This paper explores how increasing agricultural productivity through agricultural intensification... more This paper explores how increasing agricultural productivity through agricultural intensification may influence farmland expansion decisions of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Zambia. Six pairs of farmers at each site (72 in total) from different wealth groups were involved in serious games sessions that simulated different institutional, economic, and governance contexts, with players choosing their resource allocation accordingly. The approach was used to explore with farmers, in a ‘safe space’, whether an increase in agricultural productivity and profitability via intensification would reduce or end farmland expansion into natural habitats. The results show that, under certain conditions (such as poor forest governance and lack of alternative income-generating and investment opportunities), agricultural intensification can lead to more agricultural expansion at the expense of natural habitats, such as forests and grasslands. This suggests that intensification strategi...
Forests and Food: Addressing Hunger and Nutrition Across Sustainable Landscapes, 2015
Forests and tree-based systems are an important component of rural landscapes, sustaining livelih... more Forests and tree-based systems are an important component of rural landscapes, sustaining livelihoods and contributing to the food security and nutritional needs of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Historically, these systems developed under a wide variety of ecological conditions, and cultural and socioeconomic contexts, as integrated approaches that combined management of forest and agricultural areas to provide primarily for the needs of producers and their local communities. Today they serve food and nutrition demands of growing global populations, both urban and rural. Population increase, globalisation, deforestation, land degradation, and ever-increasing demand and associated conflict for land (including forest) resources are placing pressure on these lands. Farmers have been encouraged to intensify food production on existing agricultural lands, by modifying some traditional practices (such as agroforestry) or abandoning others (such as shifting cultivation) that evolved over centuries to cope with biophysical constraints (e.g. limited soil fertility, climate variability) and changing socioeconomic conditions. This chapter provides an overview of forests and tree-based systems and their role in enhancing food security and nutrition for rural communities and those served through the marketplace. The variability and viability of these management systems are considered within and across geographical regions and agro-ecological zones. Also discussed is the role of the social, cultural and economic contexts in which these systems exist, with a focus on three factors that affect the socioeconomic organisation of forests and tree-based systems, namely: land and tree tenure and governance, human capital (including knowledge and labour) and financial capital (including credit). How these biophysical and socioeconomic conditions and their complex interactions influence food security and nutrition outcomes, particularly for vulnerable segments of the population (i.e., the poor, women and children), are of particular concern. 1 All terms that are defined in the glossary (Appendix 1), appear for the first time in italics in a chapter.
Forests and Food: Addressing Hunger and Nutrition Across Sustainable Landscapes, 2015
This chapter presents potential landscape-scale responses that attempt to reconcile the oft-compe... more This chapter presents potential landscape-scale responses that attempt to reconcile the oft-competing demands for agriculture, forestry and other land uses. While there is no single configuration of land-uses in any landscape that can optimise the different outcomes that may be prevalent within a particular landscape, there are options for understanding and negotiation for the inherent trade-offs that characterise such outcomes. With increasing pressure on biodiversity and ecosystem services across many landscapes from the growing impact of human activities, hard choices have to be made about how landscapes could and should be managed to optimise outcomes. In a context where views on landscape-scale management options are often deeply entrenched and conflicts of interest are difficult to reconcile, consensus on what constitutes "success" may be difficult to achieve. Political economy and wider governance issues have often meant that a theoretically optimal landscape is unrealistic or unachievable on the ground. However, in this chapter we attempt to provide an over-arching framework for landscape approaches and how such approaches can contribute to both conservation and the achievement of food security and nutrition goals.
Without their voluntary efforts and commitment the preparation of this publication would not have... more Without their voluntary efforts and commitment the preparation of this publication would not have been possible. We acknowledge and sincerely thank the reviewers of the full report and the various chapters whose comments have greatly improved the quality of this publication:
Publisher : International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Funding support for this... more Publisher : International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Funding support for this publication was provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, the United States Forest Service, and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management. The views expressed within this publication do not necessarily reflect official policy of the governments represented by these institutions. Forests, Trees and Landscapes for Food Security and Nutrition
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