a nexus approach for sustainable intensification
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A Nexus Approach for Sustainable Intensification. Holger Hoff Stockholm Environment Institute Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Ressourcennutzung in der Landwirtschaft Effizienz als Schlüssel zur Nachhaltigkeit? FATA 20./21.8 2013. The great acceleration. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
A Nexus Approach for Sustainable Intensification
Holger Hoff
Stockholm Environment InstitutePotsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Ressourcennutzung in der Landwirtschaft Effizienz als Schlüssel zur Nachhaltigkeit?
FATA 20./21.8 2013
The great acceleration
a resource constrained and environmentally limited world growing demand for and appropriation of biomass (food, feed, fibres, fuel….) resource and ecosystem degradationclimate change
OECD 2011
new resource conflicts and cartells risk of transgressing critical thresholds, e.g. planetary boundaries -> regime shifts
Need for sustainable intensification
maize Germany wheat USA soy Brazil palm oil Indonesia
conventional intensification / yield maximization / monocultures:negative environmental and resource externalities
simplified landscape configurations: loss of diversity and resilience and overall resource use efficiency (Cardinale et al. 2012)
Need for sustainable intensification
higher water- / energy- intensity, eutrophication & dead zones, salinization, soil erosion & reservoir degradation, GHG emissions
new solutions are often more resource-intensive:
non-conventional water resources (fossil ground water, seawater): higher energy demand, loss of long-term resilience
biofuels:water- (& land-) intensive
gas coal /
oil hydropower biofuels
m3 / MWh ~ 1 ~ 2 ~ 60 ~ 180
as feeding one person for a day
conventional intensification / yield maximization / monocultures:negative environmental and resource externalities
1 liter of biofuels requires about as much water
Nexus for sustainable intensification
reversing land degradation can increase use resource availabilities & efficienciese.g. enhancing soil organic carbon
linking agricultural and rural development to renewable energy strategies, e.g. biofuels for cooking stoves from crop residues (replacing wood & charcoal)
nexus approaches all along the supply chain
generating co-benefits, recycling, cascading use, reducing external inputs,mobilizing un-used potentials, increasing use efficiencies across resources
Nexus for sustainable intensification
multi-functional systems (IAASTD)e.g. agro-forestry or crop-livestock systems
generating co-benefits, recycling, cascading use, reducing external inputs,mobilizing un-used potentials, increasing use efficiencies across resources
Brazil, Couto 2011
ecosystem approach (CBD) landscape approach (World Bank) IWRMintegrated pest management
The nexus is not completely new:
Nexus for sustainable intensification
multi-functional systems (IAASTD)e.g. agro-forestry or crop-livestock systems
generating co-benefits, recycling, cascading use, reducing external inputs,mobilizing un-used potentials, increasing use efficiencies across resources
ecosystem approach (CBD) landscape approach (World Bank) IWRMintegrated pest managementecological / productive / sustainable sanitation
The nexus is not new:
-> recycling of nutrients & water plus improved soil moisture utilization from better nutrient status, hence
higher water use efficiency (Andersson et al 2013)
Nexus for sustainable intensification
lower yields?
Green Agriculture / agro-ecological principles: an application of the nexus approache.g. nutrient recycling, reduced external inputs
nexus solutions are context-specific, complex and knowledge intensive –> R4D & capacity building integration of scientific information with local knowledge
„organic yields are typically lower than conventional yields…..these differences are highly contextual….with good management practices organic systems can nearly match conventional yields.“ (Seufert et al 2012, 300+ yield comparisons)
the dichotomy agricultural systems <-> natural ecosystems is outdated (anthromes, land sharing …..)
Ecosystems are central elements of a nexus approach
ecosystems serve as natural infrastructure, substituting / complementing energy and GHG intensive hard infrastructure ´ ecosystems maintain landscapes’
long term productivity
e.g. wetlands: water treatment, water storage, flood protection e.g. terrestrial ecosystems: water cycling, erosion control
ecosystems (and biodiversity) are not “externalities”but interact with agricultural systems(-> new TEEB for agriculture quantifies services and disservices)
IUCN-IWA Infrastructure Initiative
poor smallholder farmers depend even more on ecosystem services (and local natural resources) than larger commercial farmers:
Ecosystems are central elements of a nexus approach
FAO: “maximize options for crop production intensification through the management of biodiversity and ecosystem services”
Rio+20 - The Future We Want: “need to maintain natural ecological processes that support food production systems”
limited access to agro-chemicals / other artificial inputs, higher vulnerability to shocks,adopt nexus-approaches (e.g. recycling, use of natural infrastructure) by necessity
need support for sustainable intensification, e.g. innovation, diversification, risk taking
-> R4D & capacity building
Nexus example
multi-functional systems
„from vicious to virtuous cycles“
agroforestry (fruit and fuel trees)
nitrogen fixation, recycling of crop residuals, increasing soil organic carbon
higher agricultural productivity
preventing erosion, land restoration
climate adaptation AND mitigation, external carbon financing (climate smart agriculture)
Lager 2012
Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project
Local nexus approaches are not enough
globalization inter-connects resource supplies and demands across large distances, through international supply chains
Anseeuw et al . 2012
trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) externalize resource & ecosystem utilization, exploitation, and degradationand accordingly also provide opportunities for nexus approachesand sustainable intensificationthrough knowledge transfer and cooperation
Bubble size: area of FDIFDI happens largely in areas with low resource use efficiency
Local nexus approaches are not enough
R4D & capacity building:enabling landholders / farmers to implement and benefit from
nexus approaches
after GIZ 2011
nexus opportunities across regions (trade & FDI):
outgrower schemes, contract farming, nucleus estates
Local nexus approaches are not enough
nexus opportunities across regions (trade & FDI):
“sourcing of agricultural inputs or products”:
external water use internal water saving
BUT: a full nexus assessment needs to go beyond water footprints: land / nutrient / ecological footprints
brown color: virtual water content according to export countries water productivityyellow: water savings according to importing country‘s water productivity
Local nexus approaches are not enough
costs & benefits of nexus approaches e.g. climate and biodiversity protection may not always coincide in space, time and scale
Zomeret al 2006
nexus opportunities across regions:
hence compensation mechanisms , e.g.payments for ecosystem services or REDD+may be required
hypothetical runoff decrease when
exploiting all afforestation potential
Conclusions / discussion
nexus / integrated approaches can help to close demand-supply gaps
„the nexus“ can bring new impetus to concepts of integrationwhich have not yet been systematically implemented, outscaled and transferred
R4D & capacity building -> „EZ trifft Wissenschaft“
ecosystems are central in a nexus approach: reconnecting to the biosphere” (Folke et al. 2011)
“there is no fundamental trade-off between eradicating hunger as well as providing full access to modern energy, on the one hand, and achieving environmental sustainability, on the other” (PBL 2012, Roads from Rio+20)