Trends, drivers and impacts of changes in swidden cultivation in tropical forest-agriculture frontiers: A global assessment

Vliet, N. Van; Mertz, Ole; Heinimann, Andreas; Langanke, Tobias; Pascual, Unai; Schmook, Birgit; Adams, Cristina; Schmidt‐Vogt, Dietrich; Messerli, Peter; Leisz, Stephen J.; Castella, Jean-Christophe; Jørgensen, Lars; Birch‐Thomsen, Torben; Hett, Cornelia; Bech-Bruun, Thilde; Ickowitz, Amy; Vu, Kim Chi; Kono, Yasuyuki; Fox, Jefferson; Padoch, Christine; Dressler, Wolfram; Ziegler, Alan D.

doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.10.009

Cited by 503 publications

(457 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…Over the last years, intensification has been brought into international scientific and political debate as a response to the steadily increasing demand for agricultural products (Barretto et al, 2013). Across the tropics, agricultural intensification is often spurred on by governmental policies (Van Vliet et al, 2012) and has also become central to policy formulation on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), a climate mitigation strategy included in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. For example, countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, Mozambique, Madagascar or Indonesia are adopting agriculture intensification policies to discourage 'slash-and-burn' agriculture and seek to 'increase productivity and sedentary lifestyles' of 50% of its subsistence farmers by 2030 to reduce pressure on forests (World Bank, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intensification of cattle ranching production systems: socioeconomic and environmental synergies and risks in Brazil

Latawiec

Strassburg

Valentim

et al. 2014

Animal

116

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Intensification of Brazilian cattle ranching systems has attracted both national and international attention due to its direct relation with Amazon deforestation on the one hand and increasing demand of the global population for meat on the other. Since Brazilian cattle ranching is predominantly pasture-based, we particularly focus on pasture management. We summarize the most recurrent opportunities and risks associated with pasture intensification that are brought up within scientific and political dialogues, and discuss them within the Brazilian context. We argue that sustainable intensification of pasturelands in Brazil is a viable way to increase agricultural output while simultaneously sparing land for nature. Since environmental degradation is often associated with low-yield extensive systems in Brazil, it is possible to obtain higher yields, while reversing degradation, by adopting practices like rotational grazing, incorporation of legumes and integrated crop-livestock-forestry systems. Technical assistance is however essential, particularly for small-and medium-scale farmers. Sound complementary policies and good governance must accompany these measures so that a 'rebound effect' does not lead to increased deforestation and other adverse social and environmental impacts. It is also important that animal welfare is not compromised. Although the discussion is presented with respect to Brazil, some aspects are relevant to other developing countries.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intensification of cattle ranching production systems: socioeconomic and environmental synergies and risks in Brazil

Latawiec

Strassburg

Valentim

et al. 2014

Animal

116

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“…While our model was illustrative, rather than predictive, and should not be overinterpreted (21), it highlights the possible impacts of agricultural intensification to long-term tenability of conservation incentives such as REDD+, and highlights underinvestigated issues such as the importance of recurring conservation incentives and viability of financial versus nonfinancial incentives. Agricultural policy must further account for a range of other interacting factors, including impacts on livelihoods and food security (15), and on-and off-site environmental impacts (8,22), including carbon stocks (12) and noncarbon greenhouse gasses (17). However, there remain significant gaps between our scientific understandings of the complexity of agricultural technologies and the associated policies (11).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, Nepal, Liberia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Argentina, Kenya, and Indonesia are adopting agriculture intensification policies to discourage "slash-and-burn" agriculture (also swidden, shifting, or rotational agriculture; [11][12][13][14]. These extensive farming systems are prevalent across the tropics, but are being widely replaced by more intensive agriculture, often spurred by government policies (15). Policies that restrict extensive farming in an effort to curb deforestation may essentially impose an intensification agenda (13).…”

Section: Intensification To Reduce Deforestationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural intensification escalates future conservation costs

Phelps

Carrasco

Webb

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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173

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The supposition that agricultural intensification results in land sparing for conservation has become central to policy formulations across the tropics. However, underlying assumptions remain uncertain and have been little explored in the context of conservation incentive schemes such as policies for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, conservation, sustainable management, and enhancement of carbon stocks (REDD+). Incipient REDD+ forest carbon policies in a number of countries propose agricultural intensification measures to replace extensive "slash-andburn" farming systems. These may result in conservation in some contexts, but will also increase future agricultural land rents as productivity increases, creating new incentives for agricultural expansion and deforestation. While robust governance can help to ensure land sparing, we propose that conservation incentives will also have to increase over time, tracking future agricultural land rents, which might lead to runaway conservation costs. We present a conceptual framework that depicts these relationships, supported by an illustrative model of the intensification of key crops in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a leading REDD+ country. A von Thünen land rent model is combined with geographic information systems mapping to demonstrate how agricultural intensification could influence future conservation costs. Once postintensification agricultural land rents are considered, the cost of reducing forest sector emissions could significantly exceed current and projected carbon credit prices. Our analysis highlights the importance of considering escalating conservation costs from agricultural intensification when designing conservation initiatives.swidden | slash and burn | land use change | payment for ecoysystem services | biodiversity N ovel conservation policies for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation and through the conservation, sustainable management, and enhancement of carbon stocks (REDD+) have been deployed in more than four dozen tropical developing countries (1, 2). These propose to financially compensate countries that improve forest conservation and management to reduce emissions and mitigate against climate change. The pantropical initiative has the potential to recruit billions of dollars in annual conservation finance (3) and is the focus of United Nations negotiations and multi-and bilateral agreements between industrialized and developing nations (2). Moreover, REDD+ interventions have the potential to yield knock-on effects, including cobenefits for biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation (3). These incipient REDD+ schemes involve a broad range of conservation interventions, ranging from protected areas establishment, improved environmental governance, and agricultural intensification to motivate land sparing. Intensification to Reduce DeforestationAgricultural intensification-increasing agricultural inputs to improve per-hectare yields rather than expanding land under cultivation-is o...

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“…However, those countries in which poor soils are abundant may benefit substantially from agricultural innovations that include biochar (Crane-Droesch et al 2013;Barrett and Bevis 2015;FAO 2013a). Further, the lack of research being done in poor tropical countries may result in researchers missing local and indigenous innovations that could enhance biochar efficacy where it is most needed (van Vliet et al 2012;Nigh and Diemont 2013;Miltner and Coomes 2015). Thus, to realize the potential benefits of biochar in poor tropical countries we need cooperation (e.g.…”

Section: Conclusion and Implication For Future Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biochar research activities and their relation to development and environmental quality. A meta-analysis

Mehmood

García

Schirrmann

et al. 2017

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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Trends, drivers and impacts of changes in swidden cultivation in tropical forest-agriculture frontiers: A global assessment

Cited by 503 publications

References 114 publications

Intensification of cattle ranching production systems: socioeconomic and environmental synergies and risks in Brazil

Intensification of cattle ranching production systems: socioeconomic and environmental synergies and risks in Brazil

Agricultural intensification escalates future conservation costs

Biochar research activities and their relation to development and environmental quality. A meta-analysis

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