Integrated Use of Local and Technical Soil Quality Indicators and Participatory Techniques to Select Them. A Review of Bibliography and Analysis of Research Strategies and Outcomes

Greta Braidotti,Lucia Piani,Maria De Nobili

doi:10.3390/su13010087

Abstract

Climate change has strong impacts on soil conservation and agricultural productivity, with severe consequences on smallholders in developing countries, but virtually no research has been carried out so far on this issue. Therefore, it is necessary to foster the implementation of participatory projects to help communities deal with new difficulties. Sustainable soil management can reduce and even reverse land degradation, helping farmers to adapt to climate change effects. Progress toward sustainability cannot be implemented in small rural communities regardless of local knowledge, which can be addressed using participatory techniques. To this purpose the choice and use of indicators is essential to carry out correct assessments of soil vulnerability integrating local and technical knowledge. The purpose of this review was to study how the problem of building a set of integrated indicators to assess soil quality has been addressed so far and which participatory techniques have been more successfully employed, analyzing studies carried out in rural communities of developing countries. We found out that there is a lack of participated studies dealing with environmental issues. Those that do so address them only indirectly, being centered on present agricultural problems. The studies rarely feature a collaboration with social science experts, consequently the use of participatory techniques lacks protocols and a standardized nomenclature to help in the transfer and generalization of experiences. Women are rarely involved and nearly exclusively in African countries: this could be related to social and cultural conditions, but needs more attention. Different aspects need to be improved to help the implementation of a successful approach in future projects. This review provides a tool to facilitate future interdisciplinary research on integration of local and scientific knowledge and will help to devise more successful strategies to tackle the challenges posed by climate change to smallholders in developing countries.

Highlights

It is becoming increasingly evident nowadays that nearly everywhere on our planet, climate change is happening even faster than most of the scenarios considered in IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports [1,2]
Our goal was to find out how experience gained from these studies can help researchers to implement projects aimed at counteracting enhanced risks of food insecurity and poverty caused by climatic changes in developing countries
Some papers were further excluded based on the following exclusion criteria: the paper must be available to the general public; the paper must report results of studies carried out in developing countries; the use of participatory approaches used must be at least mentioned

Summary

Introduction

It is becoming increasingly evident nowadays that nearly everywhere on our planet, climate change is happening even faster than most of the scenarios considered in IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports [1,2]. Glaciers are melting at a rate of −978 mm water equivalent per year: again the most negative rate ever [3] Extreme events such as intense rains, flash floods and droughts are increasingly frequent, influencing strongly land degradation and soil erosion [3,5]. Soils lose to the atmosphere from 20 to 60% of their organic carbon content when cultivated [5], but other greenhouse gas emissions are related to soil management These factors account for 21–37% of the global greenhouse gases emitted: among these, 9–14% are due to crop and livestock activities and

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion