Assessment of sustainable land use: linking land management practices to sustainable land use indicators

Land degradation threatens food production especially in smallholder farming systems predominant in sub-Saharan Africa. Monitoring the effects of agricultural land uses is critical to guide sustainable intensification (SI). There are various indicators of sustainable land use (SLU), but conventional...

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Main Authors: Nziguheba, G., Adewopo, Julius, Masso, C., Nabahungu, N.L., Six, Johan, Sseguya, H., Taulya, Godfrey, Vanlauwe, Bernard
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Informa UK Limited 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113992
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author Nziguheba, G.
Adewopo, Julius
Masso, C.
Nabahungu, N.L.
Six, Johan
Sseguya, H.
Taulya, Godfrey
Vanlauwe, Bernard
author_browse Adewopo, Julius
Masso, C.
Nabahungu, N.L.
Nziguheba, G.
Six, Johan
Sseguya, H.
Taulya, Godfrey
Vanlauwe, Bernard
author_facet Nziguheba, G.
Adewopo, Julius
Masso, C.
Nabahungu, N.L.
Six, Johan
Sseguya, H.
Taulya, Godfrey
Vanlauwe, Bernard
author_sort Nziguheba, G.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Land degradation threatens food production especially in smallholder farming systems predominant in sub-Saharan Africa. Monitoring the effects of agricultural land uses is critical to guide sustainable intensification (SI). There are various indicators of sustainable land use (SLU), but conventional methods to quantify their metrics are complex and difficult to deploy for rapid and large-scale assessments. Considering that SLU indicators are dependent on agricultural practices, which can be rapidly identified and quantified, we propose a framework for SLU assessment that includes indirect quantifications of prioritized indicators (crop productivity, soil organic carbon (SOC), acidification, erosion, nutrient balance) using agricultural practices; and a SLU index derived from the integration of these indicators. The application of the framework to a case study, consisting of 1319 farm plots in Tanzania, reveals that SOC and N balance were the main contributors to the SLU gap. Only 2.2% of the plots qualified as being used sustainably. The framework proved to be sensitive to practices commonly used by farmers, thus providing an opportunity to identify practices needed to revert land degradation. Further application of the framework as a decision-support tool can enhance the efficiency of SI investments, by targeting practices which effectively enhance food production and preserve land.
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institution CGIAR Consortium
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publishDate 2022
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spelling CGSpace1139922025-11-12T06:50:55Z Assessment of sustainable land use: linking land management practices to sustainable land use indicators Nziguheba, G. Adewopo, Julius Masso, C. Nabahungu, N.L. Six, Johan Sseguya, H. Taulya, Godfrey Vanlauwe, Bernard acidification erosion crops soils carbon crop production sustainable land use Land degradation threatens food production especially in smallholder farming systems predominant in sub-Saharan Africa. Monitoring the effects of agricultural land uses is critical to guide sustainable intensification (SI). There are various indicators of sustainable land use (SLU), but conventional methods to quantify their metrics are complex and difficult to deploy for rapid and large-scale assessments. Considering that SLU indicators are dependent on agricultural practices, which can be rapidly identified and quantified, we propose a framework for SLU assessment that includes indirect quantifications of prioritized indicators (crop productivity, soil organic carbon (SOC), acidification, erosion, nutrient balance) using agricultural practices; and a SLU index derived from the integration of these indicators. The application of the framework to a case study, consisting of 1319 farm plots in Tanzania, reveals that SOC and N balance were the main contributors to the SLU gap. Only 2.2% of the plots qualified as being used sustainably. The framework proved to be sensitive to practices commonly used by farmers, thus providing an opportunity to identify practices needed to revert land degradation. Further application of the framework as a decision-support tool can enhance the efficiency of SI investments, by targeting practices which effectively enhance food production and preserve land. 2022-05-04 2021-06-17T11:59:12Z 2021-06-17T11:59:12Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113992 en Open Access application/pdf Informa UK Limited Nziguheba, G., Adewopo, J., Masso, C., Nabahungu, N. L., Six, J., Sseguya, H., Taulya, G. and Vanlauwe, B. 2021. Assessment of sustainable land use: linking land management practices to sustainable land use indicators. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
spellingShingle acidification
erosion
crops
soils
carbon
crop production
sustainable land use
Nziguheba, G.
Adewopo, Julius
Masso, C.
Nabahungu, N.L.
Six, Johan
Sseguya, H.
Taulya, Godfrey
Vanlauwe, Bernard
Assessment of sustainable land use: linking land management practices to sustainable land use indicators
title Assessment of sustainable land use: linking land management practices to sustainable land use indicators
title_full Assessment of sustainable land use: linking land management practices to sustainable land use indicators
title_fullStr Assessment of sustainable land use: linking land management practices to sustainable land use indicators
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of sustainable land use: linking land management practices to sustainable land use indicators
title_short Assessment of sustainable land use: linking land management practices to sustainable land use indicators
title_sort assessment of sustainable land use linking land management practices to sustainable land use indicators
topic acidification
erosion
crops
soils
carbon
crop production
sustainable land use
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113992
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