104
The experience with the resilience indicators described here is from Sierra del
Rosario Biosphere Reserve in the western part of Cuba. The landscape is home to
high levels of agricultural and wild biodiversity and comprises a mosaic of secondary forest patches, home gardens, coffee agroforestry systems, and traditional conucos—large gardens or small fields where agriculture is practiced in a traditional
way. Cultivated plants in conucos came from nearly all regions of the world. Crops
from the Central American and Mexican region are most important. The great diversity of different crops as well as the marked variation within most of the cultivated
plants demonstrates the importance of the conuco as a reservoir for plant genetic
resources. Sierra del Rosario is recognized for its rich crop genetic resources of coffee (Coffea arabica), maize (Zea mays), lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus), common
bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), chili (Capsicum species), mango (Mangifera indica),
plantains and bananas (Musa species), and tropical fruits like mamey (Pouteria
sapota), cherimoya (Annona reticulata) and guanabana (Annona muricata). Most of
the varieties found are traditional.
The application of the resilience indicators in Sierra del Rosario, together with
agrobiodiversity and socioeconomic data and information deriving from long-term
studies in the same area, highlighted that farmers perceived devastating hurricanes,
changes in rainfall patterns, and droughts as the main natural threats to their resilience. However, the landscape’s regenerative capacity appears to be relatively high.
Thanks in part to interventions based on resilience assessment findings, vegetation
patches that were ripped out by two consecutive hurricanes in 2008 showed signs of
recovery after only 1 year. Likewise, farmers are adapting to increasingly unpredictable weather and drought by planting more perennial crop species and trees, and by
adjusting and changing the timing of agricultural activities. Diversity in land use,
crops and crop varieties, as well as smallholder innovation, alternative biodiversitybased livelihoods, and government support are all contributing to resilience to environmental and social changes. The study also highlighted that more work and
greater collaboration with the local government, the agricultural cooperatives, and
the farmers’ association is envisaged to improve small-scale farmers’ benefits, and
recognition of their contribution to the conservation and production of diverse food
items with agroecological methods. Farmers would like to receive more training, by
the farmers’ association, on new crop varieties and agricultural technologies to
improve production, and they see the need for the state agricultural cooperatives to
provide better access to specialized markets to add value to biosphere reserve products and agro-ecotourism development.
The assessments carried out by Bioversity International in different countries
share some common lessons with the results from Cuba. Community members have
come to recognize the usefulness of having, through use of the indicators, a holistic
and multidisciplinary approach to their landscapes. Some workshop participants
said that they were accustomed to research activities with a narrow focus, and that
the resilience assessment was the first time they were involved in such a comprehensive activity. Communities said they felt empowered by expressing their views and
aspirations in developing plans for the future of their socio-ecological systems. The
sense of ownership, responsibility, and motivation in implementing a plan for their
W. Dunbar et al.
The experience with the resilience indicators described here is from Sierra del
Rosario Biosphere Reserve in the western part of Cuba. The landscape is home to
high levels of agricultural and wild biodiversity and comprises a mosaic of secondary forest patches, home gardens, coffee agroforestry systems, and traditional conucos—large gardens or small fields where agriculture is practiced in a traditional
way. Cultivated plants in conucos came from nearly all regions of the world. Crops
from the Central American and Mexican region are most important. The great diversity of different crops as well as the marked variation within most of the cultivated
plants demonstrates the importance of the conuco as a reservoir for plant genetic
resources. Sierra del Rosario is recognized for its rich crop genetic resources of coffee (Coffea arabica), maize (Zea mays), lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus), common
bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), chili (Capsicum species), mango (Mangifera indica),
plantains and bananas (Musa species), and tropical fruits like mamey (Pouteria
sapota), cherimoya (Annona reticulata) and guanabana (Annona muricata). Most of
the varieties found are traditional.
The application of the resilience indicators in Sierra del Rosario, together with
agrobiodiversity and socioeconomic data and information deriving from long-term
studies in the same area, highlighted that farmers perceived devastating hurricanes,
changes in rainfall patterns, and droughts as the main natural threats to their resilience. However, the landscape’s regenerative capacity appears to be relatively high.
Thanks in part to interventions based on resilience assessment findings, vegetation
patches that were ripped out by two consecutive hurricanes in 2008 showed signs of
recovery after only 1 year. Likewise, farmers are adapting to increasingly unpredictable weather and drought by planting more perennial crop species and trees, and by
adjusting and changing the timing of agricultural activities. Diversity in land use,
crops and crop varieties, as well as smallholder innovation, alternative biodiversitybased livelihoods, and government support are all contributing to resilience to environmental and social changes. The study also highlighted that more work and
greater collaboration with the local government, the agricultural cooperatives, and
the farmers’ association is envisaged to improve small-scale farmers’ benefits, and
recognition of their contribution to the conservation and production of diverse food
items with agroecological methods. Farmers would like to receive more training, by
the farmers’ association, on new crop varieties and agricultural technologies to
improve production, and they see the need for the state agricultural cooperatives to
provide better access to specialized markets to add value to biosphere reserve products and agro-ecotourism development.
The assessments carried out by Bioversity International in different countries
share some common lessons with the results from Cuba. Community members have
come to recognize the usefulness of having, through use of the indicators, a holistic
and multidisciplinary approach to their landscapes. Some workshop participants
said that they were accustomed to research activities with a narrow focus, and that
the resilience assessment was the first time they were involved in such a comprehensive activity. Communities said they felt empowered by expressing their views and
aspirations in developing plans for the future of their socio-ecological systems. The
sense of ownership, responsibility, and motivation in implementing a plan for their
W. Dunbar et al.