Biodiversity conservation through farming : a landscape assessment in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

dc.contributor.authorTorquebiau, Emmanuel
dc.contributor.authorDosso, Mireille
dc.contributor.authorNakaggwa, Flavia
dc.contributor.authorPhilippon, Olivier
dc.date.accessioned2012-12-13T10:46:31Z
dc.date.available2013-09-30T00:20:03Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.descriptionThis article is an updated version of a communication presented at the symposium “Innovation and Sustainable Development in Agriculture and Food” (Montpellier, France, June 2010) and posted as an open archive on http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ISDA2010.en
dc.description.abstractThe integration of agriculture and biodiversity has become an acknowledged solution to concurrently address the development of sustainable food production systems and the preservation of natural resources. However, there are few alternative farming systems combining agricultural commodities with ecosystem services. We examined the farm and landscape dynamics of an area in South Africa which has been isolated from mainstream agriculture for several decades. We used a time series of aerial photographs as well as farm surveys and interviews to analyze how historical and present trends can explain land use features. Results show that today’s landscape is the consequence of dramatic socioeconomic transformations that have turned original transhumant livestock keepers into sedentary farmers. Although poverty is widespread, we found a well-balanced landscape with a regularly increasing tree cover and a high biodiversity potential. Beyond farm and household size, the main landscape impact factors are herd size and management as well as soil fertility management practices, including fallowing. We show that these conditions represent a good potential toward a multifunctional landscape, provided the relationships between farmers’ practices and biodiversity are better formalized and there are tangible benefits for farmers to opt for this approach.en
dc.description.sponsorshipCFES, the Embassy of France in South Africa, CIRAD and SUPAGRO.en
dc.description.urihttp://www.tandfonline.com/toc/wjsa20en
dc.identifier.citationTorquebiau, E, Dosso, M, Nakggwa, F & Philippon, O 2012, 'Biodiversity conservation through farming : a landscape assessment in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa', Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 296-318.en
dc.identifier.issn1044-0046 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1540-7578 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1080/10440046.2011.620227
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/20818
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherTaylor & Francisen
dc.rights© Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an electronic version of an article published in Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 296-318, 2012. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wjsa20.en
dc.subjectAgricultural practicesen
dc.subjectEcoagricultureen
dc.subjectHomelandsen
dc.subjectLandscapeen
dc.subjectMultifunctionalityen
dc.subject.lcshBiodiversity conservation -- South Africaen
dc.subject.lcshLandscape assessment -- South Africaen
dc.subject.lcshAgriculture -- South Africaen
dc.subject.lcshLand useen
dc.titleBiodiversity conservation through farming : a landscape assessment in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africaen
dc.typePostprint Articleen

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Torquebiau_Biodiversity(2012).pdf
Size:
5.52 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Postprint Article

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description: