18 pages, Agricultural Land-Use Change (ALUC) is a major driver of global environmental change, not least via its direct impact on the sustainability and resilience of the rural economy. Its drivers are complex and have remained contentious, necessitating further empirical study. This study aims to derive context-specific evidence on the driving factors and effects of ALUC from different stakeholders’ perceptions. We carried out household surveys and participatory rural appraisal across Benue State, Nigeria. ALUC has economic, social, ecological, and institutional implications for farmers and on agricultural productivity. Farmers perceived that the main factors driving ALUC were land conflict, government land-use policies and infrastructural development. Stakeholders’ perceptions revealed that although the factors driving ALUC are diverse in nature, they are somewhat embedded within the broader issue of land-use conflict, which has led to cropland abandonment, clearing of forest vegetation, soil degradation, changes from large scale to subsistence farming, and farmers’ eventual loss of interest in agriculture. This suggest that the drivers and implications of ALUC go beyond simple changes to the extent of land used for agriculture, but also incorporates other regional socio-ecological changes. Our study highlights the importance of stakeholders’ perceptions in understanding complex socio-ecological issues if we are to provide clear direction into areas where policy interventions are most needed.
Online from publisher., Author observes how the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is losing sight of the traditional mission of maintaining public lands and passing them intact to the next generation. "The BLM's mission is not ideological and does no give preference to certain land users. Its legal mandate calls for managing public lands for a variety of uses, treating energy generation and conservation equally. But now, the agency is losing sight of that mission."
Carmenta, Rachel (author), Coomes, David A. (author), DeClerck, Fabrice A.J. (author), Hart, Abigail K. (author), Harvey, Celia A. (author), Milder, Jeff (author), Reed, James (author), Vira, Bhaskar (author), and Estrada-Carmona, Natalia (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2020
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 132 Document Number: D11357
Online via open access., Researchers gathered survey data on 104 integrated landscape initiatives (ILIs) within Latin America and the Caribbean jurisdictions of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. Findings suggested four distinct strategies existed, two of which were only weakly integrated and another two of which were more ambitiously attempting integration, engaging more sectors and scales of governance, and targeting the structural barriers to sustainability.
USA: The Center for Good Integrity. Gladstone, Missouri.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 30 Document Number: D10561
Notes:
3 pages., Online from the Center for Food Integrity, Gladstone, Missouri., Features research results indicating that public conversation about the environment is growing and so is the scrutiny applied to consumption of natural resources. Information source urges producers to engage more actively.
Ranjan, Pranay (author), Wardropper, Chloe B. (author), Eanes, Francis R. (author), Reddy, Sheila M.W. (author), Harden, Seth C. (author), Masuda, Yuta J. (author), and Prokopy, Linda S. (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2019
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 130 Document Number: D11296
"To overcome barriers to conservation, interviewees recommended improving communication between NOLs [non-operating landowners] and operators and modifying cash rent lease terms in order to build in flexibility for equitable sharing of risks and rewards."
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D09318
Notes:
Online from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, New York City, New York. 5 pages., Interview with Beverly Bell on Berta Caceres and indigenous environmental activism. Caceres was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2015 for leading an indigenous campaign that successfully pressured the world's largest dam builder to pull out of the Agua Zarca Dam.
Kemper, Denise (author) and Weltring, Wiebke (author)
Format:
Proceedings
Publication Date:
2016
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08817
Notes:
Pages 235-259 in Rob Roggema (ed.), Agriculture in an urbanizing society volume one: proceedings of the sixth AESOP conference on sustainable food planning. United Kingdom: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 549 pages.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D09317
Notes:
Online from Goldman Environmental Foundation. 2 pages., "In a country with growing socioeconomic inequality and human rights violations, Berta Caceres (d. 2016) rallied the indigenous Lenca people of Honduras and waged a grassroots campaign that successfully pressured the world's largest dam builder to pull out of the Agua Zarca Dam."
