IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jresou/v4y2015i1p128-154d46817.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Towards a Theoretical Grounding of Climate Resilience Assessments for Smallholder Farming Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Jami L. Dixon

    (Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2-9JT, UK
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Lindsay C. Stringer

    (Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2-9JT, UK
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

Resilience assessments are increasingly used to inform management decisions and development interventions across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In light of current and future climate change and variability, there is growing interest in applying such tools and frameworks to assess and strengthen the climate resilience of smallholder farming systems. However, these assessments are often undertaken without explicit consideration of the resilience thinking in which they are grounded. This makes it difficult to understand how the conceptual aspects of resilience are translating into resilience assessment practice. This paper provides an important first step in tackling this gap, by identifying and using key characteristics of resilience thinking to evaluate existing resilience assessment tools and frameworks and drawing insights for assessing the climate resilience of smallholder farming systems. We find that power, politics, and agency, identified as important in the resilience literature, are not fully incorporated within current tools and frameworks. This leads to inadequate consideration of spatial and temporal trade-offs. We propose six recommendations for assessing the climate resilience of smallholder farming systems in SSA in order to enhance the linkages between resilience theory and practice. These are: (1) better integrate vulnerability and resilience; (2) recognize that resilience does not equal development or poverty reduction; (3) recognize the benefits and limitations of adopting flexible, participatory approaches; (4) integrate issues of power into assessment tools; (5) target specific systems; and (6) encourage knowledge sharing, empirical studies, and critical evaluation. Our findings contribute to improved understanding of applications of resilience thinking to enhance natural resource management.

Suggested Citation

  • Jami L. Dixon & Lindsay C. Stringer, 2015. "Towards a Theoretical Grounding of Climate Resilience Assessments for Smallholder Farming Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa," Resources, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-27, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:4:y:2015:i:1:p:128-154:d:46817
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/4/1/128/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/4/1/128/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Keating, B. A. & McCown, R. L., 2001. "Advances in farming systems analysis and intervention," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 70(2-3), pages 555-579.
    2. Ika Darnhofer, 2014. "Resilience and why it matters for farm management," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 41(3), pages 461-484.
    3. A. J. Dougill & E. D. G. Fraser & J. Holden & K. Hubacek & C. Prell & M. S. Reed & S. Stagl & L. C. Stringer, 2006. "Learning from Doing Participatory Rural Research: Lessons from the Peak District National Park," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(2), pages 259-275, July.
    4. Robert Kates, 2000. "Cautionary Tales: Adaptation and the Global Poor," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 5-17, April.
    5. Reed, Mark S. & Fraser, Evan D.G. & Dougill, Andrew J., 2006. "An adaptive learning process for developing and applying sustainability indicators with local communities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(4), pages 406-418, October.
    6. Richard Parsons & Aleta Lederwasch & Kieren Moffat, 2013. "Clermont Preferred Future: Stakeholder Reflections on a Community Foresight and Planning Initiative," Resources, MDPI, vol. 2(4), pages 1-27, October.
    7. Mendelsohn, Robert & Dinar, Ariel, 1999. "Climate Change, Agriculture, and Developing Countries: Does Adaptation Matter?," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 14(2), pages 277-293, August.
    8. Karen O'Brien & Siri Eriksen & Lynn P. Nygaard & Ane Schjolden, 2007. "Why different interpretations of vulnerability matter in climate change discourses," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(1), pages 73-88, January.
    9. Jami L. Dixon & Lindsay C. Stringer & Andrew J. Challinor, 2014. "Farming System Evolution and Adaptive Capacity: Insights for Adaptation Support," Resources, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-33, February.
    10. Jen C. Dyer & Julia Leventon & Lindsay C. Stringer & Andrew J. Dougill & Stephen Syampungani & Muleba Nshimbi & Francis Chama & Ackson Kafwifwi, 2013. "Partnership Models for Climate Compatible Development: Experiences from Zambia," Resources, MDPI, vol. 2(1), pages 1-25, March.
    11. Thornton, P.K. & van de Steeg, J. & Notenbaert, A. & Herrero, M., 2009. "The impacts of climate change on livestock and livestock systems in developing countries: A review of what we know and what we need to know," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 101(3), pages 113-127, July.
    12. Peterson, Garry, 2000. "Political ecology and ecological resilience:: An integration of human and ecological dynamics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 323-336, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Tschakert, Petra & Parsons, Meg & Atkins, Ed & Garcia, Alicea & Godden, Naomi & Gonda, Noemi & Henrique, Karen Paiva & Sallu, Susannah & Steen, Karin & Ziervogel, Gina, 2023. "Methodological lessons for negotiating power, political capabilities, and resilience in research on climate change responses," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jami L. Dixon & Lindsay C. Stringer & Andrew J. Challinor, 2014. "Farming System Evolution and Adaptive Capacity: Insights for Adaptation Support," Resources, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-33, February.
    2. W.Neil Adger, 2001. "Scales of governance and environmental justice for adaptation and mitigation of climate change," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(7), pages 921-931.
    3. Ranjan Roy & Ngai Weng Chan, 2012. "An assessment of agricultural sustainability indicators in Bangladesh: review and synthesis," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 99-110, March.
    4. Scoville-Simonds, Morgan & Jamali, Hameed & Hufty, Marc, 2020. "The Hazards of Mainstreaming: Climate change adaptation politics in three dimensions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    5. Donghyun Kim & Jung Eun Kang, 2020. "Building Consensus with Local Residents in Community-Based Adaptation Planning: The Case of Bansong Pilbongoreum Community in Busan, South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-20, February.
    6. Isaure Delaporte & Mathilde Maurel, 2018. "Adaptation to climate change in Bangladesh," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(1), pages 49-62, January.
    7. Joseph Holler & Quinn Bernier & J. Timmons Roberts & Stacy-ann Robinson, 2020. "Transformational Adaptation in Least Developed Countries: Does Expanded Stakeholder Participation Make a Difference?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-26, February.
    8. Petit, T. & Martel, G. & Vertès, F. & Couvreur, S., 2019. "Long-term maintenance of grasslands on dairy farms is associated with redesign and hybridisation of practices, motivated by farmers' perceptions," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 435-448.
    9. Luján Soto, Raquel & Cuéllar Padilla, Mamen & de Vente, Joris, 2020. "Participatory selection of soil quality indicators for monitoring the impacts of regenerative agriculture on ecosystem services," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    10. Luong Van Pham & Carl Smith, 2014. "Drivers of agricultural sustainability in developing countries: a review," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 326-341, June.
    11. Naeem Akram* & Asma Gulzar**, 2013. "Climate change and economic growth : An empirical analysis of Pakistan," Pakistan Journal of Applied Economics, Applied Economics Research Centre, vol. 23(1), pages 31-54.
    12. S. Prabhakar & Ancha Srinivasan & Rajib Shaw, 2009. "Climate change and local level disaster risk reduction planning: need, opportunities and challenges," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 7-33, January.
    13. Konstantina-Dimitra Salata & Athena Yiannakou, 2023. "A Methodological Tool to Integrate Theoretical Concepts in Climate Change Adaptation to Spatial Planning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-22, February.
    14. Tuihedur Rahman, H.M. & Robinson, Brian E. & Ford, James D. & Hickey, Gordon M., 2018. "How Do Capital Asset Interactions Affect Livelihood Sensitivity to Climatic Stresses? Insights From the Northeastern Floodplains of Bangladesh," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 165-176.
    15. Chapman, Sarah, 2014. "A framework for monitoring social process and outcomes in environmental programs," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 45-53.
    16. Shingo Yoshida & Hironori Yagi, 2021. "Long-Term Development of Urban Agriculture: Resilience and Sustainability of Farmers Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-23, April.
    17. William G. Moseley, 2016. "Agriculture on the Brink: Climate Change, Labor and Smallholder Farming in Botswana," Land, MDPI, vol. 5(3), pages 1-14, June.
    18. M. Melissa Rojas-Downing & A. Pouyan Nejadhashemi & Mohammad Abouali & Fariborz Daneshvar & Sabah Anwer Dawood Al Masraf & Matthew R. Herman & Timothy Harrigan & Zhen Zhang, 2018. "Pasture diversification to combat climate change impacts on grazing dairy production," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 405-431, March.
    19. Tenzing, Janna & Conway, Declan, 2023. "Does the geographical footprint of Ethiopia’s flagship social protection programme align with climatic and conflict risks?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 120563, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    20. Busby, Joshua & Smith, Todd G. & Krishnan, Nisha & Wight, Charles & Vallejo-Gutierrez, Santiago, 2018. "In harm's way: Climate security vulnerability in Asia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 88-118.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:4:y:2015:i:1:p:128-154:d:46817. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.