Ecosystem based Adaptation for smallholder farmers: perception of benefits (179)

Many smallholder farmers use Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) practices (e.g. shade trees in coffee plantations, or live fences) to improve the sustainability of their farming systems and to help crops adapt to climate change, yet little is known about the benefits and drawbacks of EbA practices that smallholder farmers perceive. In order to better understand how and why farmers use EbA practices, we characterized EbA practices commonly found on coffee and basic grains agroforestry systems (shaded coffee, dispersed trees in annual crops, forest fragments, riparian forests, and live fences) in 6 landscapes of Central America, using farmers' structured interviews. Specifically, we documented farmer perceptions of the benefits and drawbacks of individual EbA practices in 300 farms in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras. Our study finds that the prevalence and type of EbA practices present on individual farms were related to farmer socioeconomic conditions, including farmer experience and access to training. Farmers indicated that the main benefits of EbA practices were avoiding erosion, improving soil fertility and organic matter, and regulating temperature, among others. The drawbacks of establishing and maintaining some of these practices, are the cost of maintenance and the intensity of labor required. Our study highlights key factors that influence the adoption and use of EbA by smallholder farmers, and provides insights into how governments, donors and development agencies could more effectively promote the broad-scale use of EbA practices in agricultural landscapes. (Texte intégral)

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Martinez Rodriguez, Ruth, Harvey, Celia A., Donatti, Camila I., Avelino, Jacques, Cardenas, Jose Mario, Rapidel, Bruno, Vignola, Raffaele
Format:	conference_item biblioteca
Language:	eng
Published:	PECS
Subjects:	F08 - Systèmes et modes de culture, E80 - Économie familiale et artisanale, A01 - Agriculture - Considérations générales,
Online Access:	http://agritrop.cirad.fr/585960/ http://agritrop.cirad.fr/585960/1/ID585960.pdf
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