Food sovereignty: an alternative paradigm for poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation in Latin America

Chappell, M. Jahi; Wittman, Hannah; Bacon, Christopher M.; Ferguson, Bruce G.; Barrios, Luis García; Barrios, Raúl García; Jaffee, Daniel; Lima, Jefferson; Méndez, V. Ernesto; Morales, Helda; Pinto, Lorena Soto; Vandermeer, John; Perfecto, Ivette

doi:10.12688/f1000research.2-235.v1

Cited by 92 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 173 publications

(184 reference statements)

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“…It is now well accepted that members of rural communities are creative agents with knowledge, values, and skills capable to create and deploy innovative solutions to contemporary conservation challenges that reflect their desires, ethical considerations, and aspirations (Davidson-Hunt et al 2012;Minteer and Miller 2011;Wyndham et al 2011). Moreover, these capabilities are needed to generate alternatives that circumvent regional poverty traps and provide stronger local investments in wildlife conservation (Chappell et al 2013). However, although in global discourses of conservation sustainable management plays a large role in the conservation of economically valuable species (Robinson 2011), this discourse is not well represented in the SGBR, despite recent attempts to provide community members with direct benefits and to implement management programs for some valuable species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In such situations, economic activity is strongly regulated by the State (i.e., federal government), but many local institutions have been weakened by the modernizing influence of the State or private sector and further disrupted by emigration and other economic dynamics. Thus, people are inadequately empowered to deal with HWC and might feel that wildlife is given priority over their own needs (Chappell et al 2013;Knight 2006;Madden 2004;Taylor and García-Barrios 1999). This produces complexity in rural livelihood patterns, so that understanding relations with wildlife and psychological attitudes depends on adopting contingency-bound social analysis (e.g., Zimmermann 2009a, 2009b;Kaltenborn et al 2006;Manfredo and Dayer 2004;Marker et al 2003;Palmeira et al 2008;Sitati et al 2003Sitati et al , 2005Tourenq et al 2001;Treves and Karanth 2003;Zimmermann et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ethnobiology, Political Ecology, and Conservation

Wolverton

Nolan

Ahmed

2014

Journal of Ethnobiology

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Ethnobiology is increasingly recognized from within and outside of its boundaries as interdisciplinary. The Society of Ethnobiology defines the field as “the scientific study of dynamic relationships among peoples, biota, and environments.” Ethnobiologists are able to skillfully assess challenges of biocultural conservation across the divides of political ecology. They are situated to mediate between conservation programs that target biodiversity preservation with little concern for the needs of human communities, and those (such as the New Conservation movement) that privilege those needs. Ethnobiology also transcends the pervasive assumption in these fields that Western knowledge and economic goals should guide change. Because of ethnobiology's importance as a bridging discipline, it is important to ask what unifies ethnobiology. Is it common subject matter? Or, is there an underlying emphasis representing an “ethnobiological perspective?” Answers to these questions are explored here using content analysis and discourse-and-ideology analysis. We use the results to identify the unique roles ethnobiologists play in biocultural conservation. This analysis also proved useful in the systematic identification of four salient themes that unify ethnobiology—ethics in ethnobiology, shared environmental and cultural heritage, interdisciplinary science and non-science, and ecological understanding. How ethnobiologists conceive of themselves is critical for further enrichment of the field as interdisciplinary human-environmental scholarship, particularly in reference to biocultural conservation. Self-definition makes explicit the unique strengths of the field, which by its very nature integrates a sophisticated understanding of political ecology with appreciation of the value of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), social science, and the biological sciences.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnobiology, Political Ecology, and Conservation

Wolverton

Nolan

Ahmed

2014

Journal of Ethnobiology

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“…On the local farm level, changing agricultural land to other uses has negative economic, social and environmental effects (Altieri 2009;Chappell et al 2013;Patel 2009). Continued farming provides incomes and employment and, from a food sovereignty perspective, enables control of the resource base (i.e., the land and soil quality).…”

Section: Agricultural Land Change Food Security and Food Sovereigntymentioning

confidence: 99%

Preservation of Agricultural Land as an Issue of Societal Importance

Slätmo

2017

Rural Landscapes: Society, Environment, History

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Based on concerns about food security and food sovereignty, it is appropriate to scrutinise societal measures for protecting agricultural land from conversion to other uses. Changes from agricultural to urban land use are particularly problematic, as they are largely irreversible. By analysing relevant Swedish policy, the present study investigated how the protection of agricultural land is framed as an issue of societal importance. Protection of agricultural land is enshrined in Swedish law, but its use is still continually changing to housing and other constructions. In a structured policy analysis, two questions were examined: (1) what are the societal motives for protecting agricultural land in Sweden, and (2) how do these motives influence the governance of agricultural land? The meaning of 'national importance', 'suitable for cultivation' and 'significant national interests' in Swedish land-use law was also analysed. The results showed that formulations in the law reflect the ambivalent discourses on agricultural land preservation and that the Swedish authorities view other land uses as more important than agriculture.The Swedish governance system is currently built on trust that municipal institutions will make satisfactory decisions concerning land and water use. However, it has been shown that these decisions have not been satisfactory concerning the protection of agricultural land, and it is important to acknowledge that the sum of local decisions can be degrading for these life-supporting resources. The present analysis revealed a looming conflict between the preservation of soils for food production, on one hand, and local participation in decision making, on the other. This raises the question of whether it is more important to defend subsidiarity or to preserve certain resources which are important for food security, such as agricultural land.

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“…Other desirable outcomes, such as malaria mitigation (Mendenhall et al, 2013) or food security Mosaic of agriculture, agroforestry systems and forest in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Photo © Terry Sunderland (Thrupp, 2000;Chappell et al, 2013;) may be best provided by more diverse landscapes.…”

Section: Trade-offs and Choices At The Landscape Scalementioning

confidence: 99%

1. Forests, Trees and Landscapes for Food Security and Nutrition

Vira¹,

Agarwal²,

Jamnadass³

et al. 2015

Forests and Food: Addressing Hunger and Nutrition Across Sustainable Landscapes

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PrefaceConnecting the dots W ith the establishment of the Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) initiative in the year 2007, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) created an international mechanism which effectively links scientific knowledge with political decision-making on forests. The GFEP responds directly to key forest-related policy questions by consolidating available scientific knowledge and expertise on these questions at a global level. It provides decision-makers with the most relevant, objective and accurate information, and thus makes an essential contribution to international forest governance.This report entitled "Forests, Trees and Landscapes for Food Security and Nutrition" presents the results of the fourth global scientific assessment undertaken so far in the framework of GFEP. Previous assessments addressed the adaptation of forests and people to climate change; international forest governance; and the relationship between biodiversity, carbon, forests and people. All assessment reports were prepared by internationally recognised scientists from a variety of biophysical and social science disciplines. They have all been presented to decision-makers across relevant international policy fora. In this way, GFEP supports a more coherent policy dialogue about the role of forests in addressing broader environmental, social and economic challenges.The current report reflects the importance of policy coherence and integration more than any previous GFEP assessment. It comes at a time when the United Nations General Assembly seeks to adopt a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which build upon the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and converge with the post-2015 development agenda. In this context, the eradication of hunger, realisation of food security and the improvement of nutrition are of particular relevance. By 2050, the international community will face the challenge of providing 9 billion people with food, shelter and energy. Despite impressive productivity increases, there is growing evidence that conventional agricultural strategies will fall short of eliminating global hunger and malnutrition. The assessment report in hand provides comprehensive scientific evidence on how forests, trees and landscapes can be -and must be -an integral part of the solution to this global problem. In other words, we must connect the dots and see the bigger picture.The review of the International Arrangement on Forests by the member states of the United Nations Forum on Forests provides a unique opportunity to integrate forests into the SDGs in a holistic manner and to promote synergies in the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda across multiple levels of governance. It is my hope that those with a responsibility for forests, food security and nutrition at all levels will find this report, and its accompanying policy brief, a useful source of information and inspiration.

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Food sovereignty: an alternative paradigm for poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation in Latin America

Cited by 92 publications

References 173 publications

Ethnobiology, Political Ecology, and Conservation

Ethnobiology, Political Ecology, and Conservation

Preservation of Agricultural Land as an Issue of Societal Importance

1. Forests, Trees and Landscapes for Food Security and Nutrition

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