Schlüsselwörter
(Englisch)
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runoff; erosion; on-; offsite impacts; multi-stakeholder; transdisciplinarity; Swiss plateau
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Forschungsprogramme
(Englisch)
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COST-Action 634 - On-and Off-site Environmental Impacts of Runoff and Erosion
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Kurzbeschreibung
(Englisch)
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In recent decades, soil degradation research has focused on degradation processes and in particular on the on-site impacts of soil and water conservation (SWC) technologies on soil erosion and soil fertility. In contrast, little is known about the positive and negative socio-economic effects on the one hand, and the off-site effects of soil erosion and SWC, respectively, on the other hand. Therefore, the proposed research project will investigate the effects of SWC, both on-site (farms) and off-site (communities, watersheds) in a more comprehensive manner, i.e. taking into account ecological soundness, economic viability, practicability and social acceptance. It will also seek to determine farmers' rationales for implementing, adapting, innovating with or rejecting SWC (bottom-up approach), taking into account their local knowledge base and critically assessing conventional top-down, regulation and incentive-based and innovative bottom-up, farmer-to-farmer-based approaches of implementation. The project is based on a transdisciplinary approach, appreciating that optimal implementation of SWC needs to combine scientific, expert and local knowledge as part of a social learning process involving farmers, researchers, public administration, and relevant representatives of civil society.This project will be split into two separate Ph.D. theses with one concept, in order to give due emphasis to both natural and social sciences on the one hand, and to research, policy making and agricultural practice on the other hand.
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Weitere Hinweise und Angaben
(Englisch)
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Full name of research-institution/enterprise: Universität Bern Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) Coordinator WOCAT
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Partner und Internationale Organisationen
(Englisch)
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AT, BE, CH, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, LV, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SK, UK
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Abstract
(Englisch)
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The research project aimed at optimising agricultural knowledge related to soil erosion by rearticulating and intensifying the interaction between researchers, experts and farmers based on social learning processes. It represented a transdisciplinary research project addressing critical questions about the improvement of interaction of the knowledge system, the lack of instruments for assessing off-site effects of soil erosion, and the need to assess impacts and the efficiency of incentives and innovative extension methods. These objectives were investigated taking into account ecological soundness, economic viability, practicability and social acceptance. In recent decades, soil degradation research has focused on degradation processes and in particular on the on-site impacts of soil and water conservation (SWC) technologies on soil erosion. In contrast, little was known about the positive and negative socio-economic effects, farmers' rationales for implementing, adapting, innovating with or rejecting SWC (bottom-up approach) as well as the off-site effects of soil erosion and SWC. The project was based on a transdisciplinary approach, appreciating that optimal implementation of SWC needs to combine scientific, expert and local knowledge as part of a social learning process involving farmers, researchers, public administration, and relevant representatives of civil society. Major results of two PhD studies and associated MSc/BSc studies are as folows: (1) Off-site effects concerning soil erosion are clearly related to cultivation / agricultural practices on arable land. (2) Applied SWC technologies may decrease soil erosion and its negative off-site impacts in the long-term. Farmers' decisions of implementing soil conservation depend not only on economic and ecological, but also on socio-cultural factos. (3) Off-site damage on private / comunal infrastructure and water bodies induced by agricultural practices cause high costs for the whole community and may lead to social conflicts between actors. (4) Indicators for land degradation / conservation have been identified and may be used to assess sustainable and unsustainable land use / management practices. (5) Co-creation of knowledge between heterogeneous actors is an important characteristic of successful examples of sustainable soil cultivation. (6) Co-creation of knowledge for sustainable soil management requires fundamentally transforming existing situations, networks, identities and philosophies. (7) Social learning is an important element in co-creation of knowledge, when searching for solutions to soil degradation problems in a context of complexity, uncertainty and controversy. (8) Applied transdisciplinary approach proofed to be the appropriate form of research in the context of soil erosion / soil protection in Switzerland!
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Datenbankreferenzen
(Englisch)
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Swiss Database: COST-DB of the State Secretariat for Education and Research Hallwylstrasse 4 CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. +41 31 322 74 82 Swiss Project-Number: C04.0258
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