The literature is increasing on how to prioritize climate-smart options with stakeholders but relatively few examples exist on how to co-design climate-smart farming systems with them, in particular with smallholder farmers. This article presents a methodological framework to co-design climate-smart farming systems with local stakeholders (farmers, scientists, NGOs) so that large-scale change can be achieved. This framework is based on the lessons learned during a research project conducted in Honduras and Colombia from 2015 to 2017. Seven phases are suggested to engage a process of co-conception of climate-smart farming systems that might enable implementation at scale: (1) "exploration of the initial situation," which identifies local stakeholders potentially interested in being involved in the process, existing farming systems, and specific constraints to the implementation of climate-smart agriculture (CSA); (2) "co-definition of an innovation platform," which defines the structure and the rules of functioning for a platform favoring the involvement of local stakeholders in the process; (3) "shared diagnosis," which defines the main challenges to be solved by the innovation platform; (4) "identification and ex ante assessment of new farming systems," which assess the potential performances of solutions prioritized by the members of the innovation platform under CSA pillars; (5) "experimentation," which tests the prioritized solutions on-farm; (6) "assessment of the co-design process of climate-smart farming systems," which validates the ability of the process to reach its initial objectives, particularly in terms of new farming systems but also in terms of capacity building; and (7) "definition of strategies for scaling up/out," which addresses the scaling of the co-design process. For each phase, specific tools or methodologies are used: focus groups, social network analysis, theory of change, life-cycle assessment, and on-farm experiments. Each phase is illustrated with results obtained in Colombia or Honduras.
Prestoea acuminata is a highland clonal palm traditionally used as a source of palm hearts by the Awá Indians of Colombia and Ecuador; its commercial use thrived in the 1980´s. Extraction pressure on the resource is particularly strong during Holy Week, as campesinos use it as a substitute for meat. We studied P. acuminata demography at La Planada Reserve, southwestern Colombia, and elaborated a ramet-based matrix model to assess the impact of different palm heart harvest regimes. The 1.5 ha study area had 1182 genets, composed of 5389 ramets. Harvestable stems were 23-40 years old and accounted for 0.32% of the stable stage distribution (SSD). Ramet population asymptotic growth rate was 1.0485, and was more sensitive to changes in the survival of stemless ramets. Observed stage distribution (OSD) differed from predicted SSD, which suggests the population was exhibiting transient dynamics. As our census was conducted four years after a severe ENSO, we argue that the OSD could be reflecting this environmental disturbance. Thus, harvest simulations must be interpreted with caution. Although P. acuminata ramets are abundant at La Planada, the typical genet architecture, with many stemless ramets (20) and only 1-2 stems appropriate for palm heart extraction, accounts for a very low resource yield (127 palm hearts ha -1 in our survey). This, and its slow growth rate, make P. acuminata suitable only for household extraction. As harvest has a strong effect on sexual recruitment, we recommend a maximum annual extraction of 10% of harvestable ramets. Key words: Arecaceae, La Planada, Matrix ProjectionResumen Prestoea acuminata es una palma clonal de tierras altas utilizada tradicionalmente como fuente de palmito por los indígenas Awá de Colombia y Ecuador, que fue explotada comercialmente en los años 1980's. La presión de extracción sobre el recurso es particularmente fuerte durante la Semana Santa, pues los campesinos lo consumen en reemplazo de la carne. Para evaluar el impacto de diferentes regímenes de cosecha, estudiamos la demografía de P. acuminata en la Reserva La Planada, suroccidente de Colombia, y elaboramos un modelo matricial para los rametes. Las 1.5 ha estudiadas tenían 1182 genetes compuestos de 5389 rametes. Los tallos cosechables tenían 23-40 años y representaron el 0.32% de la distribución estable de estados (SSD). La tasa de crecimiento asintótico para los rametes fue de =1.0485, siendo más afectada por cambios en la supervivencia de los rametes sin tallo. La distribución observada de estados (OSD) y la SSD estimada fueron significativamente diferentes, lo que sugiere que la población estaba atravesando por dinámicas transitorias. Dado que nuestro censo se llevó a cabo cuatro años depués de un severo El Niño, argumentamos que la distribución observada podría estar reflejando esta perturbación ambiental. Por lo tanto, las simulaciones de cosecha deben ser interpretadas con precaución. Aunque los rametes de P. acuminata son abundantes en La Planada, la arquitectura típica de un genete, con m...
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