Sustainable land use for the 21st century (original) (raw)
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Agroforestry and the CAP: a land use system to be promoted to fulfil Sustainable Development Goals
Agroforestry understood as the deliberately integration of woody vegetation in at least two vertical layers on land, with the bottom layer providing an agricultural product (such crops or forage/pasture which may be consumed by animals) is gaining popularity in different statements to be promoted as sustainable land use practice or system system. Main advantages of agroforestry are related with the better use of the resources, starting by radiation, which allows to increase productivity while reducing negative environment impacts. Different international organizations are also pointing out the relevance of agroforestry for climate mitigation and adaptation. In this paper the main reasons for considering agroforestry as sustainable land use system is discussed under the umbrella of the United Nations Sustainable goals.
Sustainable Land Management: SOURCEBOOK
This sourcebook is intended to be a ready reference for practitioners (including World Bank stakeholders, clients in borrowing countries, and World Bank project leaders) seeking state-of-the-art information about good land management approaches, innovations for investments, and close monitoring for potential scaling up. This sourcebook is divided into three parts: Part I identifies the need and scope for sustainable land management (SLM) and food production in relation to cross-sector issues such as freshwater and forest resources, regional climate and air quality, and interactions with existing and emerging infectious diseases. It introduces the concept of production landscapes and analysis of trade-offs and establishes a framework for linking indicators that provide a measure of the outcomes of SLM. It then categorizes the diversity of land management (that is, farming) systems globally and the strategies for improving household livelihoods in each type of system. For the farming ...
Redefining sustainable agriculture for the developing world
2015
The increased global demand for land calls for difficult trade-off among competing needs at the global, national and local levels. Recognition of the potentially adverse environmental effects of land conversion has resulted in worldwide political efforts to implement sustainable land use strategies. In the past, however, land use has generally been considered a local environmental issue whose decision-making is under the purview of local and national authorities. This article unpacks key misconceptions in relation to the application of land use policies for sustainable development. It argues that although reshaping the spatial organization of land is essential to ensure the functioning of ecosystems, the decision on the optimal use of lands should respect the subsidiarity principle. This essentially means that the nation states – instead of external authoritarian pressure groups – decide on what is best for their bottom-billion citizens. The international pattern of land use change ...
Carbon Management, 2013
Climate change, forest loss and the global shortage of new arable land are among the most urgent challenges that humanity is facing [1]. The ability of human societies to meet these challenges with effective, large-scale solutions over the next 10-20 years will strongly influence the levels of human suffering and the capacity of the Earth to sustain life for centuries to come. Increases in food prices since 2007 have driven hundreds of millions of poor people into hunger, feeding civil unrest [2]. The trend towards higher food prices, which is likely to continue for decades [1,3], is a reflection of a growing global imbalance in which the rate of growth in demand for land-based products (food, fuel, fiber and feed) is outpacing the rate of growth in supply [1,4]. Global demand is rising largely through rapid growth in per capita consumption in China, India, Brazil and other emerging economies, whose burgeoning consumption levels are still far below average per capita consumption in the USA [3]. Growth in production is increasingly constrained by the dwindling supply of new arable land, especially in the temperate zone, declines in the rate at which yields are increasing [5] and extreme weather events [6]. Most of the potential growth in land-based production is found in the tropical and subtropical latitudes, into species-and carbon-rich forests and woodlands, and onto lands that are already cleared and below their productive potential [1,7]. Land use is the source of nearly one-third of the global anthropogenic flux of GHG emissions to the atmosphere [8], with nearly half of this total coming from the clearing and degradation of tropical forests [101]. Total emissions from land use are likely to increase as farming and livestock sectors around the world race to keep up with growth in demand. The nearterm effects of climate change are likely to exacerbate this global imbalance as crop failure driven by weather
Land resources potential and sustainable land management: an overview
Natural Resources Forum, 2000
Land degradation continues to be a major threat to local and national food security. With limited potential to develop new land, any increase in agricultural production must be sought largely through the better use of land already under cultivation. Concerns for the global environment associated with agriculture worldwide have also increased in recent years and require more coordinated efforts at global and national levels with decentralisation of activities at the local level.This article presents an overview of land resources potential for food production, the processes and extent of land degradation and its economic and environmental costs and impacts, and highlights some macro-economic policies and institutional measures for the prevention of land degradation and rehabilitation of degraded lands. A people-centred programme is presented as a basis for decentralising activities for sustainable land use and land management. Finally, the need for better coordinated efforts of concerned UN, multinational agencies and NGOs for the implementation of Agenda 21 and related conventions is stressed.
2007
This paper proposed a methodological framework for the assessment of carbon stocks and the development and identification of land use, land use change and land management scenarios, whereby enhancing carbon sequestration synergistically increases biodiversity, the prevention of land degradation and food security through the increases in crop yields. The framework integrates satellite image interpretation, computer modelling tools (i.e. software customization of off-the-shelf soil organic matter turnover simulation models) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The framework addresses directly and indirectly the cross-cutting ecological concerns foci of major global conventions: climate change, biodiversity, the combat of desertification and food security. Their synergies are targeted by providing procedures for assessing and identifying simultaneously carbon sinks, potential increases in plant diversity, measures to prevent land degradation and enhancements in food security through crop yields, implicit in each land use change and land management scenario. The scenarios aim at providing "win-win" options to decision makers through the framework's decision support tools. Issues concerning complex model parameterization and spatial representation were tackled through tight coupling soil carbon models to GIS via software customization. Results of applying the framework in the field in two developing countries indicate that reasonably accurate estimates of carbon sequestration can be obtained through modeling; and that alternative best soil organic matter management practices that arrest shifting "slash-and-burn" cultivation and prevent burning and emissions, can be identified. Such options also result in increased crop yields and food security for an average family size in the area, while enhancing biodiversity and preventing land degradation. These options demonstrate that the judicious management of organic matter is central to greenhouse gas mitigation and the attainment of synergistic ecological benefits, which is the concern of global conventions. The framework is to be further developed through successive approximations and refinement in future, extending its applicability to other landscapes.
Sustainable Agricultural Development
Springer eBooks, 2011
This conference was held at a time when world leaders were preparing to meet in Copenhagen on 7-18 December 2009 to negotiate a binding agreement for reduction of green house gases (GHG) to tackle global warming beyond 2012 and to discuss international concerns regarding climate change, energy crises, and global hunger challenges. It is generally understood that if urgent actions are not taken, the ultimate impact of climate change will be the rise of global temperature, change in frequency and patterns of rainfall leading to food insecurity in many developing countries, especially those depending on dryland farming in Africa. The main objective of the conference was to bring together educators, scientists, researchers, managers, and policy makers from around the world to discuss various aspects of the conference themes and to develop a consensus surrounding the conference synthesis report which contains a set of valuable recommendations, as a way forward for addressing climate change and food security issues. The conference organizers had received an overwhelming response to the call for papers. The submitted abstracts were reviewed and those deemed appropriate to conference themes were accepted. That led to submission of full papers for conference books. Papers related to conference themes were presented in five plenary sessions and fourteen panels. A natural consequence of the diversity of the papers presented at the conference was the arrangement of the contributions into three books covering different areas of interest. These books can be treated almost independently, although considerable commonalities exist among them. Prior to publication, all pre-selected chapters have been rigorously peer-reviewed by relevant experts. The papers contained in this book "Sustainable agricultural development-Recent approaches in resources management and environmentally-balanced produc-vi tion enhancement" represent one part of the conference proceedings. The other part is embodied in separate books which are being published simultaneously. The other books are respectively entitled: (1) "Global food insecurity-Rethinking agricultural and rural development paradigm and policy"; and (2) Climate change, energy crisis and food insecurity: the world in quest of a sustainable face. In this book, papers pertaining to sustainable agricultural development are presented in four parts divided into 20 chapters. Part I deals with the sustainable use of land resources as a potential for sustainable agricultural development, including aspects like land resources governance, land grabbing, and implications for food security, turning adversity into an advantage, reforestation and zoo-ecological remediation of soil quality improvement, mitigation of salinization, and policy frameworks for farmland use. Part II goes on to discuss sustainable management of water resources at farm level, rice fields, reduction of water losses, and extension and education. Part III deals with innovations in agricultural production including slow release nitrogen fertilizers, organic fertilizers, use of waste as a resource, and the implications of animal breeding technologies. Innovative processes in livestock production have been discussed in Part IV focusing on animal husbandry and the use of sorghum, cactus, and halophytes as animal feed. The editors and the publisher are not responsible for any statement made or opinions expressed by the authors in this publication. We wish to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to the members of the Scientific Advisory Board, and the Steering Committee, chairmen and rapporteurs of the technical sessions and cooperating organizations for hosting the Agadir Conference and for the publication of the books. Special thanks are due to all authors, coauthors, and reviewers without whom this comprehensive book would not have been produced. We also owe our gratitude to all of those individuals and numerous other people who in one way or the other contributed to the conference and the book, especially those involved from Springer publishing. Finally, it is hoped that this book will be of interest to researchers, experts, and policy makers in the fields of agriculture, soil and water management and conservation, plant production, soil remediation, livestock development, land governance, and environmental protection. Graduate students and those wishing to conduct research in these topics will find the book a valuable resource.
Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU)
Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change
Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) is unique among the sectors considered in this volume, since the mitigation potential is derived from both an enhancement of removals of GHGs, as well as reduction of emissions through management of land and livestock [11.1, robust evidence; high agreement]. The land provides food which feeds the Earth's human population of ca. 7 billion, fibre for a variety of purposes, livelihoods for billions of people worldwide, and is a critical resource for sustainable development in many regions. Agriculture is frequently central to the livelihoods of many social groups, especially in developing countries where it often accounts for a significant share of production. In addition to food and fibre, the land provides a multitude of ecosystem services; greenhouse gas mitigation is just one of many that are vital to human wellbeing [11.1, robust evidence; high agreement]. Mitigation options in the AFOLU sector, therefore, need to be assessed, as far as possible, for their potential impact on all other services provided by land. The AFOLU sector is responsible for just under a quarter (~9-12 Gt CO 2 eq/yr) of anthropogenic GHG emissions mainly from deforestation and agricultural emissions from livestock, soil and nutrient management [11.2, medium evidence; high agreement]. Anthropogenic forest degradation and biomass burning (forest fires and agricultural burning) also represent relevant contributions. Annual GHG emissions from agricultural production in 2000-2010 were estimated at 5.0-5.8 Gt CO 2 eq/yr while annual GHG flux from land use and land use change activities accounted for approximately 4.3-5.5 Gt CO 2 eq/yr. Leveraging the mitigation potential in the sector is extremely important in meeting emission reduction targets [11.9, robust evidence; high agreement]. Since publication of the AR4, emissions from the AFOLU sector have remained similar but the share of anthropogenic emissions has decreased to 24% (in 2010), largely due to increases in emissions in the energy sector [robust evidence, high agreement]. In spite of a large range across global FOLU flux estimates, most approaches indicate a decline in FOLU CO 2 emissions over the most recent years, largely due to decreasing deforestation rates. As in AR4, most projections suggest declining annual net CO 2 emissions in the long run. In part, this is driven by technological change, as well as projected declining rates of agriculture area expansion, which, in turn, is related to the expected slowing in population growth. However, unlike AR4, none of the more recent scenarios projects growth in the near-term [11.9]. Opportunities for mitigation include supply-side and demand-side options. On the supply side, emissions from land use change, land management and livestock management can be reduced, terrestrial carbon stocks can be increased by sequestration in soils and biomass, and emissions from energy production can be saved through the substitution of fossil fuels by biomass [11.3, robust evidence; high agreement]. On the demand side, GHG emissions could be mitigated by reducing losses and wastes of food, changes in diet and changes in wood consumption [11.4, robust evidence; high agreement] though quantitive estimates of the potential are few and highly uncertain. Increasing production without a commensurate increase in emissions also reduces emission intensity, i.e. the GHG emissions per unit of product which could be delivered through sustainable intensification; another mechanism for mitigation explored in more detail here than in AR4. Supplyside options depend on the efficacy of land and livestock management [11.6, medium evidence; high agreement]. Considering demand-side options, changes in human diet can have a significant impact on GHG emissions from the food production life cycle [11.4, medium evidence; medium agreement]. There are considerably different challenges involved in delivering demand-side and supply-side options, which also have very different synergies and risk-tradeoffs. The nature of the sector means that there are potentially many barriers to implementation of available mitigation options, including accessibility to AFOLU financing, poverty, institutional, ecological, technological development, diffusion and transfer barriers [11.7, 11.8, medium evidence; medium agreement]. Similarly, there are important feedbacks to adaptation, conservation Final Draft (FD) IPCC WG III AR5 Do not cite, quote or distribute 5 of 184 Chapter 11 WGIII_AR5_FD_Ch11.docx 14 December 2013 of natural resources, such as water and terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity [11.5, 11.8, robust evidence; high agreement]. There can be competition between different land-uses if alternative options to use available land are mutually exclusive, but there are also potential synergies, e.g. integrated systems or multi-functionality at landscape scale [11.4, medium evidence; high agreement]. Recent frameworks, such as those for assessing environmental or ecosystem services, provide one mechanism for valuing the multiple synergies and trade-offs that may arise from mitigation actions [11.1, medium evidence; medium agreement]. Sustainable management of agriculture, forests, and other land is an underpinning requirement of sustainable development [11.4, robust evidence; high agreement]. AFOLU forms a significant component of mitigation in transformation pathways, offering a variety of mitigation options and a large, cost-competitive mitigation potential [limited evidence; medium agreement]. Recent multi-model comparisons have found that all land-related mitigation strategies (agriculture, forestry, bioenergy) were projected to contribute 20 to 60% of total cumulative abatement to 2030, and still 15 to 45% to 2100 [11.9]. Large-scale energy generation or carbon sequestration in the AFOLU sector provides flexibility for the development of mitigation technologies in the energy supply and energy end-use sectors, as many technologies already exist and some of them are commercial [11.3, limited evidence; medium agreement], but there are potential implications for biodiversity, food security and other services provided by land [11.7 medium evidence, high agreement]. Implementation challenges, including institutional barriers and inertia related to governance issues, make the costs and net emission reduction potential of nearterm mitigation uncertain. In climate management scenarios with idealized comprehensive climate policies, agriculture, forestry and bioenergy contribute substantially to mitigation of global CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O, and to the energy system, thereby reducing policy costs [11.9, medium evidence; high agreement]. More realistic partial and delayed policies for global land mitigation have potentially significant spatial and temporal leakage, and economic implications, but could still be costeffectively deployed [11.9, limited evidence; limited agreement]. Economic mitigation potential of supply-side measures in the AFOLU sector is estimated to be 7.18 to 10.60 (full range: 0.49-13.78) GtCO 2 eq/yr at carbon prices up to 100 US$/ tCO 2 eq, about a third of which can be achieved at <20 US$/ tCO 2 eq [11.6, medium evidence; medium agreement]. These estimates are based on studies that cover both forestry and agriculture and that include agricultural soil carbon sequestration. Estimates from agricultural sector-only studies range from 0.26 to 4.6 Gt CO 2 eq/yr at prices up to 100 USD/t CO 2 eq, and estimates from forestry sector-only studies from 0.2 to 13.8 Gt CO 2 eq/yr at prices up to 100 USD/t CO 2 eq [11.6, medium evidence; medium agreement]. The large range in the estimates arises due to widely-different collections of options considered in each study, and because not all GHGs are considered in all of the studies. The composition of the agricultural mitigation portfolio varies with the carbon price, with the restoration of organic soils having the greatest potential at higher (100 USD/t CO 2 eq) and cropland and grazing land management at lower (20 USD/t CO 2 eq) carbon prices. In forestry there is less difference between measures at different carbon prices, but there are significant differences between regions, with reduced deforestation dominating the forestry mitigation potential LAM and MAF, but very little potential in OECD90 and REF. Forest management, followed by afforestation, dominate in OECD90, REF and Asia [11.6, medium evidence, strong agreement]. Among demand-side measures, which are under-researched compared to supply-side measures, changes in diet and reductions of losses in the food supply chain can have a significant impact on GHG emissions from food production (0.76-9.31 Gt CO 2 eq/yr by 2050), with the range being determined by assumptions about how the freed land is used [11.4, limited evidence; medium agreement]. More research into demand-side mitigation options is merited. There are significant regional differences in terms of mitigation potential, costs and applicability, due to differing local biophysical, socioeconomic and cultural circumstances, for instance between developed and developing regions, and among developing regions [11.6, medium evidence; high agreement].
Land Use and Food Security in 2050: a Narrow Road. Agrimonde-Terra
Land Use and Food Security in 2050: a Narrow Road. Agrimonde-Terra, 2018
After a first foresight study on ‘World food security in 2050’ (Agrimonde), CIRAD and INRA have turned their attention to a new foresight exercise on ‘Land use and food security in 2050’ (Agrimonde-Terra). This new study seeks to highlight levers that could modify ongoing land-use patterns for improved food and nutrition security. Agrimonde-Terra proposes a trend analysis on the global context, climate change, food diets, urban-rural linkages, farm structures, cropping and livestock systems, and explores five scenarios. Three scenarios entitled ‘Metropolization’, ‘Regionalization’ and ‘Households’ are based on current competing trends identified in most world regions. Two scenarios entitled ‘Healthy’ and ‘Communities’ involve potential breaks that could change the entire land use and food security system. The ‘Healthy’ scenario is the only one that makes it possible to achieve sustainable world food and nutrition security in 2050. Nevertheless, current trends in agricultural and food systems in most parts of the world converge towards the ‘Metropolization’ scenario, which is not sustainable in terms of both land use and human health. Therefore, changing the course of ongoing trends in favor of sustainable land uses and healthy food systems will be one of the main challenges of the next decades. It will require systemic transformation, strong and coherent public policies across sectors and scales, and consistent actions from a wide range of actors. This foresight provides a large information base on land uses, food systems and food security and constitutes a tool box to stimulate debates, imagine new policies and innovations. It aims to empower decision makers, stakeholders, non-governmental organizations and researchers to develop a constructive dialogue on the futures of land uses and food security at either world, regional and national levels.
Agroforestry Policies Contribute to Sustainable Land Use
Policy briefs, 1995
Policy Briefs are published by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Environmental and Natural Resources Policy and Training Project (EPAT), implemented by the Midwest Universities Consortium for International Activities, Inc. (MUCIA). The views, interpretations, and any errors are those of the author(s) and should not be attributed to USAID, MUCIA, their respective institutions, the United States Government, or anyone acting on their behalf. * Policy Briefsshort overviews of environmental policy concerns * Case Studiesoutlining specific in-country policy challenge * Manualshow-to-do-it environmental policy handbooks for easy reference * Working Papersof environmental policy research in progress * Monographsdetailing the state of knowledge in particular subject matter areas. EPAT/MUCIA environmental policy partneis have applied their research to real problems, and they collaborated with researchers throughout the world.