Enhancing ecosystem services and indicators

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Enhancing ecosystem services and indicatorsSession “beyond productivity : multiple criteria for

assessing performance of agriculture systems”

Etienne HainzelinIn collaboration with Cirad researchers

International Symposium on Agroecology for Food Security and Nutrition

Kunming, August 2016

Outline

1. A radically new way of looking at agriculture performance

2. Agroecology enhances specific ecosystem services for production and is expected to lower negative externalities

3. How to “measure” ecosystem services?

4. Some illustrative examples

5. Few words of conclusion

1. A radically new meaning of agriculture performance

D’après Dabouineau et Ponsero, extrait « Le râle d’eau », vol. 137 : 9-7, 2009

Natural ecosystems Intensive cereal crop Crop with restaured ecosystemic services

Water quality

Floodregulation

Habitatpreservation

Forestproduction

Carbonsequestration

Pestregulation

Air quality

Production

Water quality

Floodregulation

Habitatpreservation

Forestproduction

Carbonsequestration

Pestregulation

Air quality

Production

Water quality

Floodregulation

Habitatpreservation

Forestproduction

Carbonsequestration

Pestregulation

Air quality

Production

Visualisation of ecosystem services with different cropping systems (service value from 0 to 8)

Ecosystem services are “all the contributions, direct and indirect, that people obtain from

ecosystems” (De Groot et al. 2010) MEA 2006

2. Agroecology mobilizes and enhances specific ecosystem services for production and is expected to lower negative externalities

Natural resources / ecosystem services

Inputs

Products / biomass

Positive externalities

Negative externalities

Conventionally intensified

farmingsystems

Compared intensitivity of cropping systems (adapted from M. Griffon 2013)

Natural resources / ecosystem services

Inputs

Products / biomass

Positive externalities

Negative externalities

Agroecology- “Ecologically intensified”

farming systems

Compared intensitivity of cropping systems (adapted from M. Griffon 2013)

3. How to “measure” these ecosystem services?

MEA 2006

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) :1. provisioning services2. regulating services3. cultural services4. supporting services The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB, 2008) :1. provisioning services2. regulating services3. habitat services4. cultural and amenity services

The Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES, 2013)

IPBES…

In Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES). Discussion paper 2013 European Union Technical Report - 2013 - 067

The Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES)

In Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES). Discussion paper 2013 European Union Technical Report - 2013 - 067

Accompanying classification of abiotic outputs from natural systems (CICES Provisional)

Some key questions around measuring ecosystem services

1. Some ecosystem services are difficult to measure either because their production process is not well known, or because their very nature are qualitative and subjective like “cultural services”. 2. Inevitably, the common metrics used is an economic value which is not always compatible with the nature of services and presents fundamental limitations (human well-being centered, non-adequation of the “utility and rarity” concept, intrinsic value different from market value, etc.) 3. Indicators do not generally catch the importance of the time factor, whereas many ecosystem services evolves over long periods of time, with threshold mechanisms and irreversibility.

4. Some illustrative examples of agroecological pratices

Erosion

Example 1. conservation agriculture in Mato Grosso

Source. L. Seguy et al., (2009) La symphonie inachevée du semis direct dans Brésil central http.//agroecologie.cirad.fr/librairie_virtuelle

Erosion

Source. L. Seguy et al., (2009) La symphonie inachevée du semis direct dans Brésil central http.//agroecologie.cirad.fr/librairie_virtuelle

Example 1. conservation agriculture in Mato Grosso

6-8 t/ha

12-22 t/ha

Pest and disease control

Nutrient recycling

Structure and C and N input in soils

Forage production

Water balance

Labor and cost reduction

Functions and services beyond production

Erosion control

Increasing soil biological activity

Principles

Weed control (allelopathy)

Conservation agriculture and ecosystem services

No-tillage

Mulch

Diversification

Agriculture de conservation en Afrique (FAO)

Example 1. Conservation agriculture in Africa

Projet Abaco Cirad

Projet Abaco Cirad Rusinamhodzia L. et al. 2015 Maize crop residue uses and trade-offs on smallholder crop-livestock farms in Zimbabwe: Economic implications of intensification. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 214 (2015) 31–45

Strong limitation to extension of conservation agriculture because economic value of crop residues is generally better as feed than as mulch.

Managing tradeoffs….

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Example 2. The Zaï technique in Sahelian regions

Exemple de Karim Ouedraogo

Environment « aggradation »

Few crop residues creating organic matter, seeds and water traps and reinitiating biological activity

Biological activity enhanced and growth of ligneous species

Guiera senegalensis

Domesticating native evergreen woody shrub

Piliostigma reticulatum

Zaï technique and ecosystem services

- « inputs services » : restart soil biology and nutrient cycle, N fixation

- environmental services :, soil structure, termite and pedogenesis, organic matter and water dynamics, antierosion, habitat for auxiliary biodiversity and pollination, C budget and sequestration

- Cultural services and amenities: restauration of dry forest landscape

Mulch, forage or firewood ?

Managing trade-offs …

Example 3 Agroforestry: (re)-introducing trees in annual crops

From planned associated cropping …… to complex agroforests

Photo C. Dupraz

Photo C. Dupraz

Photo C. Dupraz

Agroforestry

Agriculture

Forest

… 100 ha agroforestry produce as much wood and food products as 160 ha conventional separate cropping.

100 ha 160 haAgroforestry with

intensive cereal cropConventionnal

separate cropping

Source: Dupraz et al, INRA

~

Agroforestry and ecosystem services

- « inputs services » : reduction or substitution of N, P2O5, pesticides (local provision)

- environmental services : micro-climate favorable for crops (shade, windbreak, etc.), water dynamics, anti-lixiviation and anti-erosion effects, habitat for auxiliary biodiversity and pollination (local provision), C budget and sequestration, climate mitigation (regional and global provision)

- Cultural services and amenities: landscape beauty, recreational use, etc.

Agroforestry and ecosystem services

- « inputs services » : reduction or substitution of N, P2O5, pesticides (local provision)

- environmental services : micro-climate favorable for crops (shade, windbreak, etc.), water dynamics, anti-lixiviation and anti-erosion effects, habitat for auxiliary biodiversity and pollination (local provision), C budget and sequestration, climate mitigation (regional and global provision)

- Cultural services and amenities: landscape beauty, recreational use, etc.

Increase of biological control of pests

Source: INRA, ENSAT, AGROOF

Populations of specialized and non-specialized pollinators in cocoa crops under three different agroforestry status

GES balance in 2 different coffee crops in Costa Rica

Source: Hergoualc’h, 2007

-16

-14

-12

-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

0

2

4

Biomasse et litière

Sol Emission N2O

Emission CH4 Bilan

Caféier en système agroforestier

Caféier seul

Flux (t eq. CO2 / ha

/ an)

Conclusions - Agroecology is the science of complexity and of

locality. It is the opposite of “applying recipes”;- Ecosystem cannot be fragmented: boundaries

disappear under the pressure;- Ecosystem space must be seen in 4D. Time, and

especially “long time” is fundamental.- Managing tradeoffs is key and criteria are not the

same at different scales

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Bouthan, 2011

Thanks for your attention