Job share Knowledge Exchange Fellowship: Regenerative agriculture for sustainable plantation ecosystems

工作分享知识交流奖学金：可持续种植园生态系统的再生农业

• 批准号: NE/X001687/2
• 负责人: Nicholas Girkin
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Nottingham
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FX001687%2F2
• 关键词: Job; share; Knowledge; Exchange; Fellowship

Plantation ecosystems underpin the production of a range of commodities including tea and coffee and supports the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers. However, these ecosystems face a range of challenges, including declining soil fertility and increased soil erosion, and yields that are maintained through high nitrogen fertiliser applications. Across most production areas, climate change is reducing yields and crop quality, impacting farmer livelihoods. Regenerative agriculture (RA) describes a suite of practices designed to deliver beneficial outcomes for agroecosystems, with a focus on improving soil health and soil carbon sequestration, lower agrochemical inputs, and increasing biodiversity. This results in a healthier, more climate resilient ecosystem. For plantation crops, approaches include agroforestry and intercropping, reduced soil disturbance, and the use of organic fertilisers and composts as alternatives to inorganic fertilisers. At present, adoption is low due to limited research on specific techniques for certain crops, and knowledge and financial barriers. However, many techniques have significant similarities across regions and crops, and thus evidence of the benefits and possible trade-offs have the potential to be more widely applied. Adopting such an approach will help accelerate the incorporation of RA into current management practices. In this project, we will focus on the adoption of RA in tea and coffee production in East Africa. We will primarily work in Kenya, as tea and coffee are key regional exports and underpins the livelihoods of over a million smallholder farmers, but production is vulnerable to climate change. In the longer-term, and with the help of our partners and networks, we hope to expand our scope to include further crops and regions. To achieve our aim, this fellowship will facilitate knowledge exchange between researchers, agribusinesses, NGOs and smallholder farmers in tea and coffee ecosystems, building on the relationships and networks already established by the applicants (Dr Nick Girkin and Dr Kenisha Garnett) and Cranfield University. We will adopt a transdisciplinary approach, bringing our diverse background, experience and collective expertise in tropical ecosystem processes, RA, and the social sciences.We will synthesise NERC-remit science on RA's environmental benefits for tea and coffee ecosystems, with evidence of the social and economic impacts of adoption and combine this with new knowledge generated through the sharing of ideas, experience and expertise between researchers, agribusinesses and smallholder famers. We will adopt a co-production approach to our work with smallholders, to generate insights on current sustainable practices, and identify barriers to change, and delivery models. We will use this evidence to create materials to inform discussions with policymakers (e.g. the All-Parliamentary Group on Agroecology for Sustainable Food and Farming), NGOs (e.g. Rainforest Alliance) and businesses (e.g. Ekaterra) around the benefits of RA and means of incentivising adoption. Working collaboratively with our partners and a network of smallholder farmers, we will co-develop a RA toolkit for plantation crops, which can inform practice and promote adoption.A key impact of this fellowship will be the translation of NERC-remit science to improve the sustainability of tea and coffee production, bringing environmental, social and economic benefits to smallholders in the long-term. We will achieve our aim with support from a range of partners including agribusiness (e.g. Ekaterra), NGOs (e.g. Rainforest Alliance) and regional research institutions (e.g. Kenyatta University). We anticipate the knowledge exchange and engagement of stakeholders across our networks can be sustained and that the network will be self-maintaining after the fellowship, to deliver a long-term legacy by increasing the sustainability and climate resilience of plantation ecosystems.

种植园生态系统支撑着茶叶和咖啡等一系列商品的生产，并支持数百万小农的生计。然而，这些生态系统面临着一系列挑战，包括土壤肥力下降和土壤侵蚀加剧，以及通过施用高氮肥来维持产量。在大多数产区，气候变化正在降低产量和作物质量，影响农民的生计。再生农业（RA）描述了一系列旨在为农业生态系统带来有益成果的实践，重点是改善土壤健康和土壤碳固存、降低农用化学品投入并增加生物多样性。这将带来更健康、更具气候适应能力的生态系统。对于种植园作物，方法包括农林业和间作、减少土壤扰动以及使用有机肥料和堆肥作为无机肥料的替代品。目前，由于对某些作物的特定技术的研究有限以及知识和财务障碍，采用率较低。然而，许多技术在不同地区和作物之间具有显着的相似性，因此其效益和可能的权衡的证据有可能得到更广泛的应用。采用这种方法将有助于加速将风险评估纳入当前的管理实践。在这个项目中，我们将重点关注东非茶叶和咖啡生产中 RA 的采用。我们将主要在肯尼亚开展工作，因为茶叶和咖啡是该地区的主要出口产品，支撑着超过一百万小农的生计，但生产很容易受到气候变化的影响。从长远来看，在我们的合作伙伴和网络的帮助下，我们希望扩大我们的范围以包括更多作物和地区。为了实现我们的目标，该奖学金将在申请人（Nick Girkin 博士和 Kenisha Garnett 博士）和克兰菲尔德大学已经建立的关系和网络的基础上，促进茶和咖啡生态系统中的研究人员、农业企业、非政府组织和小农之间的知识交流。我们将采用跨学科的方法，将我们在热带生态系统过程、RA 和社会科学方面的不同背景、经验和集体专业知识结合起来。我们将综合 NERC 的科学，研究 RA 对茶和咖啡生态系统的环境效益，并提供社会证据。以及采用的经济影响，并将其与通过研究人员、农业企业和小农之间分享想法、经验和专业知识而产生的新知识相结合。我们将在与小农的合作中采用联合生产的方式，以深入了解当前的可持续实践，并确定变革的障碍和交付模式。我们将利用这些证据来制作材料，为与政策制定者（例如可持续粮食和农业生态农业小组）、非政府组织（例如雨林联盟）和企业（例如 Ekaterra）围绕 RA 的好处和激励手段进行讨论提供信息采用。我们将与我们的合作伙伴和小农网络合作，共同开发种植园作物的 RA 工具包，该工具包可以为实践提供信息并促进采用。该奖学金的一个关键影响将是 NERC 汇款科学的转化，以改善茶和咖啡生产的可持续性，为小农带来长期的环境、社会和经济效益。我们将在农业企业（如 Ekaterra）、非政府组织（如雨林联盟）和区域研究机构（如肯雅塔大学）等一系列合作伙伴的支持下实现我们的目标。我们预计利益相关者在我们网络中的知识交流和参与能够持续下去，并且该网络将在奖学金结束后自我维护，通过提高种植园生态系统的可持续性和气候适应能力来提供长期遗产。