Abstract
Integrated landscape approaches (ILA) are being utilised to address issues at the intersection of rural development, conservation, and increasingly climate change adaptation. We undertook a systematic literature review to assess which facets of ILA provide climate resilience, the quality of the evidence base used to undertake such assessments, and which analytical approaches were used. We reviewed in detail 386 studies. We found 16 peer-reviewed studies presenting 48 cases of ILA-livelihood-climate interactions that analysed the climate moderating effect of ILA. With such a small sample, discerning a reliable signal of climate resilience from ILA or from facets of ILA is challenging. Most studies focused on the plot or farm level as opposed to higher or multiple spatial scales. This is at odds with the holistic notion of ILA which emphasises the multi-scalar nature of landscapes and their constituent human and environmental systems. However, we highlight the potential for combining the results of multiple individual studies that focus on facets of ILA to detect if a signal of ILA driven climate resilience exists. Only one study focused on how multi-stakeholder governance and institutional arrangements affect climate resilience. This omission within the evidence base precludes empirically grounded insights into the mechanisms through which different governance and institutional arrangements within ILA influence climate response capacity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
A record of current or completed ILA initiatives can be accessed via the Landscapes for People, Food, and Nature website: http://peoplefoodandnature.org/
References
Adger WN (2003) Social capital, collective action, and adaptation to climate change. Econ Geogr 79:387–404. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-8287.2003.tb00220.x
Alkire S (2013) Choosing dimensions: the capability approach and multidimensional poverty. In: Kakwani N, Silber J (eds) The many dimensions of poverty. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230592407_6
Anderies JM, Janssen MA , Ostrom E (2004) A framework to analyze the robustness of social-ecological systems from an institutional perspective. Ecol Soc 9(1):18
Angrist JD, Pischke J-S (2009) Mostly harmless econometrics an empiricist’s companion. Princeton University Press, Princeton
Araya T, Nyssen J, Govaerts B, Deckers J, Cornelis WM (2015) Impacts of conservation agriculture-based farming systems on optimizing seasonal rainfall partitioning and productivity on vertisols in the Ethiopian drylands. Soil Tillage Res 148:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2014.11.009
Arslan A, McCarthy N, Lipper L, Asfaw S, Cattaneo A, Kokwe M (2015) Climate smart agriculture? Assessing the adaptation implications in Zambia. J Agric Econ 66:753–780. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12107
Baudron F, Tomscha SA, Powell B, Groot JC, Gergel SE et al (2019) Testing the various pathways linking forest cover to dietary diversity in tropical landscapes. Front Sustain Food Syst 3:97. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2019.00097
Béné C, Frankenberger T, Nelson S (2015) Design, monitoring and evaluation of resilience interventions: conceptual and empirical considerations, IDS Working Paper 459, Institute of Development Studies
Béné C, Chowdhury FS, Rashid M, Dhali SA, Jahan F (2017) Squaring the circle: reconciling the need for rigor with the reality on the ground in resilience impact assessment. World Dev 97:212–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.04.011
Berrang-Ford L, Ford JD, Paterson J (2011) Are we adapting to climate change? Glob Environ Chang 21:25–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2010.09.012
Berrang-Ford L, Pearce T, Ford JD (2015) Systematic review approaches for climate change adaptation research. Reg Environ Chang 15:755–769. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-014-0708-7
Bhattacharyya R, Das TK, Pramanik P, Ganeshan V, Saad AA et al (2013) Impacts of conservation agriculture on soil aggregation and aggregate-associated N under an irrigated agroecosystem of the Indo-Gangetic Plains. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 96:185–202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-013-9585-6
Bhattacharyya R, Das TK, Sudhishri S, Dudwal B, Sharma AR et al (2015) Conservation agriculture effects on soil organic carbon accumulation and crop productivity under a rice-wheat cropping system in the western Indo-Gangetic Plains. Eur J Agron 70:11–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2015.06.006
Bürgi M, Ali P, Chowdhury A, Heinimann A, Hett C et al (2017) Integrated landscape approach: closing the gap between theory and application. Sustainability 9:1371. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9081371
Chervier C, Piketty M-G, Reed J (2020) Theories of change and monitoring and evaluation types for landscape approaches. In: Reed, J., Ros-Tonen, M., Suncderland, T.C.H. (eds) Operationalizing integrated landscape approaches in the tropics. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
Cinner JE, Adger WN, Allison EH, Barnes ML, Brown K et al (2018) Building adaptive capacity to climate change in tropical coastal communities. Nat Clim Chang 8:117–123. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-017-0065-x
Constas MA, Frankenberger TR, Hoddinott J (2014a) Resilience measurement principles. Toward and agenda for measurement design., Resilience Measurement Technical Working Group. Food Security Information Network
Constas MA, Frankenberger TR, Hoddinott J, Mock N, Romano D, et al. (2014b) A common analytical model for resilience measurement. Causal Framework and Methodological Options., Resilience Measurement Technical Working Group. Food Security Information Network
Corbeels M, de Graaff J, Ndah TH, Penot E, Baudron F et al (2014) Understanding the impact and adoption of conservation agriculture in Africa: a multi-scale analysis. Agric Ecosyst Environ 187:155–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2013.10.011
Delgado-Serrano MD, Vanwildemeersch P, London S, Ortiz-Guerrero CE, Semerena RE et al (2016) Adapting prospective structural analysis to strengthen sustainable management and capacity building in community-based natural resource management contexts. Ecol Soc 21:Artn 36. https://doi.org/10.5751/Es-08505-210236
Dell'Angelo J, McCord PF, Gower D, Carpenter S, Caylor KK et al (2016) Community Water Governance on Mount Kenya: an assessment based on Ostrom’s Design Principles of Natural Resource Management. Mt Res Dev 36:102–115. https://doi.org/10.1659/Mrd-Journal-D-15-00040.1
Erbaugh JT, Oldekop JA (2018) Forest landscape restoration for livelihoods and well-being. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 32:76–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2018.05.007
Estrada-Carmona N, Hart AK, DeClerck FAJ, Harvey CA, Milder JC (2014) Integrated landscape management for agriculture, rural livelihoods, and ecosystem conservation: an assessment of experience from Latin America and the Caribbean. Landsc Urban Plan 129:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.05.001
Farina SR, Alford A, Garcia SC, Fulkerson WJ (2013) An integrated assessment of business risk for pasture-based dairy farm systems intensification. Agric Syst 115:10–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2012.10.003
Ferraro PJ, Hanauer MM (2014) Advances in measuring the environmental and social impacts of environmental programs. Annu Rev Environ Resour 39:495–517. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-101813-013230
Ford JD, Berrang-Ford L, Paterson J (2011) A systematic review of observed climate change adaptation in developed nations. Clim Chang 106:327–336. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0045-5
Ford JD, Berrang-Ford L, Bunce A, McKay C, Irwin M et al (2015) The status of climate change adaptation in Africa and Asia. Reg Environ Chang 15:801–814. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-014-0648-2
Freeman O, Duguma L, Minang P (2015) Operationalizing the integrated landscape approach in practice. Ecol Soc 20
Geist HJ, Lambin EF (2002) Proximate causes and underlying driving forces of tropical deforestation. Bioscience 52:143–150. https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2002)052[0143:PCAUDF]2.0.CO;2
Geist HJ, Lambin EF (2004) Dynamic causal patterns of desertification. Bioscience 54:817–829. https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[0817:DCPOD]2.0.CO;2
Gough D (2015) Qualitative and mixed methods in systematic reviews. Syst Rev 4
Hagen-Zanker J, Mallett R (2013) How to do a rigorous, evidence-focused literature review in international development. ODI Working Paper. ODI, London, UK
Harvey CA, Chacon M, Donatti CI, Garen E, Hannah L et al (2014) Climate-smart landscapes: opportunities and challenges for integrating adaptation and mitigation in tropical agriculture. Conserv Lett 7:77–90. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12066
Hassanzadeh E, Elshorbagy A, Wheater H, Gober P, Nazemi A (2016) Integrating supply uncertainties from stochastic modeling into integrated water resource management: case study of the Saskatchewan River Basin. J Water Resour Plan Manag 142:05015006. https://doi.org/10.1061/(Asce)Wr.1943-5452.0000581
Jat RK, Sapkota TB, Singh RG, Jat ML, Kumar M et al (2014) Seven years of conservation agriculture in a rice-wheat rotation of Eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia: yield trends and economic profitability. Field Crop Res 164:199–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2014.04.015
Kusters K, Buck L, de Graaf M, Minang P, van Oosten C et al (2018) Participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation of multi-stakeholder platforms in integrated landscape initiatives. Environ Manag 62:170–181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-017-0847-y
Lesnikowski AC, Ford JD, Berrang-Ford L, Barrera M, Heymann J (2015) How are we adapting to climate change? A global assessment. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Chang 20:277–293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-013-9491-x
Li YH, Chen PY, Lo WH, Tung CP (2015) Integrated water resources system dynamics modeling and indicators for sustainable rural community. Paddy Water Environ 13:29–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-013-0404-0
Lobell DB (2014) Climate change adaptation in crop production: beware of illusions. Global Food Secur 3:72–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2014.05.002
Mackie JT (1965) Causes and conditions. Am Philos Q 2:245–264
Mahoney J (2008) Toward a unified theory of causality. Comp Polit Stud 41:412–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414007313115
Meyfroidt P (2016) Approaches and terminology for causal analysis in land systems science. J Land Use Sci 11:501–522. https://doi.org/10.1080/1747423X.2015.1117530
Meyfroidt P, Carlson KM, Fagan ME, Gutiérrez-Vélez VH, Macedo MN et al (2014) Multiple pathways of commodity crop expansion in tropical forest landscapes. Environ Res Lett 9:074012. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/7/074012
Milder JC, Hart AK, Dobie P, Minai J, Zaleski C (2014) Integrated landscape initiatives for African agriculture, development, and conservation: a region-wide assessment. World Dev 54:68–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.07.006
Neef A, Benge L, Boruff B, Pauli N, Weber E et al (2018) Climate adaptation strategies in Fiji: the role of social norms and cultural values. World Dev 107:125–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.02.029
Ngwira AR, Aune JB, Thierfelder C (2014) DSSAT modelling of conservation agriculture maize response to climate change in Malawi. Soil Tillage Res 143:85–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2014.05.003
Opdam P, Luque S, Jones KB (2009) Changing landscapes to accommodate for climate change impacts: a call for landscape ecology. Landsc Ecol 24:715–721. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-009-9377-1
Opdam P, Nassauer JI, Wang Z, Albert C, Bentrup G et al (2013) Science for action at the local landscape scale. Landsc Ecol 28:1439–1445. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-013-9925-6
Osbahr H, Twyman C, Adger WN, Thomas DS (2008) Effective livelihood adaptation to climate change disturbance: scale dimensions of practice in Mozambique. Geoforum 39:1951–1964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2008.07.010
Patil MD, Wani SP, Garg KK (2016) Conservation agriculture for improving water productivity in Vertisols of semi-arid tropics. Curr Sci India 110:1730–1739. https://doi.org/10.18520/cs/v110/i9/1730-1739
Perez-Sanchez J, Senent-Aparicio J (2015) Integrated water resources management on a local scale: a challenge for the user community a case study in Southern Spain. Environ Earth Sci 74:6097–6109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4633-y
Pittelkow CM, Liang X, Linquist BA, Van Groenigen KJ, Lee J et al (2015) Productivity limits and potentials of the principles of conservation agriculture. Nature 517:365. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13809
Potschin M, Haines-Young R (2006) “Rio+10”, sustainability science and Landscape Ecology. Landsc Urban Plan 75:162–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2005.03.005
Reed J, Van Vianen J, Deakin EL, Barlow J, Sunderland T (2016) Integrated landscape approaches to managing social and environmental issues in the tropics: learning from the past to guide the future. Glob Chang Biol 22:2540–2554. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13284
Reed J, Van Vianen J, Barlow J, Sunderland TCH (2017) Have integrated landscape approaches reconciled societal and environmental issues in the tropics? Land Use Policy 63:481–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.02.021
Reed J, Barlow J, Carmenta R, van Vianen J, Sunderland T (2019) Engaging multiple stakeholders to reconcile climate, conservation and development objectives in tropical landscapes. Biol Conserv 238:108229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108229
Reed J, Borah JR, Chervier C, Langston J, Moeliono M, et al. (2020) A methods toolbox for integrated landscape approaches. In: Reed, J., Ros-Tonen, M., Suncderland, T.C.H. (eds) Operationalizing integrated landscape approaches in the tropics. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
Reidsma P, Wolf J, Kanellopoulos A, Schaap BF, Mandryk M, et al. (2015) Climate change impact and adaptation research requires integrated assessment and farming systems analysis: a case study in the Netherlands. Environ Res Lett 10. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/4/045004
Sayer J, Sunderland T, Ghazoul J, Pfund J-L, Sheil D et al (2013) Ten principles for a landscape approach to reconciling agriculture, conservation, and other competing land uses. Proc Natl Acad Sci 110:8349–8356. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1210595110
Sayer JA, Margules C, Boedhihartono AK, Sunderland T, Langston JD et al (2017) Measuring the effectiveness of landscape approaches to conservation and development. Sustain Sci 12:465–476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2017.04.013
Scherr SJ, Shames S, Friedman R (2012) From climate-smart agriculture to climate-smart landscapes. Agricult Food Secur 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/2048-7010-1-12
Steward PR, Dougill AJ, Thierfelder C, Pittelkow CM, Stringer LC et al (2018) The adaptive capacity of maize-based conservation agriculture systems to climate stress in tropical and subtropical environments: a meta-regression of yields. Agric Ecosyst Environ 251:194–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2017.09.019
Sunderland T, Abdoulaye R, Ahammad R, Asaha S, Baudron F et al (2017) A methodological approach for assessing cross-site landscape change: understanding socio-ecological systems. Forest Policy Econ 1:83–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2017.04.013
Wu J (2013) Landscape sustainability science: ecosystem services and human well-being in changing landscapes. Landsc Ecol 28:999–1023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-013-9894-9
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments.
Funding
This research was funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR; grant number ASEM/2016/030).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by James Ford
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
ESM 1
(DOCX 37 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Duncan, J.M.A., Boruff, B., Biggs, E.M. et al. Do integrated landscape approaches moderate climate impacts on livelihoods? A review of the evidence from agricultural landscapes. Reg Environ Change 21, 25 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-021-01754-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-021-01754-6