Deriving scalable measures for restoration of communal grazing lands
Participatory action research in communal grazing lands can inform end users on cost-effective methods for restoring land to improve local livelihoods and environmental quality in terms of reduced degradation and enhanced ecosystem services. A multi-stakeholder process involving producers, developme...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Resilience Alliance
2022-03-01
|
| Series: | Ecology and Society |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol27/iss1/art10/ |
| _version_ | 1811290344753463296 |
|---|---|
| author | Jason Sircely Bulle Osman. Abdisemet Joel Kamango Albert Kuseyo Minale Wondie. Markos Irene Njoki. Nganga Samantha Russell Joel Mejaa. Somare Tamene Tolessa Andarge Workneh Elias Zerfu |
| author_facet | Jason Sircely Bulle Osman. Abdisemet Joel Kamango Albert Kuseyo Minale Wondie. Markos Irene Njoki. Nganga Samantha Russell Joel Mejaa. Somare Tamene Tolessa Andarge Workneh Elias Zerfu |
| author_sort | Jason Sircely |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Participatory action research in communal grazing lands can inform end users on cost-effective methods for restoring land to improve local livelihoods and environmental quality in terms of reduced degradation and enhanced ecosystem services. A multi-stakeholder process involving producers, development practitioners, and researchers is demonstrated for conducting action research to restore degraded communal grazing lands in East Africa. Producer-managed trials provided actionable evidence on brief resting durations and reseeding in pastoral rangelands in Kenya, and on improved forages and weeding in grazing exclosures in the Ethiopian highlands. The usefulness of this evidence is demonstrated through quantitative data and stated or revealed preferences of livestock producers. Local land management institutions and government and civil society practitioners confirmed the utility of the results to land management practice and policy, while spontaneous local up-scaling of improved forages in exclosures affirmed their scalability. These results are attributable to elements of the action research process, including prioritization of practical producer needs, close involvement of local institutions able to take action, collaborative design of producer-managed trials, and generation of evidence applicable in scaling. Among the restoration options tested, those more successful in trials and preferred by producers tended to have moderate (or low) costs, complexity, time to returns, and risk, suggesting possible optimization of trade-offs among options, such as between the potential performance of an option and its risk. Robust options that balance consistency with effectiveness may be good candidates for scaling. In communal grazing lands facing varied constraints to restoration, using research methodology responsive to institutional stakeholders at and above local level is an effective strategy for deriving scalable restoration approaches for win-win gains in livelihoods and the environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:11:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b360e60da8de4919bdbaef69da9ecda0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1708-3087 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:11:10Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Resilience Alliance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-b360e60da8de4919bdbaef69da9ecda02022-12-22T03:03:06ZengResilience AllianceEcology and Society1708-30872022-03-012711010.5751/ES-12848-27011012848Deriving scalable measures for restoration of communal grazing landsJason Sircely0Bulle Osman. Abdisemet1Joel Kamango2Albert Kuseyo3Minale Wondie. Markos4Irene Njoki. Nganga5Samantha Russell6Joel Mejaa. Somare7Tamene Tolessa8Andarge Workneh9Elias Zerfu10International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, KenyaInternational Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, KenyaSouth Rift Association of Land Owners (SORALO), Nairobi, KenyaSouth Rift Association of Land Owners (SORALO), Nairobi, KenyaAmhara National Regional State Bureau of Agriculture, Community-Based Integrated Natural Resource Management Project (CBINReMP), Bahir Dar, EthiopiaInternational Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, KenyaSouth Rift Association of Land Owners (SORALO), Nairobi, KenyaSouth Rift Association of Land Owners (SORALO), Nairobi, KenyaInternational Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, EthiopiaAmhara National Regional State Bureau of Agriculture, Community-Based Integrated Natural Resource Management Project (CBINReMP), Bahir Dar, EthiopiaIndependent consultantParticipatory action research in communal grazing lands can inform end users on cost-effective methods for restoring land to improve local livelihoods and environmental quality in terms of reduced degradation and enhanced ecosystem services. A multi-stakeholder process involving producers, development practitioners, and researchers is demonstrated for conducting action research to restore degraded communal grazing lands in East Africa. Producer-managed trials provided actionable evidence on brief resting durations and reseeding in pastoral rangelands in Kenya, and on improved forages and weeding in grazing exclosures in the Ethiopian highlands. The usefulness of this evidence is demonstrated through quantitative data and stated or revealed preferences of livestock producers. Local land management institutions and government and civil society practitioners confirmed the utility of the results to land management practice and policy, while spontaneous local up-scaling of improved forages in exclosures affirmed their scalability. These results are attributable to elements of the action research process, including prioritization of practical producer needs, close involvement of local institutions able to take action, collaborative design of producer-managed trials, and generation of evidence applicable in scaling. Among the restoration options tested, those more successful in trials and preferred by producers tended to have moderate (or low) costs, complexity, time to returns, and risk, suggesting possible optimization of trade-offs among options, such as between the potential performance of an option and its risk. Robust options that balance consistency with effectiveness may be good candidates for scaling. In communal grazing lands facing varied constraints to restoration, using research methodology responsive to institutional stakeholders at and above local level is an effective strategy for deriving scalable restoration approaches for win-win gains in livelihoods and the environment.https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol27/iss1/art10/action researchcommunal landexclosuregrazinglocal institutionsrangelandresearch-in-developmentrestingscaling |
| spellingShingle | Jason Sircely Bulle Osman. Abdisemet Joel Kamango Albert Kuseyo Minale Wondie. Markos Irene Njoki. Nganga Samantha Russell Joel Mejaa. Somare Tamene Tolessa Andarge Workneh Elias Zerfu Deriving scalable measures for restoration of communal grazing lands Ecology and Society action research communal land exclosure grazing local institutions rangeland research-in-development resting scaling |
| title | Deriving scalable measures for restoration of communal grazing lands |
| title_full | Deriving scalable measures for restoration of communal grazing lands |
| title_fullStr | Deriving scalable measures for restoration of communal grazing lands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Deriving scalable measures for restoration of communal grazing lands |
| title_short | Deriving scalable measures for restoration of communal grazing lands |
| title_sort | deriving scalable measures for restoration of communal grazing lands |
| topic | action research communal land exclosure grazing local institutions rangeland research-in-development resting scaling |
| url | https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol27/iss1/art10/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jasonsircely derivingscalablemeasuresforrestorationofcommunalgrazinglands AT bulleosmanabdisemet derivingscalablemeasuresforrestorationofcommunalgrazinglands AT joelkamango derivingscalablemeasuresforrestorationofcommunalgrazinglands AT albertkuseyo derivingscalablemeasuresforrestorationofcommunalgrazinglands AT minalewondiemarkos derivingscalablemeasuresforrestorationofcommunalgrazinglands AT irenenjokinganga derivingscalablemeasuresforrestorationofcommunalgrazinglands AT samantharussell derivingscalablemeasuresforrestorationofcommunalgrazinglands AT joelmejaasomare derivingscalablemeasuresforrestorationofcommunalgrazinglands AT tamenetolessa derivingscalablemeasuresforrestorationofcommunalgrazinglands AT andargeworkneh derivingscalablemeasuresforrestorationofcommunalgrazinglands AT eliaszerfu derivingscalablemeasuresforrestorationofcommunalgrazinglands |