TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ndah, Hycenth Tim
A1  - Schuler, Johannes
A1  - Diehl, Katharina
A1  - Bateki, Christian
A1  - Sieber, Stefan
A1  - Knierim, Andrea
T1  - From dogmatic views on conservation agriculture adoption in Zambia towards adapting to context
JF  - International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
N2  - Conservation Agriculture (CA) has been widely promoted in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) as a sustainable agricultural practice, yet with debatable success. Most authors assume successful adoption, only if all three principles of CA are implemented: (1) minimum or zero tillage, (2) maintenance of a permanent soil cover, and (3) integration of crop rotations. Based on this strict definition, adoption has declined or remained stagnant. Presently, not much attention has been given to context-suited adaptation possibilities, and partial adoption has not been recognized as an entry point to full adoption. Furthermore, isolated success cases have not been analysed sufficiently. By applying the QAToCA approach based on focus group discussions complemented by semi-structured qualitative expert and farmer interviews, we assessed the reasons behind positive CA adaptation and adoption trends in Zambia. Main reasons behind Zambia’s emerging success are (1) a positive institutional influence, (2) a systematic approach towards CA promotion – encouraging a stepwise adaptation and adoption, and (3) mobilization of strong marketing dynamics around CA. These findings could help to eventually adjust or redesign CA promotion activities. We argue for a careful shift from the ‘dogmatic view’ on adoption of CA as a packaged technology, towards adapting its principles to the small-scale farming context of SSA.
KW  - Conservation agriculture
KW  - adaptation
KW  - partial adoption
KW  - QAToCA
KW  - Zambia
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2018.1447227
SN  - 1473-5903
SN  - 1747-762X
VL  - 16
IS  - 2
SP  - 228
EP  - 242
PB  - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
CY  - Abingdon
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - König, Hannes Jochen
A1  - Uthes, Sandra
A1  - Schuler, Johannes
A1  - Zhen, Lin
A1  - Purushothaman, Seema
A1  - Suarma, Utia
A1  - Sghaier, Mongi
A1  - Makokha, Stella
A1  - Helming, Katharina
A1  - Sieber, Stefan
A1  - Chen, Le
A1  - Brouwer, Floor
A1  - Morris, Jake
A1  - Wiggering, Hubert
T1  - Regional impact assessment of land use scenarios in developing countries using the FoPIA approach - findings from five case studies
JF  - Journal of environmental management
N2  - The impact of land use changes on sustainable development is of increasing interest in many regions of the world. This study aimed to test the transferability of the Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment (FoPIA), which was originally developed in the European context, to developing countries, in which lack of data often prevents the use of data-driven impact assessment methods. The core aspect of FoPIA is the stakeholder-based assessment of alternative land use scenarios. Scenario impacts on regional sustainability are assessed by using a set of nine regional land use functions (LUFs), which equally cover the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. The cases analysed in this study include (1) the alternative spatial planning policies around the Merapi volcano and surrounding areas of Yogyakarta City, Indonesia; (2) the large-scale afforestation of agricultural areas to reduce soil erosion in Guyuan, China; (3) the expansion of soil and water conservation measures in the Oum Zessar watershed, Tunisia; (4) the agricultural intensification and the potential for organic agriculture in Bijapur, India; and (5) the land degradation and land conflicts resulting from land division and privatisation in Narok, Kenya. All five regions are characterised by population growth, partially combined with considerable economic development, environmental degradation problems and social conflicts. Implications of the regional scenario impacts as well as methodological aspects are discussed. Overall, FoPIA proved to be a useful tool for diagnosing regional human-environment interactions and for supporting the communication and social learning process among different stakeholder groups.
KW  - (Ex-ante) impact assessment
KW  - Land use change
KW  - Scenario study
KW  - Sustainable development
KW  - Stakeholder participation
KW  - Developing countries
KW  - Indicators
Y1  - 2013
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.10.021
SN  - 0301-4797
SN  - 1095-8630
VL  - 127
SP  - S56
EP  - S64
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - London
ER  -