothesis that land managers acknowledge and make decisions based on the trait trade‐offs that underpin inter‐ and intraspecific variation in plant functional biology.…”

“…In doing so, cumulatively these studies provide arguably the single largest empirical and conceptual contribution to a trait-based understanding of agroecological structure and function. Specifically, these studies provide novel insights and evaluations into a wide range of agroecological questions, including how functional trait diversity is driving agricultural nutrient cycles and below-ground processes (Blesh, 2017;Pommier et al, 2017); how knowledge of functional traits can inform the restoration of degraded agricultural land (Lohbeck, Winowiecki, Aynekulu, Okia, & Vågen, 2017); how functional traits can be used to infer the ecological consequences of crop domestication (Roucou et al, 2017); how functional diversity-based approaches can be used to assess nutritional diversity in agricultural systems (Wood, 2017); and lastly, how farmers value, and make management decisions based on, functional traits of crop and non-crop species (Damour, Navas, & Garnier, 2017;Isaac et al, 2017).…”

Influencing Factors on the Ecological Protection Behaviors of Entrepreneurial Farmers in Chinese Forest Zones

“…Ecological attitudes can be subdivided into the individual effects of perceptions influenced by ecological knowledge, ecological severity, and ecological emotion [3]. This is particularly true of forest farmer entrepreneurs [4]. Currently, farmers face the key stage of development following the reform of collective forest rights, in which both entrepreneurship and the forest should operate for mutual benefit in terms of reciprocity; thus, ecological protection is significant for both parties.…”