Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants

Framework for participatory food security research in rural food value chains

Sustainable agricultural development is fundamental to food security and poverty alleviation, notably in developing countries. Many development initiatives focus on the enhancement of smallholder production and productivity because the majority of poor people in developing countries live in rural areas where agriculture is the main source of livelihood. The consequences of these development initiatives need to be assessed before implementation to reduce the risk of possible negative impacts. This can be done by applying ex ante sustainability impact assessment. Here, we compare methods of assessment of sustainability impact for farming interventions. We review methodological approaches and verify whether the requirements of sustainability impact assessment theory are fulfilled. Our major points are the following: (1) main methodological approaches do not fulfill the requirements defined in the theoretical sustainability impact assessment discourse. (2) The active involvement of different stakeholder groups throughout the assessment process and the possibility of learning and exchange are fundamental to sustainability impact assessment. (3) The institutional dimension of sustainability is not yet sufficiently integrated. We therefore suggest institutional criteria and indicators to be also considered in the sustainability impact assessment framework. We argue that sustainability impact assessment, respecting the interactive involvement of all stakeholder groups throughout the whole process, is a compulsory element in project planning for a sustainable agricultural development in developing countries.

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Methods to assess farming sustainability in developing countries. A review

Regional impact assessment of land use scenarios in developing countries using the FoPIA approach: findings from five case studies.

The goal of China's sloping land conversion programme (SLCP) is to combat soil erosion and to reduce rural poverty. An ex-ante assessment of possible SLCP impacts was conducted with a focus on rural sustainability, taking the drought-prone region of Guyuan in Western China as an example. The Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment (FoPIA) was used to conduct two complementary impact assessments, one assessing SLCP impacts at regional level and a second one assessing alternative forest management options, to explore possible trade-offs among the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Regional stakeholders assessed the SLCP to be capable of reducing soil erosion but felt it negatively affected rural employment, and a further continuation of the Programme was advocated. Assessment of three forest management scenarios by scientists showed that an orientation towards energy forests is potentially beneficial to all three sustainability dimensions. Ecological forests had disproportionate positive impacts on environmental functions and adverse impact on the other two sustainability dimensions. Economic forests were assessed to serve primarily the economic and social sustainability dimensions, while environmental impacts were still tolerable. The FoPIA results were evaluated against the available literature on the SLCP. Overall, the assessment results appeared to be reasonable, but the results of the regional stakeholders appeared to be too optimistic compared with the more critical assessment of the scientists. The SLCP seems to have the potential to tackle soil erosion but requires integrated forest management to minimize the risk of water stress while contributing to economic and social benefits in Guyuan. Copyright (C) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Assessing the impact of the sloping land conversion programme on rural sustainability in Guyuan, Western China

Environmental threats and progressive degradation of natural resources are considered critical impediments to sustainable development. This paper reports on a participatory impact assessment of alternative soil and water conservation (SWC) scenarios in the Oum Zessar watershed, Tunisia. The first objective was to assess the impact of three SWC scenarios on key social, economic and environmental land use functions. The second objective was to test and evaluate the applicability of the ‘Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment (FoPIA)’ for assessing scenario impacts in the context of a developing country, in this case Tunisia. The assessed scenarios included: the originally planned SWC policy implementation at 85 % coverage of arable land of the watershed, the current implementation (70 %), and a hypothetical expansion of SWC measures to the entire watershed (100 %). Our results suggest that implementation of the SWC policy at 100 % coverage of arable land achieves the maximum socioeconomic benefit. However, if stakeholders’ preferences regarding land use functions are taken into account, and considering the fact that the implementation of SWC measures also implies some negative changes to traditional landscapes and the natural system, SWC implementation at 85 % coverage of arable land might be preferable. The FoPIA approved to be a useful tool for conducting a holistic sustainability impact assessment of SWC scenarios and for studying the most intriguing sustainability problems while providing possible recommendations towards sustainable development. We conclude that participatory impact assessment contributes to an enhanced regional understanding of key linkages between policy effects and sustainable development, which provides the foundation for improved policy decision making.

Participatory Impact Assessment of Soil and Water Conservation Scenarios in Oum Zessar Watershed, Tunisia

Land degradation in the arid Jeffara Region, Tunisia.

In recent years, farmers in Beja, an agricultural governorate in northwestern Tunisia, have expressed their willingness to use urban sewage sludge as agricultural fertilizer, especially with the unavailability of chemical fertilizers and the soil type of the region that is poor in organic matter. However, there is an imbalance between the important farmers’ demand versus the limited quantity of sludge produced by the Beja wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In the face of this, this study aims to identify the problems related to the agricultural reuse of sludge in Beja and propose solutions to solve them. The quality of the sludge produced by the five Beja WWTPs was assessed based on physicochemical and microbiological parameters. The data were collected using the Delphi method, with 15 experts representing different positions on the issue treated. The SWOT-AHP methodology was used to define the strategies promoting the sustainable use and management of urban sewage sludge for sustainable agricultural development in Beja. Results showed that there were no problems with compliance with the Tunisian standards NT 106.20 for the sludge produced. A set of twelve practical conclusions was identified, constituting the strategies of Strengths–Opportunities, Strengths–Threats, Weaknesses–Opportunities, and Weaknesses–Threats deduced from the SWOT-AHP.

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How Can Sewage Sludge Use in Sustainable Tunisian Agriculture Be Increased?

Critical analysis of land use policies

EnglishSustainable development strategies are regarded today as a tool to improve the living conditions and alleviate poverty of population, above all in rural areas. The aim of this work is to focus on the current state of sustainable development in Tunisia with a view to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). To this end we shall analyze preliminarily some spatial data applied to a set of development indicators by means of the principal components analysis method (PCA) to highlight regional disparities at the governorate level and above all disparities between Tunisian coastal and inland regions. francaisA l�heure actuelle, les strategies de developpement durable apparaissent comme un moyen utile pour ameliorer les conditions de vie des populations et lutter contre la pauvrete, surtout en milieu rural. Dans le present travail, nous allons parcourir la situation du developpement durable en Tunisie a la lumiere des acquis enregistres dans le pays et ce, en vue de la realisation des Objectifs du Millenaire pour le Developpement (OMD). Ainsi, nous allons evaluer a titre exploratoire des donnees spatiales appliquees a un ensemble d�indicateurs de developpement, moyennant la methode d�Analyse en Composantes Principales (ACP), pour mettre en evidence les disparites regionales entre les gouvernorats et surtout, l�inegalite territoriale entre les regions cotieres et interieures du pays.

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Nadia Ounalli

Papers

Participatory Impact Assessment of Soil and Water Conservation Scenarios in Oum Zessar Watershed, Tunisia

Land degradation in the arid Jeffara Region, Tunisia.

How Can Sewage Sludge Use in Sustainable Tunisian Agriculture Be Increased?

Critical analysis of land use policies

Objectifs du millénaire pour le développement: réalisation et disparités régionales en Tunisie