This document summarizes an event discussing operationalizing landscape approaches to agriculture. The event included a video on ecoagriculture landscapes, a panel discussion on experiences in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and a discussion. Key points included that ecoagriculture landscapes manage agriculture to enhance livelihoods and production while conserving ecosystems. Diverse landscape strategies were highlighted from several countries. The document outlines approaches to align diverse objectives through stakeholder planning and action, potential benefits to farmers, and examples of positive impacts on smallholders and ecosystems from integrated landscape initiatives. A multi-stakeholder process for collaborative landscape management is proposed.

1. “Down to Earth” Side Event
The Hague, Netherlands, 5 November 2010
Sara J. Scherr, President
EcoAgriculture Partners
Operationalizing Landscape Approaches

2. Agenda
 Video on Ecoagriculture landscapes
 Panel
o Sara J. Scherr, EcoAgriculture – Introduction
o Tamara Benjamin, CATIE – Latin America
o Constance Neely, ICRAF – Rangelands
o George Wamukoya, COMESA – Africa
o Peter Veen, Dutch Society for Nature Conservation –
Europe
 Discussion

3. Ecoagriculture landscapes
Agricultural landscapes managed to enhance rural livelihoods and
sustainable agricultural production (of crops, livestock, fish and
forest), while conserving or restoring ecosystem services and
biodiversity.

4. Diverse landscape strategies
Kabale, Uganda Willamette Valley, USA
Eastern Region, Burkina Faso Tea Zone, Kenya

5. Align diverse objectives through
multi-stakeholder planning & action

6. Agrobiodiversity
Diverse crop varieties & breeds,
improved germplasm, HYV’s
Increase agricultural productivity, resilience
and sustainability in farm fields
Integrated pest management
Uses biodiversity for pest control,
lowering synthetic input costs
Integrated water management
More efficient water use plus irrigation
Integrated soil conservation
Improved organic content and natural
nutrient cycling lower synthetic input
costs, improve soil health, water-
holding and infiltration
Agroforestry
Tree-growing for food, fuel, feed,
medicine, building, soil nutrients, soil
protection, windbreaks, and income

7. In conservation areas
• Natural areas that benefit
local farming communities
• Provide watershed
protection, habitat
connectivity thru non-
farmed areas
• Reduce or reverse land
conversion by increasing
farm productivity
• Develop species
conservation plans
In production areas
• Minimize agricultural pollution
(incl. GHG)
• Manage water flow, use &
infiltration--plot,farm,landscape
• Increase carbon storage in soils
and vegetation
• Modify farming systems to
mimic natural ecosystems
• Maintain diversity of crop
species & varieties
Maintain ecosystem services & biodiversity
in agricultural landscape mosaics

8. Productivity-enhancing innovations
with positive impacts on ecosystems
1
2
3
44

9. Conservation innovations with
positive impacts for farmers
5
6
7
8

10. Potential benefits for farmers of engaging
in ecoagriculture landscape initiatives
1) Increase profits (reduce production costs,
increase yields, improve quality)
2) Conserve ecosystem services important for
their livelihoods
3) Link with buyers who want products that
protect biodiversity
4) Sell ecosystem services
5) Comply with environmental regulations
6) Protect rights to crop, graze, collect products
from protected areas
7) Enhance local quality of life
8) Reduce conflicts with other groups
9) Protect cultural, spiritual values

11. Positive impacts of integrated landscape
initiatives have been documented
 Smallholder production & community livelihoods
 Enhanced ecosystem services & biodiversity
1) Banikoara District, Benin - livestock corridor
2) Kericho, Kenya – certified tea
3) Luangwa Valley, Zambia - wildlife-friendly farming
4) Loess Plateau, China – degraded land restoration
5) Rajasthan, India – landscape water harvesting
6) Cebu, Philippines – watershed restoration
7) Kalinga, Philippines – forest biodiversity & agro-
biodiversity conservation with intensification
8) Talamanca, Costa Rica – farmer-led biodiversity
conservation and eco-label marketing
9) Matiguas, Nicaragua – payment to farmers for
ecosystem services on farmland

12. Process of multi-stakeholder
ecoagriculture landscape management
Participatory process of rural
landscape management
Stakeholders
negotiate
landscape goals
Understand the
landscape from
diverse
perspectives *
Implement farm
& landscape plans
Design and plan
farm & landscape
actions, finance,
responsibilities
Track & review
results and
modify
strategy/action

13. Collaborative landscape planning: spatial
strategy for land use & management
Landscape assessment and future scenarios

14. Upper watershed protection
policies:
• PES for hillside revegetation
and on-farm agroforestry
• 30-meter riparian zone
protection
Intensive agriculture zone
policies:
• Farmer education on IPM
• 15-meter riparian zone
protection
• Community stream
monitoring
Collaborative landscape planning:
programs, policies and investments
Sectors align,
coordinate or integrate

15. 1) Landscape literacy
(spatial, functional)
2) Multi-stakeholder deliberation
and negotiation (across sectors)
3) Farm & landscape ‘design’
(who does what, where, how?)
4) Collaborative implementation
5) Landscape tracking and assessment
(production, ecosystems,
livelihoods, institutions)
Core capacities & tools needed to implement
ecoagriculture landscape strategies

16. The Landscape Measures Resource Center:
Tools for assessing landscape performance
www.landscapemeasures.org
Contents
 Process
 Practice
 Case Studies
 Glossary
A web-based hub
for a virtual
learning network
Testing in “learning
landscapes”

17. • Venue and date:
• Nairobi, Kenya - January 2012
• Objectives:
• Share and take stock of experience
• Showcase tools, methods, practices
• Define international action agenda to
scale ecoagriculture (Rio + 20, et al)
• Participants:
• Landscape leaders & innovators
Landscapes for People, Food and Nature:
Ecoagriculture Conference & Knowledge Exchange

18. www.ecoagriculture.org
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