Sustainability Dimensions Assessment in Four Traditional Agricultural Systems in the Amazon

Marco Heredia-R,Bolier Torres,Deniz Barreto,Laura Puhl,Liette Vasseur,Carlos G H Díaz-Ambrona

doi:10.3389/fsufs.2021.782633

Abstract

Although traditional agriculture carried out by ethnic groups is considered for its high biodiversity and important for food security and sovereignty, few studies have investigated the potential of these systems in the interest of promoting a sustainable agricultural development policy according to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Using the FAO's Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture (SAFA) methodology, this study analyzed the sustainability of four traditional agricultural systems, three indigenous (Waorani, Shuar, and Kichwa) and one migrant settler populations in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve (YBR) and identified synergies and trade-offs among the dimensions of sustainability. The results showed different dynamics in all dimensions of sustainability-specifically, trade-offs in the dimensions of good governance with environmental integrity and social well-being, economic resilience, and social well-being. It was identified that the differences in terms of sustainability are narrowing between the indigenous Shuar people's traditional agricultural systems and those of migrant settlers, which provides policymakers with specific information to design sustainable development policies and rescue traditional agricultural systems in the Amazon region.

Highlights

Traditional production systems have several attributes that contribute to sustainable development, such as high species diversity with strong environmental adaptability (Zhang et al, 2011) and resistance to pests and diseases (Flores-Delgadillo et al, 2011)
When comparing the four dimensions of sustainability between the traditional production systems (Waorani, Shuar, Kichwa, and migrant settlers), we found that the sustainability profiles by sub-themes are more statistically different in the dimensions of good governance and social well-being in contrast to the dimensions of environmental integrity and economic resilience (Table 7)
This confirms the theory that differences between indigenous people and mixedrace settlers are narrowing, since there is greater similarity between the social, environmental, economic, and governing dynamics between the Shuar and migrant settler populations, while the sustainability weightings are farther apart between the Waorani and Kichwa populations

Summary

Introduction

Traditional production systems have several attributes that contribute to sustainable development, such as high species diversity with strong environmental adaptability (Zhang et al, 2011) and resistance to pests and diseases (Flores-Delgadillo et al, 2011) They can act as instruments for resilience, mitigation, and adaptation to climate change (McCord et al, 2015; Torres et al, 2015, 2018; Tesfaye and Tirivayi, 2020). The northern EAR has become a multiethnic and multicultural system Within this region, the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve is populated by Indigenous Waorani, Shuar, and Kichwa people as well as migrant settlers who arrived mainly from rural areas of the Ecuadorian highlands (Santos, 1996; Murphy et al, 1997; Barbieri et al, 2003, 2009; Bilsborrow et al, 2004; Sellers et al, 2017)

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion