What is it about?
In areas of Colombia once controlled by guerillas, conflicts over land continue and deforestation has risen considerably. But it’s in these same areas that researchers have found that farmers implementing sustainable land use systems, like agroforestry driven by cocoa (one of the key ingredients of chocolate), has contributed to reducing conflicts.
Featured Image
Photo by Etty Fidele on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Land is an essential natural resource for climate mitigation and peace. It is commonly connected with sources of GHG emissions and with drivers of (violent) conflict. Nevertheless, there needs to be more program evaluation frameworks, especially measurable indicators, that integrate these two objectives (achieving peace and climate mitigation). This study aims to develop a methodology and criteria to evaluate the precise mechanisms of SLUS influencing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and drivers of conflict.
Perspectives
We have created categories, indicators, and explanatory mechanisms to improve evidence-based environmental peacebuilding interventions, specifically for cocoa agroforestry in Colombia after the peace agreement. Our findings confirm the environmental peacebuilding contact hypothesis, which suggests that bringing conflicting parties together to discuss environmental issues or agricultural practices can reduce prejudice and provide a neutral space for dialogue, leading to lasting trust. Diversifying cocoa production can protect farmers from engaging in illegal activities while negotiating fair prices for their products can improve their economic position and reduce risks associated with illicit economies. Although some factors like land access and national governance are outside the scope of these projects, we recommend this approach to coordinate efforts between environmental, security, and agricultural authorities, particularly for land restitution and illegal crop substitution programs.
Hector Morales Muñoz
adelphi research gemeinnutzige GmbH
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Integrating climate mitigation and environmental peacebuilding objectives through sustainable land use systems: Theory of change and indicators, PLOS Climate, May 2023, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000075.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
