Changes in social and environmental conditions in many rural areas are undermining soil and water quality along with ecological processes and functions. An international team of researchers is investigating whether a participatory approach can be applied to engage local stakeholders in a process that builds on and modifies traditional practices to better conserve soils, improve productivity, and increase the resilience of farming communities. Research questions include: (a) What practical options exist to increase the resilience and sustainable intensification of farming systems? (b) Can improved methods be applied with counterpart institutions, entrepreneurs and farmers to better monitor and evaluate impacts of technical assistance? Methods include outreach and engagement with researchers, extensionists, community leaders and farmers to prioritize indicators (Delphi approach), support for capacity-building, and analysis of how improved technologies can be integrated with local social structures and land management practices. The objectives of this project are to develop and test a systematic approach for stakeholder engagement and for monitoring progress toward defined sustainability goals.
Results/Conclusions
Lessons learned to date are shared from applying the approach in two contrasting agricultural landscapes: the Yaqui Valley in northern Mexico and the Department of Huehuetenango in the western highlands of Guatemala. The Mexico case includes stakeholders with modern equipment and technology on irrigated farms, whereas the Western Highlands case focuses on small, traditional milpa farmers on rain-fed, hillside plots. Results include a rapid appraisal approach that evolved from the field work, and distinct sets of practical indicators for assessing progress toward sustainable agricultural landscapes that emerge from the two case studies. For the Guatemala case, findings are synthesized from the Buena Milpa project, a partnership between Guatemala’s Agricultural Science and Technology Institute (ICTA) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) which aims to implement a sustainable intensification strategy while enhancing ecological conditions. In Guatemala, nutrition and employment indicators are high priorities and improving locally adapted seeds, technical assistance and market intelligence are found to support more resilient milpa systems with social, economic and environmental benefits. In Mexico, an initial list of 45 indicators was systematically narrowed to 25 endorsed measures, and then seven involving baseline and targets for soil quality, productivity, biodiversity, vulnerability, poverty, transparency, and crop diversity.