Daniel Callo-Concha

Farming in the West African Sudan Savanna: Insights in the context of climate change

Farming is the main livelihood activity in semi-arid rural West Africa, involving the largest portion of the population, contributing significantly to the regional economy and intimately intertwined with current environmental problems. Key vulnerabilities of the Sudan Savanna include its ecological fragility, institutional weakness, high levels of poverty and food insecurity, and political and economic instability, now aggravated by climate change. The characterization of current farming and cropping systems in the Sudan Savanna is the key for understanding and proposing meaningful adaptation strategies at the field, farm, local and national levels. This review begins by examining the agroecological (biophysical) profile, detailing climatic, edaphological and hydrological qualities. Next, the main socioeconomic features: demography, culture, and organizational and economic institutions are summarized, followed by a characterization of the main farming and cropping systems and associated management. The paper concludes by offering an outlook on targeted activities, interventions and strategies for cropping and farming systems to cope and adapt to climate change and variability, as well as soil fertility challenges within the current socio-ecological context.

Using the Concepts of Resilience, Vulnerability and Adaptability for the Assessment and Analysis of Agricultural Systems

Abstract Resilience, vulnerability and adaptability have emerged as dominant concepts in the study of disturbance and change of social-ecological systems. We analyze the conceptual, methodological and operational aspects in using these concepts for the assessment and analysis of agricultural systems and try to identify differences and possible overlaps between them. The analysis is performed considering a number of published studies on agricultural systems over a wide geographical range where these concepts have been applied. Our results show a clear conceptual overlap and often the exchangeable use of the concepts. Furthermore, the driving methodological and operational criteria for their application could not be separated unambiguously. It was, thus, difficult to identify guiding principles for the operational application of the individual concepts. We stress that the operationalization of these concepts requires consistency in the approaches and protocols to ensure their coherent use. We also argue that the conceptual and operational integration of resilience, vulnerability and adaptability would perhaps lead to a more complete portrayal of the behavior of agricultural systems in changing situations. But this requires more research including the development of operational protocols for which the premises of complexity, participation and functionality seem key.

A participatory framework to assess multifunctional land-use systems with multicriteria and multivariate analyses: A case study on agrobiodiversity of agroforestry systems in Tomé Açú, Brazil

Abstract In a participatory framework, the multifunctionality of agroforestry systems was assessed by applying multicriteria and multivariate analyses to identify ecological, agronomic and administrative proxies and integrate these into factors, and evaluate their effects on system performance. The assessment framework was tested in 70 farms in the municipality of Tomé-Açú in the Brazilian Amazon, an area well known for its long-standing practice of agroforestry. The overall goal was to identify management decisions that ensure sustainable production of goods together with the provision of ecosystem services, with special emphasis on agrobiodiversity. Three groups of farmers were considered based on their period of settlement, property size, technological know-how, organization and access to the market. The results show that the determinant factors of multifunctional farming are the farmers’ technical qualification, good adaptability, environmental commitment and the search for financial profitability. However, the optimization of these factors leads to trade-offs such as a decrease in biomass and woody species diversity and the decline of by-product production. By considering stakeholders’ opinions and being adaptable to various demands, the proposed framework enhances the legitimacy of the results, and supports both the assessment of complex issues and decision-making.

Marginality from a Socio-ecological Perspective

The authors analyze the concept of marginality from an ecological perspective and provide examples of some mechanisms of marginalization. Marginalization cannot solely be described as an ecological phenomenon, but rather occurs via the interplay of ecological and social aspects of complex arrangements. Hence the use of socio-ecological systems as a conceptual unit is proposed. One way to combat marginalization is to increase the resilience and adaptability of these systems. However, multiple needs must be considered simultaneously, including: food security, income generation, or ecosystem services. Research on marginality in the context of interlinked socio-ecological, complex, and dynamic systems demands paradigm shifts in scientific disciplines that are beginning to merge.

West African Farmers’ Climate Change Adaptation: From Technological Change Towards Transforming Institutions

The effects of climate change are widely threatening West African farming. The case of the farmers in the West African Sudan savannah is particularly severe due to the specific ecological vulnerability and the political and socioeconomic instability in the region.

Pitfall or priority drift? Participatory tree domestication programs: The case of agroforestry in the Peruvian Amazon

ABSTRACT The Agroforestry Tree Domestication Program was globally launched in the 1990s by the World Agroforestry Center to increase farmers’ living standards and slow deforestation. After 20 yr of operation, we screen the impacts on farmers’ livelihoods and prospects in one of the implementation sites: the Ucayali region of the Peruvian Amazon. We contrast the viewpoints of two sets of stakeholders: (a) “outsiders”—scientists, technicians, and development workers; and (2) “insiders”—local farmers organized and not organized. Group and semistructured interviews were used for data collection, and system analyses were conducted for their integration and interpretation. Results diverge by subset. “Outsiders” praised the program lastingness but questioned its dependence on external parties for management; they considered land property and product marketing keys to persist and succeed. In contrast, “insiders” considered the program financially not viable as well as third-party and locally dependent. As an alternative they had initiated activities, both forestry related and otherwise, to profit from their acquired technical and managerial skills. Based on these findings, broadening stakeholders’ diversity and set conveniently roles and decision power during the rationale and implementation phases of similar initiatives could prevent such divergences.