Using integrated landscape management to scale agroforestry: examples from Ecuador

Perspectives in International Development Seminar Series

Agroforestry is considered a foundation for multi-functional, socio-ecological landscape transformation. Landscapes where agroforestry is practiced contribute to the full range of goods and services needed for social and ecological sustainability. Yet the barriers to large-scale agroforestry adoption are substantial, rooted in the misalignment between risk-takers (small-scale farmers) and beneficiaries (society at large). Integrated landscape management (ILM) offers a strategy for scaling up agroforestry by mobilizing collaborative efforts among multi-sector stakeholders to address these barriers. The seminar presents a study that explored the application of ILM strategies in agroforestry initiatives in two landscapes in Ecuador: the Chocó-Andean Bio-Corridor led by Ecuadorian society and the Agenda for Transforming Production in the Amazon project of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The cases demonstrate ways that ILM has been valuable in advancing the knowledge-intensive and adaptive collaborative management processes needed to scale agroforestry.

About the presenter

Louise E. Buck has worked for decades in international conservation and development.  Her early work on agroforestry and rural development was based in Kenya where she bridged research and extension through positions at ICRAF and CARE. Between 1994-2003 she served as a senior scientist with CIFOR based at Cornell.  Since 2004 Louise has been affiliated with EcoAgriculture Partners where she leads programs related to the collaborative management of integrated landscapes. Her PhD is from Cornell, MSc from Colorado State University and BA and BS degrees from University of Colorado. 

About the series

The "Perspectives in International Development Seminar Series" is co-sponsored by the Department of Global Development, the Department of Natural Resources,  the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and the School of Integrative Plant Science.