researcher, National Research Council of Italy
Researcher at the Institute of Agro-Environmental and Forest Biology, my research competences concern agroforestry systems defined as land use practices in which woody species are integrated with agricultural crops and/or animals. These systems are complex systems able to provide a wide range of economic and environmental benefits. I'm involved in EU research projects aimed to promote agroforestry in Europe; I'm member of European Agroforestry Federation by means we push European agricultural policies (CAP) to sustain and support agroforestry in rural landscape.
Key research Interests: agroforestry systems, socio-ecological systems, social network, stakeholder perceptions
Improved tree fallows to improve soil fertility have considerable potential in many areas of sub-Saharan Africa. This paper assesses the experiences of 99 farmers in western Kenya, following initial testing of improved fallows during 1997. Over the following three seasons, 53% of the farmers could be considered as medium adopters (planting improved fallows in one season), 26% were strong adopters (planting in at least two seasons) and 21% were non-adopters (not planting at all). The proportion of women farmers planting improved fallows was roughly the same as the proportion of men. The interest of poor and female farmers, relative to other studies showing adoption bias towards wealthy and male farmers, may reflect their limited access to other soil fertility inputs, such as mineral fertilizer and animal manure. Farmers' management of the practice differed considerably from researchers' recommendations, particularly with respect to fallow length and time of planting trees relative to crops. Improvement of both soil and crop yields were perceived as the most important benefits of improved fallows. Sesbania sesban (L.) Merrill. and Crotolaria grahamiana Wight & Arn. were the most appreciated species. A linear logistic model was used to indicate the factors associated with farmers' decisions to continue planting improved fallows following initial testing, and with the decision to plant one versus planting more than one improved fallow. A multiple linear regression model was used to assess the factors influencing the area planted to improved fallows and the proportion of farm area under improved fallows. The most important variables associated with planting improved fallows were ethnic group and proportion of area under natural fallow. Wealth status, gender, farm size, and available labour had relatively little influence on decisions to plant improved fallows. The practice is knowledge-intensive and requires seed and technical support from research and extension services.
Rural communities are facing increasing social heterogeneity and organization complexity consequently to land use changes, demographic dynamics and globalization processes. Members of the communities should have a direct perception of their own territories, recognizing any positive or negative change that may occur. A better knowledge of these processes may be achieved by investigating local community awareness and perspectives. A research was carried out in a rural and mountainous area of Central Italy with the following aims: (i) to highlight demographic dynamics and land use changes that affected the area during the last decades; (ii) to assess local communities' perceptions and awareness of their own territories; (iii) to verify and validate a research methodology by evaluating the resilience of socio-ecological systems. The study area involved four municipalities that were analyzed considering the historical changes of demographic data and land-use system. A questionnaire was submitted to a sample of local population. The questionnaire was aimed to investigate the following issues: (i) level and quality of participation and communication within the community life; (ii) awareness of environmental resources of the territories; (iii) socio-cultural opportunities and expectations of future changes within the communities. In each municipality, different behaviors and needs emerged according to the age of the inhabitants. In spite of that, awareness of social, cultural and environmental constraints/potentialities emerged in all the communities. Communication capability seems a key factor to reinforce both the social capital and the resilience of the territories. Thus, sharing of experience and knowledge could play a major role in developing an efficient governance of the occurring territorial changes. Finally, the study highlights that serious efforts should be spent especially to satisfy expectations of young people concerning the territorial development. This latter seems a prerequisite for the maintenance of the system resilience.
