Vital SignsAn Integrated Monitoring System for Agricultural Landscapes

Africa RISING–CSISA Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Meeting, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 11-13 November 2013

Roseline Remans, Columbia University

An Integrated Monitoring System for Agricultural Landscapes• Ecosystem Services• Agricultural Production• Human Wellbeing

Vital Signs isstarting in

SubSaharan Africa

ETHIOPIAGHANA

TANZANIA

UGANDA

RWANDA

MOZAMBIQUE

Regions of impending agricultural change

For decision making

Co – location of data in space and time – to assess tradeoffs and synergies

Use of existing systems and data as much as possible – often adding the environmental components

Ownership by governments to link with national data collection efforts

Build national capacity on data collection, storage, analysis and use

Integrated Monitoring of Agricultural Landscapes

6

decisionlayer

analytical layer

measurement layer

development agencies, private sector, donors,

NGOs, farmer associations, national governments

analytics engine(models and trade off analysis + algorithms)

analytical outputs

data + metadata

archive and management

decision support dashboard

other networks and data sources

LSMS, AfSIS, FAO,

GEO.....

remotely sensed + in situ

Vital Signs Approach - 1. Analysis threads

VITAL SIGNS DECISION INDICATORS CATEGORIES

Thread Indicator Agriculture Human wellbeing

Ecosystems Services

Climate Forcing Net AFOLU Climate Forcing XBiodiversity Biodiversity Security XWood Fuel Wood fuel Energy Security X X

LivestockRangeland degradation XForage Adequacy X X

Water Water Security X X XResilience Resilience or buffering index X X XInclusive Wealth Sustainability index X X XFood Security Food Security Index X XSoil Health Soil Health Index X XAg. Intensification Yield Target (%) XPoverty Poverty X

Health Prevalence of malaria, diarrhea, anemia X

Nutrition % overweight, under weight, stunting, and wasting X

GLOBALFacilitating comparisons among different regions

REGIONProviding insights and information at the scale on which agricultural investment decisions are made

LANDSCAPEMeasuring relationships between agricultural intensifications, ecosystem services and human wellbeing

FIELD/PLOTTracking agricultural production, including inputs and outputs

HOUSEHOLDUsing surveys on health, nutritional status, income and assets

Tiers 1 and 2 Tiers 3 and 4

Vital Signs Approach - 2. Sampling framework and Measurement scales

Sampling Framework

• Tier 1 – simple measures, complete regional coverage at moderate resolution, based on models and remote sensing– Land cover, vegetation type, biomass, modeled NPP – yields

• Tier 2A -1 ha plots, in situ detail, statistically valid sample - to validate Tier 1 and measure things not ‘seen’ by RS (250-500 plots sampled;

• Tier 2B: 500+ HHs depending on national surveys• Population, disaggregated national statistics

• Tier 3 – Flow based, continuous sampling – weather station, hydrological flows

• Tier 4 – Process-oriented studies at high resolution- – Five to ten 10X10 km landscapes per region – 30-40 households per landscape with associated fields

Tanzania SAGCOT development clusters and protected areas

Ghana Tier 2a plots and Tier 4 landscapes

Natural Systems

Slash & Burn Agriculture; shortened

fallows

Degraded Systems

Rehabilitation through

intensification

Intensive Management

Time and Population Density

Bonsaaso, Ghana`

Mbola, Tanzania

Koraro, Ethiopia

Sauri, KenyaRuhiira, Uganda

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Regions of impending agricultural change

SAGCOT DEVELOPMENT CLUSTERSAND PROTECTED AREAS