What is the relevance of smallholders’ agroforestry systems for conserving tropical tree species and genetic diversity in circa situm, in situ and ex situ settings? A review

Dawson, Ian K.; Guariguata, Manuel R.; Loo, Judy; Weber, John C.; Lengkeek, Ard G.; Bush, David R.; Cornelius, J.P.; Guarino, Luigi; Kindt, Roeland; Orwa, Calleb; Russell, Joanne; Jamnadass, Ramni

doi:10.1007/s10531-012-0429-5

Cited by 130 publications

(118 citation statements)

References 104 publications

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“…Further, agroforestry was being used by some people to increase on-farm crop diversity, which can increase redundancy within the agricultural system (McCord et al 2015). Redundancy means that a significant proportion of the diversity of plants could be lost on the farm without having a significant effect on farm production in the short term (Kindt et al 2006, Dawson et al 2013. Livelihood diversification is a critical method used to help people prepare for and adapt to change (Ellis 2000, Hodbod andEakin 2015).…”

Section: Agroforestry Benefits During Flood and Droughtmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of agroforestry in building livelihood resilience to floods and drought in semiarid Kenya

Quandt¹,

Neufeldt²,

McCabe³

2017

E&S

109

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ABSTRACT. Climate change may create serious problems for farmers by increasing precipitation variability and drought and flood events. Understanding how to build livelihood resilience to these effects is a pressing need. Agroforestry is one potential solution. Although many people intuitively link agroforestry with livelihood resilience to floods and drought, little comprehensive empirical evidence exists. Here, we strive to answer the call for more empirical evidence by drawing on field work in Isiolo County, Kenya to ask the research question: How does agroforestry help smallholder farmers build livelihood resilience to floods and drought? We used a mixed-methods approach that included 20 qualitative case study households and 338 quantitative household surveys. Our major findings are: (1) practicing agroforestry can influence perceptions of floods and drought, (2) specific environmental and livelihood benefits of agroforestry contribute to livelihood resilience, and (3) agroforestry directly and indirectly builds livelihood resilience to floods and drought. Identifying potential climate change adaptation strategies is crucial for smallholder farmers. Our research indicates that agroforestry is one promising option.

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Section: Agroforestry Benefits During Flood and Droughtmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of agroforestry in building livelihood resilience to floods and drought in semiarid Kenya

Quandt¹,

Neufeldt²,

McCabe³

2017

E&S

109

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“…N. Mohd Noor, personal observation). At the same time, it is these small holdings that determine the tipping points of the ecological integrity of these highly fragmented oil palm landscapes (Fitzherbert et al 2008, Dawson et al 2013, Clough et al 2016. We conclude that the benefits of certification are insufficient to affect the behavior of growers, so oil palm landscapes need direct investment in the development of social capital of rural households to facilitate the development of alternative and improved livelihood opportunities with concurrent improved biodiversity outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…The recent plunge in palm oil prices is having a particularly severe effect on the livelihoods of these farmers and their ability to maintain minimum standards on their fields (M. N. Mohd Noor, personal observation). At the same time, it is these small holdings that determine the tipping points of the ecological integrity of these highly fragmented oil palm landscapes (Fitzherbert et al 2008, Dawson et al 2013). (Schouten and Glasbergen 2011).…”

Section: Palm Oil Industry and Sustainability Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond sustainability criteria and principles in palm oil production: addressing consumer concerns through insetting

Noor¹,

Gassner²,

Terheggen³

et al. 2017

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Palm oil is one of the most controversial agricultural commodities of our time. To its supporters, it is the golden crop that catalyzes smallholders out of poverty and brings salvation to the global food and energy crisis. For its critics, it is the single biggest threat driving the wholesale destruction of peatlands and rainforests as well as adding to greenhouse gas emissions. Hailed as a turning point in 2004, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has been widely criticized as being unable to change the industry fast enough. We argue that certification, although certainly important, will not be able to deliver expected environmental and social benefits because of (1) an uneven distribution of incentives along the value chain, (2) traceability issues, (3) difficulties associated with an expanding market, and (4) alternative low standard markets to the standard large Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) markets. We argue that the sustainability debate has actually failed to address the fact that oil palm landscape as a whole would be more sustainable if smallholders for whom palm oil is not an economic viable avenue would engage in other forms of land use. An important starting point for change is to move beyond narrow business interests of satisfying customers and shareholders interests only and tackle the implicit contract between palm oil marketers and importers and the smallholder agricultural communities in palm oil producing areas. We introduce the concept of livelihood "insetting" that goes beyond the pure sustainability aspect by also addressing the issue of mutuality along the global value chain.

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“…These include planting windbreaks and live fences to combat erosion, enrich soil, or supply shade or food for livestock or humans (Haber et al 1996, Zuchowski 2007. If planned carefully, windbreaks and live fences offer secondary benefits to conservation, such as food resources and connections between forest patches for wildlife in Monteverde Haber 1998, Nielsen andDeRosier 2000) as well as other tropical locations (Dawson et al 2013). …”

Section: Forest Landscape Restoration For Resilient Ecosystems and LImentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, tree planting for the purposes of protecting springs, creating windbreaks, increasing cover for shade crops, or for fruit production, will supply benefits after some period of years (Dawson et al 2013). Nevertheless, the benefits are real and can improve farming economics.…”

Section: Longer Term Incentivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lattice-work corridors for climate change: a conceptual framework for biodiversity conservation and social-ecological resilience in a tropical elevational gradient

Townsend¹,

Masters²

2015

E&S

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Lattice-work corridors for climate change: a conceptual framework for biodiversity conservation and social-ecological resilience in a tropical elevational gradient. ABSTRACT. Rapid climate change poses complex challenges for conservation, especially in tropical developing countries where biodiversity is high while financial and technical resources are limited. The complexity is heightened by uncertainty in predicted effects, both for ecological systems and human communities that depend heavily on natural resource extraction and use. Effective conservation plans and measures must be inexpensive, fast-acting, and able to increase the resilience of both the ecosystem and the social-ecological system. We present conservation practitioners with a framework that strategically integrates climate change planning into connectivity measures for tropical mountain ecosystems in Costa Rica. We propose a strategy for doubling the amount of habitat currently protected in riparian corridors using measures that are relatively low cost and fast-acting, and will employ and expand human capital. We argue that habitat connectivity must be enhanced along latitudinal gradients, but also within the same elevational bands, via a lattice-work corridor system. This is needed to facilitate range shifts for mobile species and evolutionary adaptation for less mobile species. We think that conservation measures within the elevational bands must include conservation-friendly land uses that improve current and future human livelihoods under dynamic conditions. Key components include community involvement, habitat priority-setting, forest landscape restoration, and environmental services payments. Our approach is fundamentally adaptive in that the conservation measures employed are informed by on-the-ground successes and failures and modified accordingly, but are relatively low risk and fast-acting. Our proposal, if implemented, would satisfy tenets of climate-smart conservation, improve the resilience of human and ecological communities, and be a model for other locations facing similar challenges.

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What is the relevance of smallholders’ agroforestry systems for conserving tropical tree species and genetic diversity in circa situm, in situ and ex situ settings? A review

Cited by 130 publications

References 104 publications

The role of agroforestry in building livelihood resilience to floods and drought in semiarid Kenya

The role of agroforestry in building livelihood resilience to floods and drought in semiarid Kenya

Beyond sustainability criteria and principles in palm oil production: addressing consumer concerns through insetting

Lattice-work corridors for climate change: a conceptual framework for biodiversity conservation and social-ecological resilience in a tropical elevational gradient

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