TY - JOUR
T1 - Forest edges near farms enhance wheat productivity measures
T2 - A test using high spatial resolution remote sensing of smallholder farms in Southern Ethiopia
AU - Yang, Kevin F.
AU - Gergel, Sarah E.
AU - Duriaux-Chavarría, Jean Yves
AU - Baudron, Frédéric
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was conducted with funding from CRP WHEAT (www.wheat.org; C4032 Maize S12 Systems Intensification– CIMMYT subgrant, FB and SG) and NSERC–Discovery Grant (2014-05012, SG).
Funding Information:
This work was implemented by UBC and CIMMYT thanks to the support of CRP WHEAT (www.wheat.org). Any opinions, findings, conclusion, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of CRP WHEAT. We would like to thank Dr. Nicholas Coops and Dr. Sean Smukler for their feedback and advice. We would also like to thank Kedir Gemedo for supporting data collection.
Funding Information:
This work was implemented by UBC and CIMMYT thanks to the support of CRP WHEAT (www.wheat.org ). Any opinions, findings, conclusion, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of CRP WHEAT. We would like to thank Dr. Nicholas Coops and Dr. Sean Smukler for their feedback and advice. We would also like to thank Kedir Gemedo for supporting data collection. Funding. This study was conducted with funding from CRP WHEAT (www.wheat.org ; C4032 Maize S12 Systems Intensification?CIMMYT subgrant, FB and SG) and NSERC?Discovery Grant (2014-05012, SG).
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2020 Yang, Gergel, Duriaux-Chavarría and Baudron.
PY - 2020/9/2
Y1 - 2020/9/2
N2 - Staple crops are grown by millions of smallholder farmers yet estimating field-level yields over broad regions can be challenging. Furthermore, agricultural productivity can be impacted by nearby forests and trees. In an agricultural-forest mosaic in Southern Ethiopia, we used remote sensing imagery to identify and differentiate among dominant crops and assess the impact of nearby forest patches on wheat productivity. Using a suite of vegetation indices (VIs) derived from high spatial resolution (5–10 m) satellite imagery as a proxy for wheat productivity, we determined whether VIs were enhanced or suppressed with increasing distance to forest. We found that 5–10 m resolution satellite imagery was sufficient for identifying and differentiating among field boundaries and dominant crops, however, imagery from higher spatial resolution satellites would see increased benefits in accuracy. VIs increased by as much as 5% in areas of the fields within 30 m of forest edges compared to fields further from forests. Our results highlight potential benefits of a landscape approach for enhancing smallholder agricultural productivity in Southern Ethiopia. High spatial resolution imagery is a cost-effective method to map and identify promising landscape approaches in agricultural-forest mosaics dominated by smallholder farms. Thus, a landscape perspective aided by remote-sensing can provide a straightforward and cost-effective way to monitor crop productivity and track changes in agricultural productivity due to forest fragmentation and/or restoration. A landscape approach to achieving food security goals, particularly within the context of climate considerations, and should play a more prominent role in planning forest conservation and restoration.
AB - Staple crops are grown by millions of smallholder farmers yet estimating field-level yields over broad regions can be challenging. Furthermore, agricultural productivity can be impacted by nearby forests and trees. In an agricultural-forest mosaic in Southern Ethiopia, we used remote sensing imagery to identify and differentiate among dominant crops and assess the impact of nearby forest patches on wheat productivity. Using a suite of vegetation indices (VIs) derived from high spatial resolution (5–10 m) satellite imagery as a proxy for wheat productivity, we determined whether VIs were enhanced or suppressed with increasing distance to forest. We found that 5–10 m resolution satellite imagery was sufficient for identifying and differentiating among field boundaries and dominant crops, however, imagery from higher spatial resolution satellites would see increased benefits in accuracy. VIs increased by as much as 5% in areas of the fields within 30 m of forest edges compared to fields further from forests. Our results highlight potential benefits of a landscape approach for enhancing smallholder agricultural productivity in Southern Ethiopia. High spatial resolution imagery is a cost-effective method to map and identify promising landscape approaches in agricultural-forest mosaics dominated by smallholder farms. Thus, a landscape perspective aided by remote-sensing can provide a straightforward and cost-effective way to monitor crop productivity and track changes in agricultural productivity due to forest fragmentation and/or restoration. A landscape approach to achieving food security goals, particularly within the context of climate considerations, and should play a more prominent role in planning forest conservation and restoration.
KW - ecosystem services
KW - food security
KW - forest edge effects
KW - forest fragmentation
KW - high spatial resolution imagery
KW - landscape approach
KW - smallholder agriculture
KW - vegetation indices
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85091243122&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fsufs.2020.00130
DO - 10.3389/fsufs.2020.00130
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85091243122
SN - 2571-581X
VL - 4
JO - Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
JF - Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
M1 - 130
ER -