assessing sustainability of swiddens systems in tropical forest margins

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Assessing Sustainability of Swiddens systems in Tropical Forest Margins

Dr Martin YEMEFACK, IITA Cameroon and IRAD,Yaounde, [email protected] & [email protected]

Dr Roberto PORRO, Embrapa Eastern Amazon, Belem, Brazil. [email protected] & [email protected]

Dr Rosaline NJOMGANG, IRAD, Yaounde, Cameroon; [email protected]

Dr Peter Akong Minang, ASB Global Partnerships, ICAF, Nairobi, [email protected]

IUFRO 2014 Congress, 5-11 October 2014, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Salt Lake City (USA), 5-11/10/2014

mailto:[email protected]






Content of the Communication

Salt Lake City (USA), 5-11/10/2014 2

- Tropical Forest Margins and Swiddens

- Sustainability impacts of swiddens and its measurability

- Examples of Southern Cameroon and Eastern Amazon Brazil

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What are the Tropical Forest Margins? The Tropical Forest Margins are the disturbed franges of

tropical forests that usually comprise Shifting agricultural landscape mosaic systems (SALMS).

The SAMS here refer to the past, present or future agricultural land surface and its associate spatial heterogeneity of aggregated elements of distinct boundaries, where the mixed local ecosystems are repeated in similar form over a defined area.


Shifting Agricultural Landscape Mosaic Systems (SALMS) in southern Cameroon and Eastern Amazon


Congo Basin, CameroonAmazon Basin, Brazil

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What is Swidden?

Swiddens systems (or shifting cultivation or Slash and Burn agriculture) = agricultural system that involves an alternation of cropping for a few years on a land parcel followed by a relatively long period of fallow.

Its main features are:

1. land clearing by slashing and burning;

2. rotation of plots for food crop production;

3. alternation between relatively short occupation of plots and long fallow periods;

4. decline of soil productivity during cultivation period and recovery by means of spontaneous fallow vegetation.


Two Swiddens sub-systems

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Two sub-systems in general: • a food crop production system (Crop-fallow system), • a semi-permanent system of perennial plantations and

pasture lands.

Swidden at it origin is considered a strategy for suitable exploitation of the energy and nutrient capital of the natural vegetation-soil complex.

A flexible system in response to changes.


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Swiddens variations- Great spatial variants and tremendous transformations

due to interactions between socio‐ecological and economical events.

- Mostly on rotational short fallow systems as due to high demand on land near villages and increasing trade in food crops products.

- But, continuously encroachment into primary forest because of market‐oriented productions.

- Burning induces changes in soil properties and environmental services.



Swiddens are often labeled as being unsustainable and having negative environmental impacts especially soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, and increased emissions of green-house-gases.

But, they are also not considered as viable for food security and livelihood objectives.

We need to know how current trends in swiddens are impacting livelihoods, deforestation, emissions, water supply, biodiversity, etc. ?

Sustainability impacts of swiddens

9Salt Lake City (USA), 5-11/10/2014

How to measure Sustainability in swiddens?

Sustainability complies simultaneously with multiple objectives (production, ecological / environmental, social, cultural, economic and temporal).

A multidisciplinary approach is therefore, needed to evaluate an interdisciplinary concept.

Methodologies using indicators that allow objective quantification and analysis of sustainability has been proved to provide a complete understanding of such processes.

These are tools for participatory evaluation of sustainability indicators of smallholders’ initiatives


Methods for measuring SustainabilitySeveral methods are already available for evaluation of impact and / or sustainability through indicators. Some examples:

• FESLM: Framework for Evaluating Sustainable Land Management (Smith, Dumanski, 1993)

• MESMIS: Framework for the Assessment of Natural Resource Systems’ Management Incorporating Sustainability Indicators (Astier et al., 2008, 2011; López-Ridaura et al., 2002; Sarandon; Flores, 2009)

• IDEA: Indicateurs de Durabilité des Explotation Agricole (Melo, Cândido, 2013)

• TAPIS: Traditional Agroforestry Performance Indicators System (Rodrigues et al., 2009)

• APOIA-Novo Rural: Weighted Environmental Impact Assessment of New Rural Activities (Rodrigues et al., 2010; Rodrigues, Campanhola, 2003)

• CCBS: Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards (Richards, Panfil, 2011)

• SAFA: sustainability assessment of food and agriculture systems (FAO, 2014)


SAFA Framework


In this study, we use the Embrapa Environment’s APOIA-NovoRural (ANR) applied in side in Brazil and in Cameroon

- to assess the social dimension of sustainability related to the operation of a smallholders’ cooperative in the Mearim river valley, Maranhão State, Brazil,

- to assess the farmers perceptions of their own development in four contrasted region in Cameroon

Example of the Embrapa Environment’s APOIA-NovoRural (ANR)


Step 1: Define Aspects, Components and Indicators for Sustainability Impact Assessment (social, economic, environmental dimensions)

Applying the method in 4 Steps

Step 2: Evaluate the importance of aspects, components and indicators of social sustainability through percentages at each level of analysis (total = 100%)

Step 3: Assess previous and current situation through scores 0-5? 0 = very negative & 5 = very positive

Step 4: Summary of results by community


Social assessment1 LABOR-RELATED 252 HEALTH & NUTRITION 203 WELFARE & UNEXPECTED CRISIS 154 SOCIAL RELATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS 155 EDUCATION 25

100

Economic assessment6 CONSUMPTION 507 CAPITAL ASSETS 308 INCOME 20

100

Environmental assessment9 Technology efficiency 45

10 Environmental conservation 4011 Environmental restoration 15

100

Step 1: Aspects & Components


Step 1:

Defining Indicators for Sustainability Impact Assessment (initially, social dimension)

I - SOCIAL DIMENSION: 5 ASPECTS, 14 COMPONENTS, 73 INDICATORSLABOR: 4 COMPONENTS

1.11.21.31.4

Demand for family labor Generation of the family unit outside employment Working conditions for family Working conditions for employees hired

HEALTH AND NUTRITION: 3 COMPONENTS

2.12.22.3

General health conditions at home Occupational and environmental Health Nutrition and food safety

WELLBEING & E VULNERABILITY: 2 COMPONENTS

3.13.2

Local perceptions of well-being Vulnerability and unexpected crises

SOCIAL RELATIONS & INSTITUTIONS: 3 COMPONENTS

4.14.24.3

Social organizations Human relations and conflict Access to public services

EDUCATION & TRAINING: 2 COMPONENTS5.1 Education5.2 Training

I - SOCIAL DIMENSION: 5 ASPECTS, 14 COMPONENTS, 73 INDICATORS

ASPECT LABOR: 4 COMPONENTS 1.1 Demand for family labor

Generation of the family unit outside employment Working conditions for family Working conditions for employees hired

41% 1.2 17% 1.3 23% 1.4 19%

100%ASPECT HEALTH & NUTRITION: 3 COMPONENTS

2.1 General health conditions at home Occupational and environmental Health Nutrition and food safety

43% 2.2 27% 2.3 30%

100% ASPECT WELLBEING & E VULNERABILITY: 2 COMPONENTS

3.1 Local perceptions of well-being Vulnerability and unexpected crises

57% 3.2 43%

100% ASPECT SOCIAL RELATIONS & INSTITUTIONS: 3 COMPONENTS

4.1 Social organizations Human relations and conflict Access to public services

45% 4.2 28% 4.3 27%

100% ASPECT EDUCATION & TRAINING: 2 COMPONENTS

5.1 Education 62% 5.2 Training 38%

100%

Weights obtained through interviews

with key informants, local

organizations

Step 2: Evaluate the importance of indicators of social sustainability through percentages at each level of analysis (total = 100%)

Average weight assigned by 3

groups: AMTR, AJR and COPPALJ

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5461 63

485253

63 64

5161 58

Social Sustainability Index for the sites in Brazil


Ways for Improving/intensifying swiddens in Cameroon Soil management practices per zone

(From ***** (Highly use) to * (occasionally use)

Agro ecological zone Cropping practices Coastal

zone Humid forest

Forest-Savannah

Western Highlands

Heaps ** ** Ridges along the Contours **** Shifting cultivation **** **** ***** * Burning in ridges *** Crop residues incorporation **** Manuel tillage **** **** **** ** Motorised tillage ** Soil amendment * * * **** Manual weeding **** **** ***** *** Chemical weeding ** No-tillage * * Rural Population density (inh/ha) <20 20-40 40-50 80-120


Proportion of perceived welfare by farmers

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• Land pressure (due to scarcity or limit access) is the main driver of permanent food crop agriculture.

• The need for welfare do not seem to be a motivation factor to local people for adopting permanent food crop production which requires high inputs.

• Developping Alternatives to Swiddens in less populated area should be based on strong policy and incentives framework.

• This methodologic framework sustainability assessment was robust to stratified social groups; with reproducible results. It is expected to work well for studies of swidden dynamics in various communities in the tropical forest margins.

Final Considerations


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Thank you for kind attention


assessing sustainability of swiddens systems in tropical forest margins

Environment

cameroonsalt lake city

swiddens systems

analysis of sustainability

agricultural system

southern cameroon

flexible system

fallow periods4

land clearing