Farmers values drive the rehabilitation of land into forest gardens in Sri Lanka. Kamal Melvani, Bronwyn Myers, Natasha Stacey

Transcription

1 Farmers values drive the rehabilitation of land into forest gardens in Sri Lanka Kamal Melvani, Bronwyn Myers, Natasha Stacey

2 Quest for rehabilitation models that: Satisfy multiple goals of forest conservation/rehabilitation and food security Padoch & Sunderland (2014), Vira et al., (2015) Have the adaptive capacity for resilience to climate change, specifically rainfall variability FA0 (2010)

3 Forest gardens are tree dominant, have multiple strata, high species diversity and are similar in architectural structure and ecological function to native forests. Forest garden in Sri Lanka that is 108 years old

4 Forest gardens in Sri Lanka Forest garden Tea plantation Paddy Vegetable cash crops Ancient land use ~22 % land area and increasing in number (AgStat, 2016) Complement other land uses in farming enterprises

5 Farmers perspectives of value for land and crops Rarely included in policy making (Awasthi, 2014) Non-inclusion affects sustainability of land and agricultural livelihoods (Padoch et al., 2014) Farmers in Sri Lanka have a long history and knowledge of managing land and water (Pannabokke, 2002) Critical in building adaptive capacity to climate change and other stressors (Altieri et al., 2008)

6 Aim To investigate forest gardens as models for land rehabilitation using farmers perspectives of value. Objectives 1. Find out the context of valuation 2. Elicit farmers values as reflected in current strategies 3. Identify stressors that challenge values 4. Determine farmers future strategies in response to stress

7 Methods Data collection: 1st phase, n = 85 questionnaire & semi structured interviews 2nd phase, n = 45 open ended interviews 9 sampling locations Intermediate agroecological zone Data processing: Transcribe and translate interviews Code to draw

8 Results Context Values Stressors Strategies in response

9 Context Tenure Land conversion Landscape design

10 Tenure 45% of land bequeathed by ancestors 30% purchased Average age of ancestral land ~40 years Land conversions Wetland paddy field Forest chena forest garden Forest plantations Paddy field cash crops

11 Design in a landscape mosaic forest forest garden chena paddy field Many farmers initiated design after marriage and children Designs used mixtures of long and short-term crops

12 Aspects of tree-dominant landscape design Income I decided to cultivate long-term crops so that I could obtain income throughout the year F7, and higher income, F10 Food Mixed cropping on this land is principally meant to serve our food needs and then income F21 Biophysical aspects We have not cut down big trees because they will protect the land from soil erosion and prevent rocks from rolling down F21

13 We planted fruit trees and cultivate seasonal crops such as mung, cowpea, and others in the understory. Since fruits are important for consumption, we cultivate them to provide the family with good things to eat F34 2 year old forest garden

14 Values* Utility Environment Option Intrinsic Bequest *Farmers values segregated according to the Total Ecosystem framework

15 Utility Value* % farmers across locations Crop diversity 40 Food 59 Fuelwood 5 Timber 25 Medicine 2 Income 94 Low expense 16 Proximity to home 10 *Average value of all 9 location

16 Utility values Income The most important benefit is income and if anybody tells you anything else they will be lying. We need money to live F71 Food We thought to cultivate a diverse array of trees and plants to satisfy all our household needs and income F12 Fuelwood A great saving, otherwise we will have to buy fuelwood spending money F71 Timber We have constructed this house using timber from trees that we felled. Kalumadiriya was used for doorframes, coconut for rafters, jak for window frames, and mee for the roof F21

17 Environmental Value % farmers across locations Trees 56 Shade 56 Cool environment 57 Air quality 9 Leaf litter 61 Soil quality 83 Soil moisture 27 Reduced erosion 41 Ground water recharge 2 Ficus sp. Friendly biodiversity 86

18 Environmental values There is shade and it is a cool F13 Soil retains moisture F41 and does not dry out in drought F5 it Soil is more fertile now F61 our income has increased F5 More (animals) than earlier because trees create habitat F12 Ceylon lorikeet I hear birds singing and realise that the value of my land has increased F6

19 Intrinsic values Value % farmers across locations Aesthetic 9 Tranquility 32 Contentment 44 Pride 23 Farmer gazing at the mahogany tree he planted 20 years ago We feel happy because we have developed this land with our own hands. The mind is peaceful when sitting under a tree. We feel proud when we get income from the land F53

20 Optional Value % of farmers across locations Trees 40 We look at trees like money in the bank. Were some calamity to befall us, illness or an unfortunate event, we can convert the trees to cash and resolve our problem F23 Bequest Value % of farmers across locations Land 67...the land we got from our parents was cultivated when we received it. We have to develop these lands further and give them to our children F40

21 Stressors Animal and insect pests Impacts of pesticides Rainfall variability Labour non availability

22 Animal and insect pests We are losing up to 50 % of our crops to animal damage F71 Toque macaque Giant squirrel Fruit crops are impossible with monkeys who were earlier confined to forests but now enter our homes F12

23 Impact of pesticides Once we started using pesticides butterfly populations reduced. Now we rarely see even one! Bees are less now and this has impacted the pollination of crops and productivity of our land F40 Blue mormon roosting on a lime tree in a forest garden

24 Rainfall variability The pattern of rainfall has changed now F13, it does not come in time and what we receive is much less F51 paddy crop is more susceptible to pests and threatened with..fungal diseases F34 This leads to greater expense and decrease in income earned because yields are affected F13.

25 Non availability of labour Climate variability increased labour needs; Labour costs increased making cultivation uneconomical F79 Lack of skilled labour; we did not cultivate annual crops because there is no one to do the work F26 Farmers children reluctant to farm; Unfortunately our sons are not keen on stepping into a paddy field. F61

26 Strategies in response

27 Animal and insect stress Long-term crops trees bear for a long time F13 Cultivate crops that animals do not eat. One such crop is pepper F49 Decoy crops as alternate food for animals - Jak fruit In June the jak will ripen which monkeys can eat. This is when we cultivate groundnut and vegetables F5 Pepper vine on Areca palm

28 Rainfall variability Drought tolerant crops such as trees, vegetables including brinjal, and traditional paddy varieties. Diversify portfolio of land use or crops Since there is no water during the Yala, we grow vegetables during this season in paddy fields F61 Alter seasonal cultivation times there are 3 seasons in this area representing fourmonth cultivation blocks. The Yala starts in August and means that we harvest vegetable crops in November or December, then plant paddy and vegetables again F85

29 Labour non availability 97 percent farmers cultivated long-term crops because Perennial crops require little effort whereas short-term crops require continuous maintenance F51 Fifteen year old forest garden with Caryota urens in upper canopy, gliricidia, pepper, and

30 Discussion Livelihood security Sustainability Resilience

31 Livelihood security Secure tenure because of ancestral ownership (Degrande et al., 2006). Conversion to forest gardens ensured continuous, stable income because they were tree dominated. Sophisticated landscape designs with high crop diversity. Long-term (tree) timber crops easily convertible to cash (Dunham, 1992) assuring large outlays of present and future revenue (Brandt, 2012). Plantations and cash crops contributed immediate extra cash (Liyanage, 2004).

32 Sustainability Farmers values influenced the sustainability of land (Leiserowitz et al., 2006, Segnon et al., 2015). Food, income, fuelwood, medicine and other utility values from long and short-term crops (Sthapit et al., 2006). Environmental (Jose et al.,1993), option and bequest values from long-term crops. Intrinsic values for tree-dominant environments upheld through the ages (Calvet-Mir et al.,2012, Chandrakanth et al., 2004).

33 Resilience Accumulated knowledge and recent experience increased the capacity for farmers to design and manage land. Portfolio of diverse land uses offered livelihood choices in the face of rainfall variability (Vira et al., 2015). Cultivation of diverse crops, especially long-term (tree) crops, and altered cultivation times increased adaptive capacity to rainfall variability (Hoang et al., 2014). Main strategy to counter animal pests was the shift to non-fruit crops (pepper, betel, spices).

34 Conclusions Farmers value long-term crops (forest gardens) more than short-term crops because of the multiple benefits they derive from them. Farmers continue to maintain forest gardens despite stressors confirming that they are sustainable forest models.

35 Ayubowan!