Award details

SUSTAINPEAT: Overcoming barriers to sustainable livelihoods and environments in smallholder agricultural systems on tropical peatland

Reference	BB/P023533/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Sofie Sjogersten
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Professor Neil Crout, Professor Christopher Evans, Dr Stephanie Evers, Professor Susan Page, Professor Jeremy Roberts, Professor Caroline Upton, Professor Paul Wilson
Institution	University of Nottingham
Department	Sch of Biosciences
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	594,830
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/09/2017
End date	31/03/2021
Duration	43 months

Abstract

To achieve objective 1 we will carry out six months of field work in six pilot SHA communities to determinate C stock, GHG fluxes, agro-biodiversity yield and peat hydrology and nutrient status. To achieve objective 2 this object we will generate local data of local knowledge field work determining on the socio-economic status of SHA in our six pilot communities. This will be carried out using focus group discussion, community mapping exercises and semi structured surveys. To achieve objective 3 agro-economic and biophysical data will used to model the dynamic interaction between biotic, abiotic and human factors controls the status of peatlands in the pilot areas. Model analyses will be conducted to identify candidate alternative crops for each study site under a range of peat management scenarios in which the water table is maintained at different mean depths. Objective 4 will be achieved by identification, mapping and ranking of key ES for participating communities and participatory evaluation of ES trends and drivers. Methods used will include deliberative valuation approaches, mapping, ranking and choice modelling. The models will generate data and information with respect to the economic, agronomic and environmental implications of current practices and comparisons with alternative scenarios. This will be iteratively assessed by local communities to undertake modelling of smallholder income under current local use and assessments of the feasibility of different options to deliver objective 5.

Summary

This proposal aligns closely with 2 of the 5 agriculture and food system challenges identified in this BBSRC global challenges call namely (a) resilience of the food system to climatic variability and (b) agriculture within the context of the wider landscape. This project is designed to support environmental sustainability of important landscapes such as tropical peatlands (and the vital ecosystem services they provide) which is only possible if the socio-economic needs of local communities are combined with local knowledge. Thus, an interdisciplinary approach is a crucial component of delivering successful outcomes; this is embedded within our project. Communities living in the peatlands of SE Asia are especially relevant in this context due to their high rates of poverty and low resilience to environmental stressors (e.g. ENSO-driven droughts and floods, air pollution from peat/forest fires) in conjunction with their high exposure to external market forces. The project deliberately considers both Indonesia and Malaysia to allow us to contrast the impact of different within country policies with respect to peatland management. The novelty of the project revolves around a number of interrelated features. Firstly the study will provide a comprehensive account of the status of SHA on tropical peat swamps. It will do so via a dedicated study which will develop and employ an innovative framework tailored to the specific characteristics of SHA on peatlands. Not only will this generate high quality information concerning the current status and challenges facing SHA on peatland, but the framework will provide a transferable approach which can be employed to assess SHA in different areas and is upscalable to national and regional scales. The involvement of smallholders and other stakeholders will ensure rapid translation of research findings into planned proposals for practical action. Thirdly the project employs a holistic approach drawing on, and integrating interdisciplinary knowledge across national boundaries; this integration of the biophysical understanding of the crop and peat systems within a relevant socio-economic framework forms the basis of the research approaches. Importantly, this approach will explicitly develop an understanding of key local and scientific terminology reducing barriers to interdisciplinary research and enhancing prospects for adaptation and innovation uptake. There have been livelihood benefits from previous action-led approaches collaboratively undertaken by research teams and communities. However these have been narrowly discipline based; the breadth and depth of the research disciplines within this project and the peatland environment focus will provide further novelty and opportunities for impact. Fundamentally, our proposal makes an innovative contribution to support Malaysia and Indonesia in achieving their Sustainable Development Goals, specifically in relation to reducing poverty, achieving food security and improved nutrition, promoting sustainable agriculture, reducing land degradation, and reducing (economic) inequality between and within countries.

Impact Summary

This project is designed to enhance climate-resilient livelihoods amongst PSF-dependent smallholders, through improved food security/ sovereignty resulting from economically, environmentally and socially sustainable agricultural practices in environmentally sensitive peatland areas. Long term system resilience lies at the heart of this project which explicitly recognises the importance of the human component of SHA. The project will thus contribute to the economic development and welfare of LMICs, for whom these groups form a significant proportion of the population, as explicitly required in national development goals and policy commitments. This will be achieved by improving resource-dependent livelihoods, while simultaneously mitigating GHG emissions and protecting key ecosystem services across the wider landscape. Further potential health benefits arise for communities living within peatland and contiguous landscapes by reducing the detrimental health effects of air pollution and haze caused by peatland forest fires and use of potentially harmful agrochemicals as well as cultural values linked to natural rainforest environments. The prospect of a genuine development impact arises through the integration of biophysical understanding of the crop and peat systems within a context-relevant socio-economic framework.

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Crop Science, Plant Science, Soil Science
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	GCRF Foundation Awards for Global Agricultural and Food Systems Research (GCRF FA GAFSR) [2016]
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

I accept the terms and conditions of use (opens in new window)

export PDF file

back to list new search