Visualizing Sustainability of Selective Mountain Farming Systems from Far-eastern Himalayas to Support Decision Making

Shakya, Bandana; Shrestha, Anil; Sharma, Ghanashyam; Gurung, Tulsi; Mihin, Dollo; Yang, Shuo; Jamir, Amba; Win, Soe; Han, Xi; Yang, Yongping; Choudhury, Dhrupad; Schneider, Flurina (2019). Visualizing Sustainability of Selective Mountain Farming Systems from Far-eastern Himalayas to Support Decision Making. Sustainability, 11(6), p. 1714. MDPI 10.3390/su11061714

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Mountain farming systems rely on both empirical and academic knowledge. Their sustainability depends on how effectively diverse knowledge is used for solution-oriented
decision making. For mountains, decisions must be conducive to rural farmers whose livelihoods depend on agriculture and related activities. Adopting transdisciplinary research approach, we define a composite Sustainability Space indicator that will help decision makers better understand the ingredients for sustainability, and formulate policy and management decisions to reinforce on-the-ground sustainability. Sustainability Space was derived through analysis of the positive and negative impact factors co-defined by community and disciplinary experts, and visualized through a radar diagram. We used Principal Component Analysis to understand relationships between factors. The results on Sustainability Spaces for eight cases of farming systems from the far-Eastern Himalayas indicated that the sustainability of farming systems is strengthened if decisions holistically
cater to (i) geophysical pre-requisites, (ii) ecological foundations, (iii) integrated processes and practices, (iv) resources, knowledge, and value systems, (v) stakeholders’ development and economic aspirations, (vi) well-being of farming communities, and (vii) government support mechanisms. More equitable the attention to these seven components, the higher the sustainability of farming systems in this region could be.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

10 Strategic Research Centers > Centre for Development and Environment (CDE)

UniBE Contributor:

Schneider, Flurina

Subjects:

900 History > 910 Geography & travel

ISSN:

2071-1050

Publisher:

MDPI

Projects:

[803] Cluster: Land Resources

Language:

English

Submitter:

Stephan Schmidt

Date Deposited:

19 Jul 2019 06:30

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:28

Publisher DOI:

10.3390/su11061714

Uncontrolled Keywords:

sustainability assessment; farm performance; sustainability space; transdisciplinary approach; mountain agriculture; Far-eastern Himalayas

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.130700

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/130700

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