Wetlands of Sub-Saharan Africa: distribution and contribution of agriculture to livelihoods

Wetlands contribute in diverse ways to the livelihoods of millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa. In many places they are inextricably linked to cropping and livestock management systems. At the same time, increasing population in conjunction with efforts to increase food security is escalating pr...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Rebelo, Lisa-Maria, McCartney, Matthew P., Finlayson, C. Max
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Springer 2010
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40657
_version_ 1855539742405296128
author Rebelo, Lisa-Maria
McCartney, Matthew P.
Finlayson, C. Max
author_browse Finlayson, C. Max
McCartney, Matthew P.
Rebelo, Lisa-Maria
author_facet Rebelo, Lisa-Maria
McCartney, Matthew P.
Finlayson, C. Max
author_sort Rebelo, Lisa-Maria
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Wetlands contribute in diverse ways to the livelihoods of millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa. In many places they are inextricably linked to cropping and livestock management systems. At the same time, increasing population in conjunction with efforts to increase food security is escalating pressure to expand agriculture within wetlands. The environmental impact of wetland agriculture can, however, have profound social and economic repercussions for people dependent on ecosystem services other than those provided directly by agriculture. Currently, the basis for making decisions about the extent to which wetlands can be sustainably used for agriculture is weak. This paper provides an overview of wetland distribution, type and condition across Sub-Saharan Africa. Findings from an investigation of wetland use conducted in Tanzania are presented. These highlight the reliance of communities on both wetland agriculture and natural resources, and show that the nature of household dependence varies significantly from place to place and as socio-economic status changes. Consequently, incentives to manage wetland resources will differ markedly, not only from one location to another, but also across socio-economic groups within the same community. This complexity highlights the need for critical analysis of the social and economic factors that underpin the dynamics of wetland resource use in the development of sustainable management plans.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace40657
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2010
publishDateRange 2010
publishDateSort 2010
publisher Springer
publisherStr Springer
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace406572025-06-17T08:24:18Z Wetlands of Sub-Saharan Africa: distribution and contribution of agriculture to livelihoods Rebelo, Lisa-Maria McCartney, Matthew P. Finlayson, C. Max wetlands ecosystems cultivation livestock fisheries natural resources households food security sustainability villages governance case studies Wetlands contribute in diverse ways to the livelihoods of millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa. In many places they are inextricably linked to cropping and livestock management systems. At the same time, increasing population in conjunction with efforts to increase food security is escalating pressure to expand agriculture within wetlands. The environmental impact of wetland agriculture can, however, have profound social and economic repercussions for people dependent on ecosystem services other than those provided directly by agriculture. Currently, the basis for making decisions about the extent to which wetlands can be sustainably used for agriculture is weak. This paper provides an overview of wetland distribution, type and condition across Sub-Saharan Africa. Findings from an investigation of wetland use conducted in Tanzania are presented. These highlight the reliance of communities on both wetland agriculture and natural resources, and show that the nature of household dependence varies significantly from place to place and as socio-economic status changes. Consequently, incentives to manage wetland resources will differ markedly, not only from one location to another, but also across socio-economic groups within the same community. This complexity highlights the need for critical analysis of the social and economic factors that underpin the dynamics of wetland resource use in the development of sustainable management plans. 2010-10 2014-06-13T14:48:08Z 2014-06-13T14:48:08Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40657 en Limited Access Springer Rebelo, Lisa-Maria; McCartney, Matthew; Finlayson, C. Max. 2009. Wetlands of Sub-Saharan Africa: distribution and contribution of agriculture to livelihoods. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 18(5):557-572. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-009-9142-x
spellingShingle wetlands
ecosystems
cultivation
livestock
fisheries
natural resources
households
food security
sustainability
villages
governance
case studies
Rebelo, Lisa-Maria
McCartney, Matthew P.
Finlayson, C. Max
Wetlands of Sub-Saharan Africa: distribution and contribution of agriculture to livelihoods
title Wetlands of Sub-Saharan Africa: distribution and contribution of agriculture to livelihoods
title_full Wetlands of Sub-Saharan Africa: distribution and contribution of agriculture to livelihoods
title_fullStr Wetlands of Sub-Saharan Africa: distribution and contribution of agriculture to livelihoods
title_full_unstemmed Wetlands of Sub-Saharan Africa: distribution and contribution of agriculture to livelihoods
title_short Wetlands of Sub-Saharan Africa: distribution and contribution of agriculture to livelihoods
title_sort wetlands of sub saharan africa distribution and contribution of agriculture to livelihoods
topic wetlands
ecosystems
cultivation
livestock
fisheries
natural resources
households
food security
sustainability
villages
governance
case studies
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40657
work_keys_str_mv AT rebelolisamaria wetlandsofsubsaharanafricadistributionandcontributionofagriculturetolivelihoods
AT mccartneymatthewp wetlandsofsubsaharanafricadistributionandcontributionofagriculturetolivelihoods
AT finlaysoncmax wetlandsofsubsaharanafricadistributionandcontributionofagriculturetolivelihoods