The Succession of Farmers’ Perceptions of Transitioning Landscapes – A Case Study of Agroforestry in the Middle Hills of Nepal

Abstract

Out-migration from small-scale agricultural holdings in Nepal’s middle hills is resulting in forest succession on abandoned land. Such early landscape transitions are often guided by policy to maintain a productivist path. However, farming households in rural Nepal are themselves transitioning from their dependence and attachment to the land. The walk and talk methodology was selected to follow up socioecological surveys with farmers in the middle hills to understand perceptions of forest succession on abandoned agricultural land. This participatory research methodology engages people in their own socio-ecological context – with farmers leading researchers along paths that advances dialogue over the course of the interview. Based on analysis of the discussions and observations of attitudes, perceptions of changing landuse and benefits associated with forest succession evolved with time since land abandonment. Early stage perceptions that focused on the loss of previously productive land developed over time to include attitudes of tolerance, acceptance and even commendation of the rewards gained from tree resources. The results infer that adaptation to the changing landscape is a continuous process that requires reflexive policies and supporting institutions that enable stages of adjustment during transition. Transition management that anticipates actors’ concerns from the outset could assist transformation of agricultural landscapes and improve resilience in the socio-ecological system for sustainable livelihood outcomes. Opportunities within each stage of transition, which include the promotion of successional agroforestry systems, require different forms of support as farmers adapt their outlooks to alternative landscapes and livelihoods that can create resilience through diversity.