Préface

Elinor Ostrom, que son entourage appelait Lin, aurait considéré un ouvrage en son honneur comme respectable certes, mais ennuyeux ! Elle donnait le meilleur d’elle-même lorsque ses idées, ses concepts et ses méthodes étaient remis en question, lorsque la construction, les résultats et les implications de sa recherche étaient constructivement critiqués. Sa visite en France en 2011 fut productive, engagée et mémorable en raison des int..

Paths of diversification: Land use, livelihood strategies and social learning along the aging of a land reform settlement in Acre, Brazil

Copyright 2009 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências SociaisThis paper explores the story of settlers overcoming challenges common to the environment of expanding agricultural frontiers, and how this is reflected on the land-use and livelihood choices that unfold with the aging of settlements. The study site is a land reform project in the State of Acre, Brazil. We found that most families seek to diversify their livelihood strategies and take advantage of new opportunities as a way to cope with income uncertainties largely present on the frontier setting. As in other parts of the Amazon, cattle-ranching is the single most important activity to secure income, but complementary activities such as agroforestry and fish breeding are key for economic security and improvements

Paths of Diversification: Land use, livelihood strategies and social learning along the aging of a land reform settlement in Acre, Brazil

This paper explores the story of  settlers overcoming challenges common to the environment of  expanding agricultural frontiers, and how  this  is  refected on  the  land-use  and  livelihood  choices that unfold with the aging of  settlements. The study site  is a land reform project  in  the State of  Acre, Brazil. We  found  that most families seek to diversify their livelihood strategies and take advantage of  new opportunities  as  a way  to  cope with  income uncertainties  largely present on  the  frontier  setting. As  in other parts of  the Amazon, cattle-ranching is the single most important activity  to  secure  income, but  complementary  activities  such  as agroforestry and fsh breeding are key for economic security and improvements.Key words: land-use, Acre, Amazonia.Este manuscrito  explora  la  estoria de  asentados  que pasan por desafíos comunes al contexto de fronteras agrícolas en expansión, y de como estos desafíos se refejan en las opciones de uso de la tierra y en las estratégias econômicas que se desdoblan con el desarrollar de los asentamientos. El área de estudios es un proyecto de  reforma agraria en el Estado de Acre, Brasil. Los  resultados indican que  la mayor parte de  las  familias opta por  la diversifcación de las estrategias de se ganar la vida, y se benefcian de las oportunidades como forma de protección contra las incertidumbres  relacionadas  a  la  renta  familiar. Así  como  en  otras  partes de la Amazonía, la ganadería es la actividad más importante para asegurar la renta familiar, pero actividades complementares como sistemas  agroforestales  y  el  cultivo  de  pescados  són  clave  para mejorar las condiciones de seguridad y económicas.Palabras-clave: uso de la tierra, Acre, Amazonía.Este manuscrito  explora  la  estoria de  asentados  que pasan por desafíos comunes al contexto de fronteras agrícolas en expansión, y de como estos desafíos se refejan en las opciones de uso de la tierra y en las estratégias econômicas que se desdoblan con el desarrollar de los asentamientos. El área de estudios es un proyecto de  reforma agraria en el Estado de Acre, Brasil. Los  resultados indican que  la mayor parte de  las  familias opta por  la diversifcación de las estrategias de se ganar la vida, y se benefcian de las oportunidades como forma de protección contra las incertidumbres  relacionadas  a  la  renta  familiar. Así  como  en  otras  partes de la Amazonía, la ganadería es la actividad más importante para asegurar la renta familiar, pero actividades complementares como sistemas  agroforestales  y  el  cultivo  de  pescados  són  clave  para mejorar las condiciones de seguridad y económicas.Palabras-clave: uso de la tierra, Acre, Amazonía.Este artigo explora a história de colonos que enfrentam os desafos de fronteiras agrícolas em expansão, e de como estes desafos se refetem nas escolhas de uso da terra e nas estratégias econômicas que se desdobram ao longo da vida dos assentamentos. A área de estudo é um projeto de reforma agrária no Estado do Acre, Brasil. Os resultados indicam que a maior parte das famílias busca a diversifcação das estratégias de sustento, e se aproveitam de novas oportunidades como forma de se proteger contra incertezas relacionadas à renda familiar comuns às regiões de fronteiras agrícolas. Tal como em outras partes da Amazônia, a pecuária é a atividade mais importante para assegurar a renda familiar, mas atividades complementares como sistemas groforestais e criação de peixes são fundamentais para a melhoria e a segurança das condições econômicas. Palavras-chave: uso da terra, Acre, Amazonia

Human dimensions of climate change: the vulnerability of small farmers in the Amazon

This paper argues for a twofold perspective on human adaptation to climate change in the Amazon. First, we need to understand the processes that mediate perceptions of environmental change and the behavioural responses at the levels of the individual and the local population. Second, we should take into account the process of production and dissemination of global and national climate information and models to regional and local populations, especially small farmers. We discuss the sociocultural and environmental diversity of small farmers in the Amazon and their susceptibility to climate change associated with drought, flooding and accidental fire. Using survey, ethnographic and archival data from study areas in the state of Pará, we discuss farmers' sources of knowledge and long-term memory of climatic events, drought and accidental fire; their sources of climate information; their responses to drought and fire events and the impact of changing rainfall patterns on land use. We highlight the challenges of adaptation to climate change created by the influence of migration and family turnover on collective action and memory, the mismatch of scales used to monitor and disseminate climate data and the lack of extension services to translate large-scale forecasts to local needs. We found that for most farmers, memories of extended drought tend to decrease significantly after 3 years. Over 50% of the farmers interviewed in 2002 did not remember as significant the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) drought of 1997/1998. This helps explain why approximately 40% of the farmers have not changed their land-use behaviours in the face of the strongest ENSO event of the twentieth century

Une troisième voie entre l’État et le marché

À la suite du voyage en France de Elinor Ostrom, prix Nobel d’économie en 2009, les auteurs de cet ouvrage exposent ses enseignements à partir de ses interactions directes avec le public, des étudiants, des enseignants, des chercheurs et des gestionnaires de l’environnement. C’est toute une critique des théories économiques conventionnelles qui s’exprime et un renouveau de la pensée en sciences sociales qui s’opère. Pendant de nombreuses années, Elinor Ostrom a développé dans ses travaux et ses expériences une voie alternative à l’État et au marché visant des trajectoires souhaitables pour les systèmes sociaux et écologiques. Elle a identifié les conditions de la coopération entre des individus au sein de collectifs et d’organisations, dans des situations de gestion qui vont des ressources naturelles au climat, des connaissances aux gènes, etc. Tels sont les apports essentiels des travaux de Elinor Ostrom dont la littérature scientifique francophone se fait encore trop peu l’écho. Cet ouvrage s’adresse à un public francophone, soucieux de réfléchir et de s’engager pour de nouvelles relations entre les hommes, avec la nature

The influence of family origin and economic variables in land use and deforestation of family plots in Brazilian Amazonia

sem informaçãoO artigo compara a influência de onze variáveis independentes (origem da família, tempo de ocupação do lote, escolaridade do casal, índice de geração, índice de gênero, tamanho do lote, titularidade do lote, renda familiar anual, acesso ao crédito rural,1322762sem informaçãosem informaçãosem informaçãoO presente estudo é parte da tese de doutorado realizado no Instituto de Economia (IE) da Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) pelo primeiro autor, que agradece o suporte financeiro da Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa) ao curs

AGRICULTURA DE PEQUENA ESCALA E SUAS IMPLICAÇÕES NA TRANSIÇÃO AGROECOLÓGICA NA AMAZÔNIA BRASILEIRA

The National Agricultural Census of 2006 presented, for the first time, a portrait of small scale agriculture in Brazil, highlighting its central importance in terms of food production and rural employment. Using the 2006 census as a context, this article discusses the implications of different terms, such as traditional agriculture and family agriculture, used to define small scale agriculture in Brazil. We use data from 2,400 families in seven colonization settlements included as part of the Brazilian pilot public policy program Proambiente to discuss the influence of variables (e.g. socio-demographic, economic, and infrastructure) on the land use in the Brazilian Amazon. The article concludes by stressing the importance of infrastructure and rural credit in promoting different trajectories of agroecological transitions among small scale producers in the Brazilian Amazon.Keywords: land use, ecological economics, agricultural economics, traditional agriculture, family agriculture, agroecological transition, Amazon Basin.Os dados do Censo Agropecuário 2006 apresentam um retrato da agricultura brasileira de pequena escala e realçam a sua importância na produção de alimentos e na geração de empregos no campo. Dentro do contexto revelado no Censo, o presente artigo discute a implicação de diferentes termos, como agricultura tradicional e agricultura familiar, usados na definição de agricultura de pequena escala no Brasil. Como estudo de caso, o artigo utilizou dados de 2.400 lotes rurais familiares, localizados em sete projetos de colonização e selecionados pela política pública piloto Proambiente, para discutir a influência de variáveis (sócio-demográficas, econômicas e de infra-estrutura) no uso da terra na Amazônia brasileira. O artigo conclui que o acesso à infraestrutura e ao crédito rural são importantes na promoção de diferentes trajetórias de transição agroecológica entre produtores de pequena escala da Amazônia brasileira.Palavras-chaves: uso da terra, economia ecológica, economia agrícola, agricultura tradicional, agricultura familiar, transição agroecológica, Amazônia.AbstractThe National Agricultural Census of 2006 presented, for the first time, a portrait of small scale agriculture in Brazil, highlighting its central importance in terms of food production and rural employment. Using the 2006 census as a context, this article discusses the implications of different terms, such as traditional agriculture and family agriculture, used to define small scale agriculture in Brazil. We use data from 2,400 families in seven colonization settlements included as part of the Brazilian pilot public policy program Proambiente to discuss the influence of variables (e.g. socio-demographic, economic, and infrastructure) on the land use in the Brazilian Amazon. The article concludes by stressing the importance of infrastructure and rural credit in promoting different trajectories of agroecological transitions among small scale producers in the Brazilian Amazon.Keywords: land use, ecological economics, agricultural economics, traditional agriculture, family agriculture, agroecological transition, Amazon Basin. ResumenEl Censo Nacional Agropecuario de 2006 presentó, por primera vez, un retrato de la agricultura en pequeña escala en Brasil, destacando su importancia central en términos de producción alimentaria y el empleo rural. Utilizando el censo de 2006 como un contexto, este artículo analiza las implicaciones de los diferentes términos, como la agricultura tradicional y la agricultura familiar, que sirven para definir la agricultura a pequeña escala en Brasil. Hemos utilizado los datos de 2.400 familias en siete asentamientos de colonización incluido como parte del piloto brasileño Proambiente, programa de política pública para discutir la influencia de variables (por ejemplo, socio-demográficos, económicos y de infraestructura) en el uso de la tierra en la Amazonia brasileña. El artículo concluye que la infraestructura y el crédito rural son importantes en la promoción de diferentes trayectorias de transiciones agroecológicas entre productores de pequeña escala en la Amazonía brasileña.Palabras clave: uso de la tierra, la economía ecológica, economía agrícola, la agricultura tradicional, la agricultura familiar, transiciónagroecológica, Cuenca Amazónica

The contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities to ecological restoration

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) are affected by global environmental change because they directly rely on their immediate environment for meeting basic livelihood needs. Therefore, safeguarding and restoring ecosystem resilience is critical to support their wellbeing. Based on examples from the literature, we illustrate how IPLC participate in restoration activities maintaining traditional practices, restoring land degraded by outsiders, and joining outside groups seeking to restore ecosystems. Our review also provides examples of how Indigenous and local knowledge can be incorporated in the planning, execution, and monitoring of restoration activities. However, not all restoration initiatives engaging IPLC are beneficial or successful, and the factors that lead to success are not fully known. While local involvement in restoration projects is often mentioned as an element of success, this is primarily associated to projects that actively involve IPLC in co-designing restoration activities affecting their territories, ensure both short-term direct benefits to IPLC and long-term support of the maintenance of restored areas, and recognize IPLC local traditions and customary institutions. Based on these examples, we argue that IPLC should be a more important focus in any post-2020 CBD agenda on restoration

Population dynamics, delta vulnerability and environmental change: comparison of the Mekong, Ganges–Brahmaputra and Amazon delta regions

Tropical delta regions are at risk of multiple threats including relative sea level rise and human alterations, making them more and more vulnerable to extreme floods, storms, surges, salinity intrusion, and other hazards which could also increase in magnitude and frequency with a changing climate. Given the environmental vulnerability of tropical deltas, understanding the interlinkages between population dynamics and environmental change in these regions is crucial for ensuring efficient policy planning and progress toward social and ecological sustainability. Here, we provide an overview of population trends and dynamics in the Ganges–Brahmaputra, Mekong and Amazon deltas. Using multiple data sources, including census data and Demographic and Health Surveys, a discussion regarding the components of population change is undertaken in the context of environmental factors affecting the demographic landscape of the three delta regions. We find that the demographic trends in all cases are broadly reflective of national trends, although important differences exist within and across the study areas. Moreover, all three delta regions have been experiencing shifts in population structures resulting in aging populations, the latter being most rapid in the Mekong delta. The environmental impacts on the different components of population change are important, and more extensive research is required to effectively quantify the underlying relationships. The paper concludes by discussing selected policy implications in the context of sustainable development of delta regions and beyond

Reframing the wilderness concept can bolster collaborative conservation

Indigenous territories represent ~45% of land categorized as wilderness in the Amazon, but account for <15% of all forest loss on this land. At a time when the Amazon faces unprecedented pressures, overcoming polarization and aligning the goals of wilderness defenders and Indigenous peoples is paramount, to avoid environmental degradation.Peer reviewe