Assessing Agroforestry in Multifunctional Agriculture Mosaics:

Learning from the Landscape Measures Initiative

Louise E. Buck and Jeffrey C. Milder

Cornell University and Ecoagriculture Partners

Ecoagriculture

Landscapes managed to

secure rural livelihoods

and sustain agricultural

production – of crops,

livestock, fish and forests

– while conserving or

restoring biodiversity and

ecosystem services.

Theory of ecoagriculture

• Links farm or forest level actions to the broader ecosystem

• Integrates community based initiatives with wider regional perspectives

• Merges (agro) ecosystem thinking with related stakeholder processes

Value of the landscape perspective

Ecoagriculture and agroforestry

How does agroforestry practice contribute to ecoagriculture outcomes?

Landscape Measures Initiative (LMI)

• Consultation among diverse international organizations

• Field testing by Ecoagriculture Working Group partners and researchers

• Linking researchers & practitioners in collaborative management

Framework for measuring landscape performance

Plant pollination

Landscape Performance Scorecard

Directions: Score your landscape for each question below by circling a number on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 indicating very poor landscape performance and 5 indicating extremely high performance. The goals are stated to provide context for the questions. Conservation Goal: The landscape conserves, maintains, and restores wild biodiversity and ecosystem services Conservation Questions C1: Does the landscape contain an adequate quantity and suitable configuration of natural and semi-natural habitat to protect native biodiversity?

1 2 3 4 5

C2: Do natural and semi-natural habitats in the landscape approximate the composition and structure of the habitats historically found in the landscape?

1 2 3 4 5

C3: Are important species within the landscape biologically viable?

1 2 3 4 5

C4: Does the landscape provide locally, regionally, and globally important ecosystem services?

1 2 3 4 5

C5: Do productive areas of the landscape limit the degradation of nearby natural areas and aquatic resources?

1 2 3 4 5

Production Goal: The landscape provides for sustainable, productive, and ecologically compatible agricultural production systems. Production Questions P1: Do production systems respond to demand by internal (local) consumers and buyers, and by external buyers?

1 2 3 4 5

P2: Are production systems financially viable and can they adapt to changes in input and output markets?

1 2 3 4 5

P3: Are production systems resilient to disturbances, both natural and human?

1 2 3 4 5

P4: Do production practices have a neutral or positive impact on wild biodiversity and ecosystem services?

1 2 3 4 5

P5: Are species and varietal diversity of crops, livestock, fisheries and forests adequate and maintained?

1 2 3 4 5

Livelihood Goal: The landscape sustains or enhances the livelihoods and well-being of all social groups that reside there. Livelihood Questions L1: Are households and communities able to meet their basic needs while sustaining natural resources?

1 2 3 4 5

L2: Is the value of household and community income and assets increasing?

1 2 3 4 5

L3: Do households and communities have sustainable and equitable access to critical natural resource stocks and flows?

1 2 3 4 5

L4: Are people in the landscape able to adapt to changes in human and non-human (plant & animal) population dynamics?

1 2 3 4 5

Institutional Performance Scorecard

Characteristics

Financial Capacity

Human

Capacity

Demonstrated

leadership

Coordination with other

organizations

Effectiveness/

Influence

Name of Group or Organization

Longevity in the

Landscape

1-5

1-5

1-5

1-5

1-5

1-5

Total Score

Institutional Performance

Score (Total/5)

Public --National Authorities / Govt

Agriculture

Forest management

Conservation (protected areas) Rural development

Characteristic

Subtotal = Public; Regional & Local Authorities

Agriculture

Forest management

Conservation (protected areas) Rural development

Characteristic

Subtotal =

Local Groups and Organizations

Community-based organization (CBO) Farmer producer groups/networks Religious Organizations Traditional Groups

Characteristic

Subtotal =

Landscape Measures Scorecards

Landscape Measures Resource Center (LMRC)

Elements of the LMRCAssessment Process- Defining the approach- Engaging stakeholders- Understanding performance

criteria- Identifying indicators- Establishing a baseline- Tracking change

Measurement Practice- Conceptual tools- Communication tools- Planning tools- Scoring tools- Data collection tools- Gender analysis tools- Spatial analysis tools- Cross sectoral analysis tools

Case Studies - Characterize diverse entry points

- Typify diverse settings, situations,actors

- Illustrate applications of measurement activity and tools

Glossary - Creates a common language of landscape

measurement and management

Communication Forums - Page-specific comments – LMRC blog- Unit or topic-specific input – Forum

http:// landscapemeasures.org

Landscape assessment process

DEFINING THE APPROACH

DEFINING THE APPROACH

ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS

ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS

CREATING PERFORMANCE GOALS

AND CRITERIA

CREATING PERFORMANCE GOALS

AND CRITERIA

CHOOSING INDICATORSCHOOSING

INDICATORSESTABLISHING A

BASELINEESTABLISHING A

BASELINE

TRACKING CHANGE

TRACKING CHANGE

+ Feedback

Tool design – application – adaptation

• Biodiversity inventory in agroforestry setting

• Collaborative land cover mapping

• Georeferenced photo-documentation

• Landscape and institutional performance scoring

• Local livelihood analysis

Is the landscape moving in the right direction?

Balancing multiple desired outcomes

Landscape Measures Approach

• Processes and tools for assessing ecoagriculture landscape performance and negotiating outcomes

• Supports stakeholder- driven adaptive management embedded in a social learning process

Next Step – Proof of Concept

Testing for relevance of LM approach to diverse organizations engaged in integrated resource management

LM Proof of Concept Framework

Advancing tools to support diverse stakeholder capacities in: • Landscape literacy

• Landscape assessment & monitoring

• Landscape design

• Landscape negotiation & planning

Acknowledgements

• The Nature Conservancy

• The World Bank

• Royal Government of the Netherlands

• TerreAfrica

• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

• Numerous collaborating organizations

More Information

www.ecoagriculturepartners.org Landscape Measures Initiative

http://landscapemeasures.org