Resource conservation strategies in agro-ecosystems of semi-arid West Africa

Wezel, Alexander; Rath, Thomas

doi:10.1006/jare.2001.0968

Cited by 44 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…For instance, to cope with the effects of wind erosion, farmers in semi-arid West Africa developed and used various methods of integrating shrubs, trees and herbaceous vegetation in the cultivation systems [51].…”

Section: Drivers Of Farmers' Knowledge Of Agrobiodiversity Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farmer’s Knowledge and Perception of Diversified Farming Systems in Sub-Humid and Semi-Arid Areas in Benin

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:Building on farmer's agroecological knowledge to design environmental-friendly agricultural systems is crucial given the environmental impact of industrial agriculture. We investigated the drivers of farmers' knowledge of agrobiodiversity management and analyzed how farmers' knowledge and their current farming contexts may guide future farming systems in sub-humid (Bassila) and semi-arid (Boukoumbé) areas of Benin. We conducted structured interviews with 180 farmers and used generalized linear models and correlation analyses to understand the spatio-temporal dynamics of farmers' knowledge and perception. Land tenure, ecological conditions and sociolinguistic membership were the main drivers of farmers' knowledge of agroforestry systems, practices, species diversity and current farming systems. Sociolinguistic membership also significantly predicted farmers' knowledge of livestock management. Farmers in the semi-arid area were more involved in integrated crop-tree-livestock systems than those in the sub-humid area. However, all farmers indicated a willingness to adopt this integrated farming system regardless of socioeconomic and ecological factors. Farmer's knowledge of agrobiodiversity (crops, agroforestry species and livestock diversity) management was correlated with the involvement in integrated crop-livestock-tree and agroforestry systems. These findings provide insights into how farmers' knowledge can serve as basis in optimizing agricultural and livelihoods systems. Investigating the ecological, economic and social performance of the most desired OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 6574 integration/diversification options using a system approach involving a co-innovation process can further our mechanistic understanding of farmers decision making process.

show abstract

Section: Drivers Of Farmers' Knowledge Of Agrobiodiversity Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farmer’s Knowledge and Perception of Diversified Farming Systems in Sub-Humid and Semi-Arid Areas in Benin

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Indeed, bushmeat for human consumption is a key contributor to local economies throughout the developing world (Milner-Gulland, Bennett & the SCB 2002Annual Meeting Wild Meat Group, 2003Brashares et al, 2004). Other activities such as overgrazing or firewood collection have also been pointed out as leading causes of degradation of dry-lands, and thus, as having a negative effect on biodiversity (Wezel & Rath, 2002;Darkoh, 2003). This scenario resembles the situation in rural Europe before industrialization, when high densities of dispersed human populations and, more importantly, their negative effects through persecution and poisoning of wild animals, increased extinction rates at both local and global scales (Thompson & Jones, 1999;Brashares et al, 2001;Carrete et al, 2007).…”

Section: Factors Driving Raptor Richness In Arid Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is the case of the Sahel, a region suffering a wide range of different forms of environmental degradation linked to the fragility of its ecosystems and to human activity (Wezel & Rath, 2002). The region's subsistence economy relies upon extensive animal husbandry and, to a lesser extent, agriculture, and its population is doubling every 20 years (Zeng, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large‐scale human effects on an arid African raptor community

Anadón

Sánchez‐Zapata

Carrete

et al. 2010

Animal Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the current scenario of biodiversity crisis there is a growing need for identifying causes of changes in biodiversity at large scales. Here we assess factors driving raptor community structure in the Sahel, a region suffering a wide range of environmental degradation and a vital area for European migrant birds. Using road surveys, we estimated the effects of population size, human settlement patterns (e.g. urban vs. nomadic) and land use on the raptor community, taking into account the major natural role played by productivity. Total raptor richness values were similar to those described for other steppe regions of the world, with one super-abundant migrant species, the black kite Milvus migrans; however, richness of resident raptors was strikingly lower than expected, with most large body-size African species (both eagles and vultures) absent. Raptor richness was strongly correlated with human activities in a scale-dependent fashion. At a 25 km resolution, raptor richness was driven by habitat and productivity, with a positive response to crops. At a smaller scale, human population was positively related with wintering species richness but negatively with richness of resident ones, perhaps as a consequence of non-agricultural activities such as direct harvesting and different forms of habitat degradation (e.g. overgrazing or firewood collection). Subsistence economies in systems with low natural environmental heterogeneity and with a human population over carrying capacity, such as the Sahel, may lead to exhausted biological systems even in the absence of intensive agricultural or urban land-use changes, as shown by the deeply impoverished sedentary raptor community. Our results suggest that, because habitat and productivity seem to play a relevant role in driving species richness, climate change may have a major effect on the raptor community of the Sahel.

show abstract

“…Human pressure and climate change are leading to a rapid and often irreversible degradation of natural resources (Wezel and Rath 2002).…”

Section: The Area Of Interestmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building Resilience to Drought in the Sahel by Early Risk Identification and Advices

Vignaroli

2017

Renewing Local Planning to Face Climate Change in the Tropics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Agriculture in the Sahel region is characterized by traditional techniques and is strongly dependent on climatic conditions and rainfall. As a consequence of recurrent droughts in East and West Africa, integrated famine Early Warning Systems (EWS) have been established in order to produce and disseminate coherent and integrated information for prevention and management of food crises. Since the early 1990s, analysis tools and simulation models based on satellite meteorological data have been developed to support Multidisciplinary Working Groups (MWG) in cropping season monitoring. However, many of these tools are now obsolete from the IT perspective or ineffective due to unavailability of regularly updated meteorological data. To ensure a long-term sustainability of operational systems for drought risk zones identification CNR-IBIMET has developed 4Crop, a coherent Open Source web-based Spatial Data Infrastructure to treat all input and output data in an interoperable, platform-independent and uniform way. The 4Crop system has been conceived as a multipurpose tool in order to provide different categories of stakeholder, from farmers to policy makers, with effective and useful information for climate risk reduction and drought resilience improvement. Advice to farmers is a fundamental component of prevention that can allow a better adaptation of traditional cropping systems to climatic variability. Past experiences show that agro-meteorological information and weather forecasts can play a key role for food security, reducing the vulnerability of farmers, strengthening rural production systems and increasing crop yields. A participatory and cross-disciplinary approach is essential to build farmers' trust and to develop effective integration between scientific and local knowledge to increase the rate of dissemination and utilization of advice.

show abstract

Resource conservation strategies in agro-ecosystems of semi-arid West Africa

Cited by 44 publications

References 29 publications

Farmer’s Knowledge and Perception of Diversified Farming Systems in Sub-Humid and Semi-Arid Areas in Benin

Farmer’s Knowledge and Perception of Diversified Farming Systems in Sub-Humid and Semi-Arid Areas in Benin

Large‐scale human effects on an arid African raptor community

Building Resilience to Drought in the Sahel by Early Risk Identification and Advices

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About