Paper/Poster/Presentation Title
Exploring alternatives for mitigating land degradation and enhancing livelihoods in tropical regions
Keywords
integrated modelling, farm systems, land degradation, land use change
Start Date
25-6-2018 3:40 PM
End Date
25-6-2018 5:20 PM
Abstract
Subsistence systems near tropical forests have large environmental impacts due to continued expansion into these forests through slash and burn. Finding solutions for this problem requires understanding how subsistence farmers operate and what possible alternatives are available to them. Understanding the social household system, the socio-economic drivers and the impact of various current and alternative agronomic practices at present and under climate change requires bringing people together through a transdisciplinary approach.
The World Bank has initiated the LAUREL program to support integrated decision making for landscape management across sectors and levels of government by promoting improved tools for land use planning. These will result in more evidence-based decision making around long-term sustainable land use, which in turn results in improved resilience and the ability of landscapes to deliver ecosystem services in general and development benefits specifically.
We present such a prototype system for Madagascar which includes a suite of tightly-coupled models representing land use, farmer decisions, hydrology, vegetation and soil processes. To understand the emergent behaviour across sub-systems, these components represent feedbacks between the various socio-economic and bio-physical processes. This allows for example simulating soil degradation due to poor management practices, impact on yields and the resultant continued pressure to clear new forests. Conversely, it shows how improved practices can lead to improved yield, which subsequently provides a stepping stone to not just self-sufficiency but to production of cash crops to improve livelihood.
Exploring alternatives for mitigating land degradation and enhancing livelihoods in tropical regions
Subsistence systems near tropical forests have large environmental impacts due to continued expansion into these forests through slash and burn. Finding solutions for this problem requires understanding how subsistence farmers operate and what possible alternatives are available to them. Understanding the social household system, the socio-economic drivers and the impact of various current and alternative agronomic practices at present and under climate change requires bringing people together through a transdisciplinary approach.
The World Bank has initiated the LAUREL program to support integrated decision making for landscape management across sectors and levels of government by promoting improved tools for land use planning. These will result in more evidence-based decision making around long-term sustainable land use, which in turn results in improved resilience and the ability of landscapes to deliver ecosystem services in general and development benefits specifically.
We present such a prototype system for Madagascar which includes a suite of tightly-coupled models representing land use, farmer decisions, hydrology, vegetation and soil processes. To understand the emergent behaviour across sub-systems, these components represent feedbacks between the various socio-economic and bio-physical processes. This allows for example simulating soil degradation due to poor management practices, impact on yields and the resultant continued pressure to clear new forests. Conversely, it shows how improved practices can lead to improved yield, which subsequently provides a stepping stone to not just self-sufficiency but to production of cash crops to improve livelihood.
Stream and Session
F5: New and Improved Methods in Agricultural Systems Modelling, oral presentation