University:

Center for Development and Environment, University of Bern

Period:

January 2022 – June 2023

Abstract:

Over the past years, there has been an increase in agroecology initiatives in the Mekong countries, as a result of the global movement by national and international NGOs, to support the agro-ecological transitions towards more sustainable, safer and inclusive food and agricultural systems. Even though there exists many initiatives in the region, data about agroecology practices are often scattered across different projects, organizations and governmental institutions at different scales, contexts and platforms. Most often, they are found in grey-literature such as project reports, factsheets, case studies, community experiences and stories. However, the spatial location and extent of these practices are not always documented and reported. This makes difficult to monitor and evaluate the spread of these initiatives and of their impacts spatially, as well as to assess their potential upscalability into similar contexts. There is a need to consolidate these existing data and initiatives in a systematic and coherent manner, in order to better capitalize knowledge on agro-ecological transitions through the spatial dimension for spatially-explicit research, innovation, adaptation and planning.

Therefore, this study aims to put agro-ecology on the map by combining complementary spatial technologies with other sources of information (such as field surveys, statistical data, case study data, deployment of phone apps, etc.). Through this research work, information across various networks and platforms will be explored and analyzed by focusing on key agro-ecological practices. Approaches such as TAPE with available data will be used as a basis for mapping and identifying upscaling possibilities combined with other sources of information. Within the pilot study at Xieng Khuang province in Lao PDR, based on ALiSEA repository, ASSET flagship activities and third party sources, existing initiatives will be mapped and standardized through a systematic approach for an overview of the spread of agro-ecological practices, of their relevance in terms of area and concerned farming households, and of their upscalability into similar contexts.

The outcomes of this study would contribute to enhance the robustness of spatial monitoring and evaluation methods by refining the typology and criteria for the evaluation of agro-ecological practices via their spatial expression, as well as to provide as a basis for the adaptation of agricultural censuses and national information collection campaigns that allow capturing and making visible agro-ecological practices. Most importantly, establishing such a consolidated and standardized spatial inventory of agro-ecological practices would open up the opportunity to serve as an innovative platform for sharing and scaling good practices to users, practitioners, researchers and policy makers. This would facilitate in sharing knowledge, evaluation and analysis of where they are being practiced, which works where and why, and how they could be potentially up-scaled, in which environmental, socio-cultural and economic contexts and in which similar contexts.