Transcript Ecoagriculture : An Ecosystem Approach in Agricultural Landscapes Seth Shames Ecoagriculture Partners CBD Africa Regional Workshop on Sustainable Use Nairobi, Kenya, December 2006

Ecoagriculture :
An Ecosystem Approach
in Agricultural Landscapes
Seth Shames
Ecoagriculture Partners
CBD Africa Regional Workshop on Sustainable Use
Nairobi, Kenya, December 2006
Ecosystem Services & Biodiversity:
Our ‘Natural Infrastructure’
Food, fiber, bio-compounds
Watershed protection and regulation
Plant pollination
Genetic, species diversity
Carbon sequestration and storage
Soil formation and fertility
Decomposition of wastes
Landscape beauty
Importance of Agriculture for
Food Security and Poverty Reduction
•
Over 840 million people food-insecure
– Half smallholder farmers
– A fifth rural landless
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Micronutrient malnutrition – 2 billion
Anticipated 50-100% increase in food
demand in LDC’s by 2030
2/3 of rural poor in ‘marginal’ lands
Low productivity in degraded farmlands,
depleted forests, fisheries, game, range
Rural populations growing in poor LDCs
Population in Global Biodiversity
Hotspots
Population in Global
Biodiversity Hotspots
Importance of Agricultural Landscapes
for Biodiversity Conservation
Ecoagriculture
Our Vision
Agricultural landscapes managed to enhance rural livelihoods
and sustainable agricultural production (of crops, livestock, fish
and forest), while conserving or restoring ecosystem services
and biodiversity.
Putting food security at the heart of conservation;
Putting conservation at the heart of food security…
Ecoagriculture
Our VisionVision
To integrate wide range of approaches and strategies to
achieve landscape-scale impacts
From ‘sites’
‘landscapes’
Ourto
Vision
• Integrating the management of:
– Protected Areas
– Watersheds
– Degraded forests
– Farms and Plantations
• To accommodate:
– Livelihood options
– Species & habitat conservation needs
– Ecological processes
– Opportunities to recognize and reward
land use innovations
(e.g. payments for environmental services)
Ecoagriculture Strategies
Make space for wild species
in agricultural landscapes:
•
Create biodiversity reserves that also benefit
local farming communities
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Develop habitat networks in “in-between”
spaces, compatible with farming
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Prevent (or reverse) conversion of wild lands
to agriculture by raising the productivity of
land already being farmed
Chibememe Earth Healing Association, Zimbabwe
Ecoagriculture Strategies
Enhance Habitat Value of
Productive Farmland
• Reduce agricultural pollution
• Modify management of soil, water,
natural vegetation
• Mix species to mimic the structure &
function of natural ecosystems
Chibememe Earth Healing Association, Zimbabwe
Taking Ecoagriculture to scale
1) Intensify conservation efforts in agricultural landscapes
2) Increase research on ecological interactions of wild &
domestic species, for management
3) Develop production technologies with ecosystem cobenefits
4) Explicitly address how to manage agricultural land uses
within landscape mosaics
5) Institutions to support integrated planning
6) Harmonize agriculture, environment, poverty policies
Motivations of Farmers and Communities
Who Engage in Ecoagriculture
1) Reduce production costs, raise or
stabilize yields, improve quality
2) Conserve biodiversity critical to
their own livelihoods
3) Access product markets seeking
biodiversity-friendly sources
4) Earn payments for ecosystem
services
5) Comply with env. regulations
6) Protect rights to farm/herd/harvest wild products in PA’s
7) To reduce conflicts with other groups in the landscape
8) Protect important cultural, spiritual or aesthetic values
The Case of Mt. Elgon
Multistakeholder Collaboration
Thank you!
For more information…..
www.ecoagriculturepartners.org
Ecoagriculture
Vision
Our Vision
Agricultural landscapes around the world transformed to
ecoagriculture systems that enhance rural livelihoods and
agricultural production, while conserving or restoring
ecosystem services and biodiversity at a landscape scale.
Inter-Dependence of Agriculture,
Our
Vision
Ecosystems
and
Livelihoods
Wild biodiversity
Conservation of
biodiversity and
ecosystem
services
Ecosystem process & function,
such as:
• Primary production
• Decomposition
• Nutrient cycling
• Gene flow & evolutionary
processes
• Hydrology
Some ecosystem processes and
functions help to maintain wild
biodiversity.
Some ecosystem processes and
functions benefit humans directly;.
These are ecosystem services.
Ecosystem services
Community and household-level
benefits such as:
• Protection of natural capital
• Wild foods, fuel, medicines
• Compensation payments for
ecosystem services
Sustainable
livelihoods
Beneficial services within
landscape, such as:
• Pollination
• Pest control
• Soil fertility
• Water quality
Sustainable agricultural
production
Beneficial services outside
landscape, such as:
• Carbon sequestration
• Flood protection
• Habitat for valued species
Importance of Biodiversity for
Our Vision
Rural Livelihoods
• Direct consumption of wild
foods, medicines and fuel (esp.
micronutrients, “safety net”)
• Income from sale of wildlife
and ecosystem services
• Farm inputs (wild spp as
fodder, fertilizer, packaging,
fencing)
• Crop/livestock genetic diversity
• Local ecosystem services:
water, pollination, soil fertility,
pest & disease control, nutrient