How can GIS support the evaluation and design of biodiverse agroecosystems and landscapes? Applying the Main Agroecological Structure to European agroecosystems

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

Sustainable Food Systems

Valentino Giorgio Rettore¹  Massimo De Marchi²  Daniele Codato² 

[1] Advanced Master in GIScience and Unmanned Systems for the Integrated Management of the Territory and Natural Resources, University of Padua, Padua, Italy;Advanced Master in GIScience and Unmanned Systems for the Integrated Management of the Territory and Natural Resources, University of Padua, Padua, Italy;Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy;

关键词: agroecology;    community participation;    geographical information systems;    GIS;    agrobiodiversity;    European agroecosystems;    landscape;    community supported agriculture;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fsufs.2023.1259419

 received in 2023-07-15, accepted in 2023-09-13,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Agrobiodiversity plays a critical role in fostering the stability, resilience, and sustainability of European farming systems. Nonetheless, there is currently a lack of comprehensive methods to describe its spatial distribution within farms, its connectivity with the surrounding landscape, and, most crucially, how the perceptions and actions of human communities affect it. The Main Agroecological Structure (MAS) has recently been proposed as an environmental index aiming to tackle such challenges by promoting a dialogue between landscape ecology and agroecology, encompassing criteria that focus on both landscape parameters and cultural variables. Geographic information systems (GIS) can play a key role in the measurement of the index by leveraging public geodata and engaging with the direct participation of communities to map the territories they inhabit and cultivate. Nevertheless, their use in this context has not yet been studied. We propose here a new GIS-based approach for estimating the Main Agroecological Structure: landscape criteria are assessed through the hybrid use of free and open-source GIS tools, field samplings, and participative mapping methods; cultural parameters are evaluated through semi-structured interviews. Contextually to the definition of such methodological foundations, the present study tests the relevance of the index to European agroecological contexts by applying the proposed workflow to three Italian farms characterized by different territorial and organizational forms. Along with a few modifications to the original proposal, we highlight the relevance of GIS in making agrobiodiversity visible at a landscape level within the context of the index. We also suggest some potential future applications related to local empowerment and agroecosystem mapping.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Rettore, Codato and De Marchi.