ecosystem services and resilience in large-scale agricultural landscapes

Ecosystem services & resilience in large agricultural landscapesSylvia Wood and Fabrice DeClerck13th August 2015

Basic development goals and challengesRural poverty

1.4 bn on < $1.25 a day70% in rural areas80% depend on agriculture

Food security

Over 1 bn. food insecure2009 food spike made a further 100m insecureAgriculture not keeping pace

Nutrition

2 bn. lack a diet necessary for healthy growthChronic malnutrition impacts on other MDGs

Environment

The ‘Perfect storm’: food & water scarcity and GCCPlanetary tipping points

Foley et al. 2011

Minimum Goals for 2050

Environmental Goals Development Goals

A Vision for Integrated Agroecology

Total Agricultural Production

Nutritionally Complete Production

Biodiversity Conserved

Carbon Sequestered Improved Water Quality

Water Conserved

Soil Formed

Food Security Goals

Food Distribution and Access

Conserve agrobiodiversity

Increased Farmer LivelihoodsAnd Resilience

Improve Human Health

Increase Farm Self Reliance

Adapted from Foley et al 2011

Nutrition Goals

Reduced Poverty

Improved Natural Resources Systems

and Ecosystem Services

Improved Food and Nutrition Security for

Health

More sustainably managed

agroecosystem

Enhanced benefits from ecosystem goods and servicesNatural

capital enhnaced

and protected

Improved human and

animal health

thourgh better Ag practices

Improved food security

Improved diets for poor

and vulneralbe

people

Increased productivity

Increased incomes and

benefits

Enhanced smallholder

market access

Enhanced smallholder

market access

CGIAR System Level Outcomes

And Intermediate Development Goals

WLE vision:

A world in which agriculture thrives within vibrant ecosystems, where communities have higher incomes, improved food security and the ability to continuously improve their lives

WLE global activities . . .

Focusing on how the poor benefit from ecosystems, and how to balance nature with growth

Developing tools to value ES

Engagement with government and non-government agencies to achieve development impact

. . . with targeted interventions in 10 river basin regions

A framework for Ecosystem Services & Resilience in Agriculture

SNAP Making Ecosystem Services Count in the SDGs - Research Objective:

To develop indicators and a modeling framework which link and map ES provision to multiple dimensions of human wellbeing in order to quantify the contribution which ecosystem services in agricultural landscape can make to achieving sustainable development goals

AgricultureSDG2

EnergySDG7

Human healthSDG3

EcosystemSDG 15

Valuing ES Further along Impact Pathway

Ecosystem Funct.

Pollination

Erosion control

Water infiltration

Vegetation Buffers

Flow regulation

Human Wellbeing Nutrition Crop production Malaria prevention Drinking water Available Water

Ecosystem Service Fruit & Vegetable Top Soil retention Good drainage Pollutant Capture Flood prevention

Across Landscape

The Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals

Can we use the SDGs as a valuation framework for assessing the benefits of ES to people?

SDGs: 17 Goals, 169 Targets

SDG 2. End hunger, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

SDG 3. Attain healthy lives for all

SDG 6. Ensure availability and sustainable use of water and sanitation

SDG 7. Ensure sustainable energy

SDG13. Tackle climate change

SDG14. Conserve and promote sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources

SDG15. Protect and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, halt desertification, land degradation and biodiversity loss

Identifying ES – Human Wellbeing Priority Issues

Burkina FasoGhana

Tanzania

TanzaniaGhanaBurkina Faso

Stakeholder Consultation:

• 29 interviews (32 institutions) + one workshop• National-level Institutions: Ag, Environ, Health and Energy• Semi-structured interviews

Stakeholder Consultation

Civil Society Organization6%

Donor6%

International organization

22%

National government

47%

Private sector3%

Research insti-tute13%

Sub-national government3%

Aim of Consultation

To Understand:• Agency priorities for national development outcomes• How they view Agriculture and Environment relationship• How ministries interact on Ag-Env-Devt nexus• What data they use to monitor the changing situation• What data they currently use to assess/negotiate tradeoffs• What information is lacking to help better manage

tradeoffs

Key Agriculture-Environment Dev’t Challenges

Cross Cutting Issues:• Water supply - impacts of land management, water-use

conflicts, drought, over-extraction hydropower, irrigation, conservation, disease (malaria)

• Water quality - impacts of mining and Ag. Practices drinking water

• Land degradation - impacts of Ag. expansion, gold mining sedimentation, soil fertility loss

• Food security - Changes to Ag. inputs Ag. prod’n income, nutrition, wild foods, conservation

“In rural areas, the main livelihood is agriculture and there are no alternative jobs so fighting back against forest encroachment is difficult” (MoLNR Ghana)

“If you prioritize the environment, its seen at the cost of development”

• External funding is a strong driver of development focus even if dev’t agenda set by National Govt, need to show project attribution

• Lack of data and means to quantify the intangible benefits fro negotiating power position / secure funding

• Strong interest in livelihood-orientated indicators

• Cross-cutting indictors that talk to multiple sectors

• “Testimonials have a lot of weight when garnering support and trying to sway policy” (ISODEC, Ghana)

Environmental Data and Indicators

Final S Selected ES-based Indicators

1. Economic Value of Agricultural Production ($/ha)

2. Landscape Nutritional Capacity (% adequacy)

3. Carbon Emissions from Agriculture (Mt/ha)

4. Risk of Malaria Exposure (#ppl)

5. Area of Potentially Degraded Lands (ha)

6. Water Availability per Capita /Sector (l/capita)

7. Water Quality of Ambient Watercourses  (ug/l) 

Mapping ES for Human wellbeing (MESH)

MESH Model Interface

1. Scenario Generator

2. Select relevant ES3. Run the models

4. Results output5. Report describing link and contribution to SDGs

MESH Model Reporting

Download

Future Case Study: Volta Basin

Partners: Volta Basin Authority

Thank you!

Sarah JonesFabrice DeClerckJustin JohnsonSylvia Wood

Making Ecosystem Services Count in the SDGs