Expert views about farming practices delivering carbon sequestration in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Expert views about farming practices delivering carbon sequestration in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems"

Adela Park
5 years ago
Views:

19th Meeting of the FAO-CIHEAM Mountain Pastures sub-network Mountain pastures and livestock farming facing uncertainty: environmental, technical and socio economic

1 19th Meeting of the FAO-CIHEAM Mountain Pastures sub-network Mountain pastures and livestock farming facing uncertainty: environmental, technical and socio economic challenges Expert views about farming practices delivering carbon sequestration in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems Tamara Rodríguez-Ortega, Alberto Bernués & Ana Olaizola

2 Introduction Pasture based livestock systems (vs. intensification) GHG emissions (per product unit) Ecosystem services global warming ( climate change) Social welfare CARBON SEQUESTRATION

Framework: Farmers Farming practices (FP) Willingness to pay (WTP) Payments for ES

3 Introduction Objective: evaluate, according to expert knowledge, the contribution of farming practices to carbon sequestration (CS) in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems Framework: Farmers Farming practices (FP) Willingness to pay (WTP) Payments for ES (PES) allocated by FP contribution to ES Ecosystem services (ES) Policy makers Society

4 Introduction Objective: evaluate, according to expert knowledge, the contribution of farming practices to carbon sequestration (CS) in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems Framework: Farmers Farming practices (FP) Willingness to pay (WTP) Payments for ES (PES) allocated by FP contribution to ES Policy makers Society

Material and methods Starting point 66 farming practices on relevant ES

farms in Aragón (SP) Delphi panel Questionnaire: Description of

data and self-appraisal knowledge about CS (& other ES): on expert 1:

CS: 0: none, 1: very low 5: very high; Don t know Experts on

5 Material and methods Starting point 66 farming practices on relevant ES (CS and others), EU report 10 monitored sheep and mixed sheep-crops farms in Aragón (SP) Delphi panel Questionnaire: Description of mountain and semiarid lowlands Mediterranean agro-ecosystems Personal data and self-appraisal knowledge about CS (& other ES): on expert 1: very low 5: very high Positive contribution of 26 farming practices on CS: 0: none, 1: very low 5: very high; Don t know Experts on agriculture environment: Researchers (n = 28) Technicians/managers (n = 28) 1 st round 2 nd round

6 Material and methods Contribution of farming practices on CS: Contribution on CS Farming practices Scores % 1 st respondents' scores* respondents scores Total score nd " " " " n th " " All Total score 100 % *Scores (Likert scale) with and without ponderation by self-appraisal: x 0.2 (very low), 0.4 (low), 0.6 (intermediate), 0.8 (high) and 1 (very high knowledge) Differences between the expert categories' valuations: Kruskal-Wallis test

7 No. of respondents No. of respondents Results and discussion Expert knowledge about ES (self-appraisal) a) Researchers 20 Very low 15 Low 10 Intermediate 5 High 0 Biodiversity conservation Carbon sequestration Very high b) Technicians/managers 20 Very low 15 Low 10 Intermediate 5 High 0 Biodiversity conservation Carbon sequestration Very high

8 Results and discussion Contribution of farming practices to CS Few differences between expert categories 1. Maintaining semi-natural vegetation 2. Utilizing manure correctly 3. Maintaining grasslands 4. Retention of hedges, shrubs and trees among arable fields 5. Reducing ploughing/tilling 6. Active management of forest (forestry/silviculture) 7. Retention of high proportion of semi-natural meadow and pluri-annual crops 8. Reducing off-farm dependency 9. Reducing chemical fertilizers 10. Adapting stocking rate to the carrying capacity of agro-ecosystem 11. Reducing use of machinery 12. Growing crop varieties with lower requirements 13. Growing locally adapted crop varieties and breeds 14. Utilizing cover crops 15. Reducing proportion of animal concentrates 16. Maintaining fallows in rotation 17. Utilizing crop rotations, including legumes 18. Grazing in semi-natural habitats 19. Grazing in remote and abandoned areas 20. Crop diversification 21. Retention terraces 22. Extend grazing period 23. Substituting bare fallow for green/seeding fallow 24. Maintaining meadow mowing 25. Moving herds seasonally 26. Grazing with several species With self-appraisal Contribution (%) 2,5 3 3,5 4 4,5 5 Without self-appraisal Semi-natural vegetation Manure Grasslands Vegetation among fields Tilling/ploughing farming practices= 100% contribution

9 Conclusion Carbon sequestration was less known than other ES provided by Mediterranean agro-ecosystems Experts rated the highest those farming practices related to management of vegetation (semi-natural vegetation; grasslands; vegetation among arable fields) and soils (manuring; ploughing/tilling) Assessment of farming practices and CS, integrated with other important ES, allows comparing their relative contribution, so we could reward different farming practices according to policy priorities and social demands

10 Thanks for your attention Tamara Rodríguez-Ortega, Alberto Bernués & Ana Olaizola

Expert views about farming practices delivering carbon sequestration in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems

Expert views about farming practices delivering carbon sequestration in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems Rodríguez-Ortega T., Bernués A., Olaizola A.M. in Casasús I. (ed.), Lombardi G. (ed.). Mountain pastures