1. Alternative Carbon Investments in Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
ESPA meeting, Nairobi
March 2016
Alternative Carbon Investments in Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
Below-ground versus above-ground opportunities for the restoration of ecosystem services

2. ALTER: Alternative Carbon Investments in Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
Why focus on soils?
Alter team photos

3. ALTER: Alternative Carbon Investments in Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
Ethiopia
Southern Agricultural Research Institute (SARI),
Country Coordinator
Hawassa University
International Water Management Institute (IWMI) UK
James Hutton Institute (JHI), Project Leader
University of Aberdeen
Uganda
Carbon Foundation of East Africa (CAFEA)
Subsequent collaborations :University of Turin, Italy; Natural History Museum, UK; Ethiopian Institute of Biodiversity; University of Edinburgh

4. Study areas Contrast between regions
ALTER: Alternative Carbon Investments in Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
Study areas
Contrast between regions
Dryland low carbon soils vs wetland carbon rich soils
Socio-political enviroments – governance, education, policies
Halaba, Southern Ethiopia
Southern Uganda

5. Overarching research question
Can investment in soil (carbon) be used to alleviate poverty?
By restoring, enhancing or protecting the goods and services supported by soils in regions where soils are degraded or under threat of degradation.
Is SOC (soil) an alternative to investment in aboveground carbon or other mechanisms?
PROVISIONING (food and fibre,, water quantity)
REGULATING (water quality, erosion, climate)
CULTURAL (history, spiritual, knowledge)
MULTIPLE HUMAN BENEFITS
POVERTY ALLEVIATION

6. How do people benefit from soils within their landscapes and what are their attitudes towards soil?
CROPS, FODDER, DRINKING WATER, FUEL, CLOTHING, BUILDINGS, FURNITURE, WILD FOODS, CULTURE,
WEATHER & CLIMATE REGULATION, BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION, WATER FOR INDUSTRY & URBAN AREAS…

7. New data New tools New insights New guidance
Apply models across space and time to evaluate soil-focussed intervention options
Data collection and model development
Develop storylines and narratives for locally specific scenarios
Multiple-scale strategies for long-term poverty alleviation through ecosystem services - reflecting climate change adaptation
New data
New tools
New insights
New guidance

8. Planned Research Outcomes
Understand the relationships between poverty, people, soils and soil carbon
Define capacity of soils to supply ecosystem services
Assess the effectiveness of interventions and investments in soil carbon
Assess the resilience of poverty alleviation linked to soils-based ecosystem services
Enable capacity building and generation of new information

9. WP4. Delivery of development and academic impact
WP1. Understand socio-economic relationships between soils and poverty
WP2. Assess the capacity of the soil to supply ecosystem services
WP3. Assess the effectiveness of mechanisms to alleviate poverty through soil carbon

10. Led by: Dr. Helaina Black
ALTER: Alternative Carbon Investments in Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
Legacy
Innovation
Implementation
Linkage
Inclusion
Work package 4:
Delivery of academic
and development impact
Led by: Dr. Helaina Black
ESPA AIMS:
Capture relevant change scenarios
Engage stakeholders
Provide facilitation evidence for enablers of change

11. WP4 IMPACT Local Regional National International NAPAs & NAMAs AfSIS
ALTER: Alternative Carbon Investments in Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
WP4 IMPACT
Local
Regional
National
International
NAPAs & NAMAs
AfSIS

12. Impact of this research
Local
Regional
National
International
Provide sound information to support strategies to alleviate poverty in rural communities of dryland and wetland areas of Africa
Education and awareness raising of soil values and soil improvement opportunities
Evidence to support the development of strategies in natural resource use, management and restoration
Skills, expertise, data and knowledge
Contribute to advances in science
Policy and planning for soil use and management
Evidence for increased investment in soils
Support project development and implementation
Evidence for implementation of NAPAs and NAMAs

13. International impact routes
UN IPBES and ITPS
Revised World Soil Charter 2015
Global Soil Partnership
Pillars of Action
CGIAR Programmes
Impact orientated scientific fora

15. FLARE conference December 2016

16. National to local impact routes
Policy,, advisory, research, local communities, farmers…
Working with well-placed organisations and individuals
If we produce something useful in the right format for them then people will use it
If we produce something useful in the right format then people will be use it, or not!

17. Fieldwork- GHG emissions
What are the seasonal and annual C losses from organic soils under potato cultivation?
3 field plots, 10 sample points per plot
Sampled at time of plot preparation, mid growing season, post harvest
Developing 3 methods for evaluating losses
Total C losses from organic soils since drainage?
Same sample plots and points
Using 2 of the methods for evaluating losses
What is the variability in GHG emissions within cultivated areas on organic wetland soils?
Measured CO2 emissions for 3x 5-day periods
Measured GHG emissions for 2x 5-day periods

18. Based on LC and bio-physical
Agricultural
Based on HH survey
Initial strategy:
~ 200 locations on agricultural land (~70 HH)
2 to 3 plots for each selected HH
HH selected based on category and possibly other variables in the survey (e.g. soil quality of the plots)
HH survey:
3 main categories:
Rich  11%
Medium  36%
Poor  53%
2.6 plots each on average:
2 plots  95%
3 plots  45%
4 plots  13%
5 plots  4.5%
6 plots  1.5%
7 plots  0.5%
Non-Agricultural
Based on LC and bio-physical
Initial strategy:
~ 100 locations on non-agricultural land
Strata based on
clusters of soil properties & morphological features
Land cover classes
Locations selected within the strata using random probabilistic approach weighted by area

19. Household Survey Development
Work Package
1.1.5 Qualitative analysis of poverty - dimensions (the SLA five capitals) and dynamics
1.1.6 Quantitative analysis of poverty - dimensions (the SLA five capitals focusing soil ES) and dynamics
Economic model of land use decision
Survey draws upon
ALTER WP1 Ethiopian HH survey
Uganda National Household Survey (UNHHS)
Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS)
Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)
Administered using Open Data Kit (ODK) on Android Phones
ODK is a free, open source resource
Requires basic programme in Excel
Diverse input data types (text, date, multiple choice, audio, GPS)
Complete package for survey design, data collection, data aggregation
Reduces errors, speeds up data processing, and allows data review/ instant enumerator feedback
Lessons and methods described in Household Survey Tool Kit documentation
HH survey to capture ES demand linked to for wetland/organic soils.
Designed to dove tail with the national HH survey and 2014 census year.
ODK- I gave a presentation in London at the ESPA conference on ODK and have it here and can explain more about how to you the programme.

20. Example of findings (Ethiopia): Complex dynamics of soil erosion
Stuff that came up in the Halaba focus groups illustrating the complex drivers, interacting factors, impacts and feedbacks that are relevant when talking about soil erosion and management in Halaba
The yellow boxes are represent the story that we normally hear about soil erosion in Ethiopia. All the rest is the stuff that came up in the focus groups illustrating all the complex drivers, interacting factors, impacts and feedbacks that are relevant when talking about soil erosion and management in Halaba 

21. >20 researchers in 3 countries working together with communities in Ethiopia and Uganda
Learning process for all
Building new ways of working
Learning to work with new people and new organisations
“ambitious“ and new science tackling a big issue
Challenging but fun