Food security in a perfect storm: using the ecosystem services framework to increase understanding
Food security in a perfect storm: using the ecosystem services framework to increase understanding
Achieving food security in a ‘perfect storm’ scenario is a grand challenge for society. Climate change and an expanding global population act in concert to make global food security even more complex and demanding. As achieving food security and the millennium development goal (MDG) to eradicate hunger influences the attainment of other MDGs, it is imperative that we offer solutions which are complementary and do not oppose one another. Sustainable intensification of agriculture has been proposed as a way to address hunger while also minimizing further environmental impact. However, the desire to raise productivity and yields has historically led to a degraded environment, reduced biodiversity and a reduction in ecosystem services (ES), with the greatest impacts affecting the poor. This paper proposes that the ES framework coupled with a policy response framework, for example Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR), can allow food security to be delivered alongside healthy ecosystems, which provide many other valuable services to humankind. Too often, agro-ecosystems have been considered as separate from other natural ecosystems and insufficient attention has been paid to the way in which services can flow to and from the agro-ecosystem to surrounding ecosystems. Highlighting recent research in a large multi-disciplinary project (ASSETS), we illustrate the ES approach to food security using a case study from the Zomba district of Malawi.
agriculture-forest interface, ecosystem services, food security, malawi, models
1-13
Poppy, G.M.
e18524cf-10ae-4ab4-b50c-e73e7d841389
Chiotha, S.
e4c361ae-b8ce-472f-8b9b-31722a007c89
Eigenbrod, F.
43efc6ae-b129-45a2-8a34-e489b5f05827
Harvey, C. A.
7d59f921-d350-4883-afec-fdfe83c9b9af
Honzak, M.
5a30eedc-0502-4f64-844d-1900726cf4d8
Hudson, Malcolm D.
1ae18506-6f2a-48af-8c72-83ab28679f55
Jarvis, A.
78dffdab-c597-4e67-957f-da2b9a6cc6c6
Madise, N.J.
2ea2fbcc-50da-4696-a0a5-2fe01db63d8c
Schreckenberg, K.
d3fa344b-bf0d-4358-b12a-5547968f8a77
Shackleton, C.M.
4bc487e7-4041-47ae-b207-813937706380
Villa, F.
90734bec-19c2-4df1-8e81-81e10cb2fbb3
Dawson, Terence P.
0c9227ce-1d62-47b5-9571-a8a1864321af
5 April 2014
Poppy, G.M.
e18524cf-10ae-4ab4-b50c-e73e7d841389
Chiotha, S.
e4c361ae-b8ce-472f-8b9b-31722a007c89
Eigenbrod, F.
43efc6ae-b129-45a2-8a34-e489b5f05827
Harvey, C. A.
7d59f921-d350-4883-afec-fdfe83c9b9af
Honzak, M.
5a30eedc-0502-4f64-844d-1900726cf4d8
Hudson, Malcolm D.
1ae18506-6f2a-48af-8c72-83ab28679f55
Jarvis, A.
78dffdab-c597-4e67-957f-da2b9a6cc6c6
Madise, N.J.
2ea2fbcc-50da-4696-a0a5-2fe01db63d8c
Schreckenberg, K.
d3fa344b-bf0d-4358-b12a-5547968f8a77
Shackleton, C.M.
4bc487e7-4041-47ae-b207-813937706380
Villa, F.
90734bec-19c2-4df1-8e81-81e10cb2fbb3
Dawson, Terence P.
0c9227ce-1d62-47b5-9571-a8a1864321af
Poppy, G.M., Chiotha, S., Eigenbrod, F., Harvey, C. A., Honzak, M., Hudson, Malcolm D., Jarvis, A., Madise, N.J., Schreckenberg, K., Shackleton, C.M., Villa, F. and Dawson, Terence P.
(2014)
Food security in a perfect storm: using the ecosystem services framework to increase understanding.
Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 369 (1639), .
(doi:10.1098/rstb.2012.0288).
(PMID:24535394)
Abstract
Achieving food security in a ‘perfect storm’ scenario is a grand challenge for society. Climate change and an expanding global population act in concert to make global food security even more complex and demanding. As achieving food security and the millennium development goal (MDG) to eradicate hunger influences the attainment of other MDGs, it is imperative that we offer solutions which are complementary and do not oppose one another. Sustainable intensification of agriculture has been proposed as a way to address hunger while also minimizing further environmental impact. However, the desire to raise productivity and yields has historically led to a degraded environment, reduced biodiversity and a reduction in ecosystem services (ES), with the greatest impacts affecting the poor. This paper proposes that the ES framework coupled with a policy response framework, for example Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR), can allow food security to be delivered alongside healthy ecosystems, which provide many other valuable services to humankind. Too often, agro-ecosystems have been considered as separate from other natural ecosystems and insufficient attention has been paid to the way in which services can flow to and from the agro-ecosystem to surrounding ecosystems. Highlighting recent research in a large multi-disciplinary project (ASSETS), we illustrate the ES approach to food security using a case study from the Zomba district of Malawi.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
e-pub ahead of print date: 17 February 2014
Published date: 5 April 2014
Keywords:
agriculture-forest interface, ecosystem services, food security, malawi, models
Organisations:
Social Statistics & Demography, Centre for Environmental Science, Centre for Biological Sciences
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 366955
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/366955
ISSN: 0962-8436
PURE UUID: aaea49a9-d4b0-4e91-9f45-6908339e5f38
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 21 Jul 2014 08:57
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:36
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
S. Chiotha
Author:
C. A. Harvey
Author:
M. Honzak
Author:
A. Jarvis
Author:
N.J. Madise
Author:
K. Schreckenberg
Author:
C.M. Shackleton
Author:
F. Villa
Author:
Terence P. Dawson
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics