Review phase | PANORAMA

Use of the Organic-Based System of Rice Intensification as the preferred protocol for rice cultivation

farmers planting 8 day old rice plants one foot apart one plant per hill as per SRI specification

zidofa

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a group of agronomic management practices and principles which delivers optimum conditions for rice plants to manifest their fullest potentials for growth and yield. This climate and enviroment friendly method of rice cultivation uses 50 percent less irrigation water, requires 90 percent less seeds and allows for the cultivation of rice using only organic inputs with zero chemical or synthetic fertilizers.

SRI ensures that farmers in the group all use the same protocols or method of cultivation, use the same seed varieties and prepare organic inputs using the same formulas and use them in the same dosages. These ensure that quality of rice grains are consistently of high quality and of the same organic integrity from farmer to farmer.

Additionally, organic SRI plants exhibit substantial root architectures which allows them to withstand long periods of drought or extreme bouts of wind and rain. The deeply entrenched roots also allow for maximum uptake of nutriens and water as well as allows the rice plants to sequester deeper in the soil horizon, organic and photosynthetic carbon. The use of intermittent irrigation also lessens emissions of methane as a Green House Gas and the non-use of fertilizers reduce carbon emissions.

Key to the project would be the successfull execution of organic-based SRI practices and principles by the participating farmers. As such, continued training for SRI and organic agricultural practices should be conducted.

The availability of organic fertilizers and inputs is critical to replace the nutrients otherwise previously provided by synthetic fertilizers..

On-site and continuous farmer monitoring and mentoring will reduce risk and increase probability of succes especially for first time practitioners.

Volunteerism is key to success as the lack of farm labor could delay the execution of agronomic tasks related to SRI and will result in compounding of problems. If rotary weeding is delayed or not done as scheduled, weeds will grow out of control and will lead to failuer. If not enough organic inputs are avaiable and applied to the rice paddies and sprayed to the plants as foliar fertilizers, then yield will not be maximized.

Farmers who are too dependent tend to cheat and apply chemicals and poisons for diseases and pests when no one is looking. Random monitoring and strict mentoring discourages this. Only when the plants have shown their robust health will most first-timers be convinced that healthy organic rice plants can ward off pest and disease infestations on their own.

Lack of farm equipment will likewise adversely affect the planting and cultivation schedules. Preparing project proposals to government agencies should be done in advance as it may take a year or two for assitance and support to be placed in the pipeline for delivery

Documentation and dissemination of results

Visibility, communication, and guidance lead to replication

The first community garden was built by Mr. Temp and his brother on their own initiative on a plot of vacant urban land in front of Temp's house in São Paulo's East Zone.

Both have experience in organic agriculture: His brother runs their great-grandfather's farm in Agudo in the South of Brazil, and Temp, after having studied business management in Rio de Janeiro (1985-88), completed a two-years course in organic agriculture on a farm in Tübingen, Germany (1993-95).

The garden area had been abused as a dumping site. When neighbours saw the garden being built there instead, they became aware of and interested in this alternative kind of landuse. A group of people got together to help and to replicate the implementation of gardens. Temp guided them.

Today, having implemented 25 community gardens, he considers guidance crucial for the success of the gardens. Furthermore, this guidance needs to be continuous and intensive especially in the first year of a garden's implementation. Afterwards, community gardeners are able to manage their garden autonomously, but it is important for Cities Without Hunger to be present as contact persons and to lend bigger machines when needed.

guidance for the implementation of gardens: practical knowledge and experience in organic agriculture
visibility of garden in the neighbourhood
word-of-mouth communication between neighbours spread the word of the possibility to build community gardens

interested neighbours need continuous guidance on the ground for the implementation of gardens
visibility of gardens is crucial for people to understand that alternative landuses are possible, and evoke the desire to replicate these
gardens are successfully implemented on residents' own initiative rather than using top-down approaches

How Temp started the community gardens (German)

Transmission of knowledge through local networks

Farmers are part of a local network that shares information about traditional and new management practices. This pool of shared knowledge enhances resilience by increasing the capacity to respond adaptively to change.

Farmers experiment with new and old varieties of seeds or with new (using latest scientific findings) or traditional management methods to mitigate disturbances (such as pests). Experimentation can provide “new” solutions to climate change impacts.

Some farmers were part of non-governmental organisations which provided a source of knowledge and practices that improve small holder farming that could be shared.

Experimenting and exchanging information increases adaptive capacity and resilience of the farmers in response to climate variability and change.

Furthermore, reviving traditional knowledge provides some interesting solutions to the impacts of changes in climate such as increased pests. For example, stinging nettles (Urticaria dioica) were known to enhance resistance of livestock and vegetables against disease. Using an infusion of stinging nettles to spray crops, increased the survival of the potato crop.

Documentation and dissemination of results

Review phase

Local

Monitoring regeneration of ecosystem

Monitoring plot

RSPB

Monitoring was undertaken in four main areas:

- Vegetation: the colonisation by saltmarsh plants, and development of saltmarsh communities

- Benthic invertebrates: particularly of species important as food sources to wintering waterbirds

- Use by wintering waterbirds

- Sedimentation & geomorphology

It was undertaken pre-breach and post breach annually for 4 years (until 2007), as a PhD study. After that monitoring was completed in 2009, 2011 and 2014.

University programmes such as PhDs and Masters courses, as well as volunteer organisms provide reduced cost monitoring. A PhD study and a few Masters projects provided monitoring data. A contract ecologist and an apprenticeship partnership also provided data. Formal bird monitoring has been supplemented by regular monitoring of wintering waterbirds via the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) scheme and ad-hoc informal monitoring by reserves staff (e.g. collecting records during site visits).

After an initial intensive period of monitoring (from PhD), the frequency of monitoring was reduced due to lack of resources and requirement. Working with student projects, and other means for continual monitoring is essential because it produces evidence required on the effectiveness of the scheme.

Furthermore, continual observation of a site helps indicate management thereof. For instance, a fence used to bisect the site, but is was removed in 2015 after observation that it impeded bird usage of the other side of the fence.

Monitoring

Review phase

Local

Expert elicitation workshop

The actual expert elicitation assessment is carried out during a workshop or series of workshops, attended by appointed marine experts in the field of marine environmental or socio-economic sciences. The experts collaborate and discuss the status and trends on the different parameters for the marine assessment and come to a consensus score. The scores are recorded during the workshop and entered into the SOME website. Notes are taken by a rapporteur on the discussion and the details of relevant reports, papers or other documents are recorded . The interaction and discussions during the workshop should allow the editorial board to identify potential authors to participate in the subsequent report-writing phase of the process.

A minimum of 20 experts, with at least 5 for each key discipline areas (fisheries and biology, physical sciences and socioeconomics).

A minimum of 3 full workshop days.

Internet access

The workshop allows

Documentation and dissemination of results

SOME website

GRID-Arendal

Example of summary table on the state of marine habitats in the SOME website

GRID-Arendal

GRID-Arendal has created a pilot, web-based system to capture, analyse and display state of the marine environment assessment results: http://some.grida.no. The website allows for the real-time capture and display of data (scores for parameters, confidence, risks) during the workshop and provides an online template for the production of a State of Marine Environment Report. The content and graphics can be exported and used as the basis for a national or regional SOME report or the contents can be adapted for use within other formats as required. The database allows direct correlation to the outline of the World Ocean Assessment, thereby permitting cross-referencing and combining outcomes of the assessment to optimize it as a contribution to the international effort. Another key aspect is that the diagrams and outputs that are produced by the web site are designed for easy communication of the workshop results to policy- and decision-makers. The diagrams are simple, jargon-free and clearly communicate the main findings of the judgments made by the experts.

The system is used at the expert elicitation workshop.

The web-tool

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Integration of gender recommendations into management plan

This analysis and recommendations took place as a new management plan was being developed, so the recommendations had the ability to be directly inserted into the new plan.

The new 5-year management plan was being developed by the management board, and the CI staff who conducted the analysis has been an integral part of the MMPL management board since inception. This allowed her to directly present her recommendations to the rest of the board for consideration.

To be most impactful, it is important to have an opening/opportunity to directly integrate recommendations, and good connections with those making decisions.

Planning phase

Review phase

Local

Strict enforcement of community laws by community rangers

A boundary has been demarcated around a central core area of some 100km2 within which there is no hunting or collection of forest produce allowed. A team of 14 community rangers were recruited by WCS from the nine communities to enforce community rules and regulations established by CAMM. These community rangers are employed by WCS and supervised by a resident WCS project manager. Daily patrols have reduced levels of hunting dramatically, and hunting is now much lower in the Mbe Mountains than in surrounding government-managed protected areas. Ranger patrols collect data using handheld devices that are automatically downloaded at the end of each patrol. Ranger morale and pride was developed and encouraged through training and provision of field equipment including uniforms.

Long-term support from an NGO was critical for success. Recruiting community rangers and project manager directly from the communities improved the project’s level of acceptance by local people in the early stages. Use of CyberTracker and SMART for law enforcement monitoring has enabled WCS to demonstrate success and generate continued funding. The Mbe Mountains is a relatively small area that is easily policed. Use of Cross River gorilla as a flagship species for the area and for fundraisin

With support of local communities, strict law enforcement was accepted and worked to reduce hunting. The use of ex-hunters as rangers is effective but they require close supervision and regular monitoring if they are meant to give up hunting permanently. Use of CyberTracker and SMART for monitoring law enforcement and gorilla distribution improved transparency and accountability of the project and was critical for success. The penalties imposed by CAMM are not always enforced and they are not considered an effective deterrent. Community sanctions are perhaps more effective. Strict law enforcement in the Mbe Mountains may have merely displaced hunting to neighboring areas such as Cross River National Park. Monthly and quarterly reports produced by WCS and shared with CAMM and nine communities were important in building trust.

Review phase

Local

Creation of conservation association unites local communities

The nine communities surrounding Mbe were helped to come together to form a single community organization to represent their interests and promote conservation. In the past, these communities have not always cooperated readily and there is some historic distrust and rivalry. The Conservation Association of the Mbe Mountains (CAMM) was created with a written constitution and officers elected to a General Assembly, Management Committee, Board of Trustees and a Technical and Supervisory Stakeholders Group. Regular CAMM meetings now promote dialogue and have improved trust between the nine communities. CAMM also represents local interests and perspectives when dealing with local and state government. WCS facilitated legal registration of CAMM in 2013 and is supporting capacity building of CAMM and construction of a headquarters.

The communities needed to trust each other and work together towards a single purpose. Significant time was needed to establish this trust, since there are frequent disagreements among the communities. Presence of an NGO to facilitate the process was critical to success. The initiative also had support from influential local politicians and businessmen as well as the Cross River State Forestry Commission – government agency responsible for the management of wildlife and forests within the state

To fully secure local land tenure the nine communities, or CAMM, require a certificate(s) of occupancy from the state government. A benefit sharing formula was required since the communities do not own equal areas of forest within the Mbe Mountains.The nine communities don’t yet trust each other fully and there are periodic disputes, which are best resolved by CAMM. Within each community there are often a number of men known as elites who typically act for selfish interests rather than for the common good. As CAMM has become stronger it has been able to reduce the influence of these elites. The influence of the Chairman of Boki Local Government Area has also helped. The penalties against poaching are low and not always enforced by CAMM. Stricter penalties may be required, legalized as local government bylaws. The CAMM constitution is large and cumbersome and needs to be streamlined. Levels of capacity within CAMM are low - needs close mentoring and long-term financial support from WCS.

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Review phase

Local

Instructional guideline for supporting façade greening

The Guide "Leitfaden Fassadenbegrünung"

The guideline for façade greening was prepared by the Austrian Association for Building Construction and by the University for Soil Culture on behalf of ÖkoKauf Wien, the program for the ecological procurement of the city of Vienna. The guide was presented in February 2013 within the framework of a conference in the Vienna University of Technology. It offers valuable specialist information to architects, planners, developers, public institutions, as well as interested citizens and serves as a decision-making aid when choosing the ideal type of greenery for different facades. Contents include general information (e.g. target groups, scope, definitions, advantages of a green façade), as well as information on various facade greening systems, their ecological and technical functions and design possibilities. A system overview, funding options and a checklist serve to help users prepare and plan façade greening by examining the necessary conditions and prerequisites. Finally, the guideline highlights best practice examples from the Vienna area and further references to literature and regulations.

It was necessary to draw on the various facets of appropriate knowledge to develop the guide, including e.g. engineers and an association for greening buildings. Financial resources for the content creation, print and publication were planned in the annual project budget from the environmental department – MA22. There were no additional funds. The drafting of the guide was politically desired and was integrated into the political program.

There was a high demand for the guide - the first edition (3000 copies) was already out of print within the first year after publication. A new edition will be published in early 2017, which will be complemented with additional shorter information brochures (folders, leaflets, etc.).

Documentation and dissemination of results

Review phase

Local

Info