Natasha Pauli

Environmental livelihood security in Southeast Asia and Oceania: a water-energy-food-livelihoods nexus approach for spatially assessing change. White paper

This document addresses the need for explicit inclusion of livelihoods within the environment nexus (water-energy-food security), not only responding to literature gaps but also addressing emerging dialogue from existing nexus consortia. We present the first conceptualization of ‘environmental livelihood security’, which combines the nexus perspective with sustainable livelihoods. The geographical focus of this paper is Southeast Asia and Oceania, a region currently wrought by the impacts of a changing climate. Climate change is the primary external forcing mechanism on the environmental livelihood security of communities in Southeast Asia and Oceania which, therefore, forms the applied crux of this paper. Finally, we provide a primer for using geospatial information to develop a spatial framework to enable geographical assessment of environmental livelihood security across the region. We conclude by linking the value of this research to ongoing sustainable development discussions, and for influencing policy agendas

Farmers’ knowledge and use of soil fauna in agriculture: a worldwide review

General knowledge of the small, invisible, or hidden organisms that make soil one of the most biodiverse habitats on Earth is thought to be scarce, despite their importance in food systems and agricultural production. We provide the first worldwide review of high-quality research that reports on farmers’ knowledge of soil organisms in agriculture. The depth of farmers’ knowledge varied; some farming communities held detailed local taxonomies and observations of soil biota, or used soil biological activity as indicators of soil fertility, while others were largely unaware of soil fauna. Elicitation of soil biota knowledge was often incidental to the main research goal in many of the reviewed studies. Farmers are rarely deliberately or deeply consulted by researchers on their existing knowledge of soil biota, soil ecology, or soil ecological processes. Deeper understanding of how farmers use and value soil life can lead to more effective development of collaborative extension programs, policies, and management initiatives directed at maintaining healthy, living soils.

Biological Indicators for Soil Health: Potential for Development and Use of On-Farm Tests

Agricultural sustainability can be supported by monitoring soil quality. Laboratory soil tests are available to assess a range of soil chemical, physical, and biological characteristics. Farmers can also monitor the state of their soil according to its general appearance and response to disturbance. Soil organisms have significant roles that contribute to the sustainability of agricultural systems. While on-farm tests for assessing the abundance and diversity of larger soil fauna (e.g., earthworms and other macrofauna) are available, on-farm tests for soil mesofauna, microfauna, and microorganisms are not commonly used. Adaptation of laboratory methods for quantifying soil mesofauna and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have potential for on-farm assessment by farmers. This chapter focuses on these two groups of soil organisms because of their multifunctional contributions to physical, chemical, and biological components of soil fertility. Soil processes in which soil mesofauna and AM fungi are involved include stabilization of aggregates. Several laboratory-based methods are available for quantifying soil mesofauna and AM fungi which can be adapted for use on-farm by farmers. Farmer motivation for investigation of soil health could lead to more sustainable land use if contributions of soil organisms are optimized. Existing farmer knowledge of soil chemical and physical characteristics based on off-farm soil tests and their use could be complemented by local knowledge of soil biological characteristics, especially those that involve soil mesofauna and AM fungi.