105
well-being and for their landscape protection was always high among the community members. Communities also felt the need to deepen collaboration among themselves and with extension workers to share and exchange knowledge and experiences.
Many of the case studies demonstrated that bringing disparate types of knowledge
into conversation can lead to new ways of knowing. In these ways, Bioversity
International’s experience shows that the indicators have contributed to the understanding and management of complex systems through the lens of worldviews and
values of the local communities managing them.
6.3.4 Using the Indicators for Community Self-Diagnosis,
Monitoring, and Evaluation in Japan
The indicators were used in surveys conducted as part of a UNU-IAS project to
develop a framework and method of monitoring and evaluation for agricultural biodiversity conservation and use in rural villages in Japan, funded by the Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. The purpose of the surveys was to
capture factors for monitoring including drivers of change and perceived outcomes
of conservation activities, whether included in the indicators or not, relevant to the
development of monitoring and evaluation methods in Japan. For this purpose, resilience assessment using the indicators was tested as a self-monitoring process for
local people that would lead to the creation and revision of action plans. While the
indicators had been used mostly in developing countries to date, these surveys were
an opportunity to evaluate whether the indicators were also useful in the context of
a developed country.
Two assessment workshops were conducted, in the Hiki community of Suzu
City, Ishikawa Prefecture in February 2016, and in the Kiyokawa community of
Minabe Town, Wakayama Prefecture in August 2016. Both case study sites were
chosen as they are located within the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) designated Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems
(GIAHS) sites of “Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi” and “Minabe-Tanabe Ume
System,” where communities are still utilizing local and traditional knowledge in
managing SEPLS for their rural livelihoods today. Agriculture is an important
industry for both communities. In the landscapes and seascapes adjacent to Hiki,
people are engaged in different kinds of production activities including growing rice
and vegetables, charcoal-making, and fisheries; while in the mountainous landscape
of Kiyokawa, most are farmers engaged in production of plums (Prunus mume),
citrus fruits, vegetables, and charcoal.
For each community, a pre-survey was first conducted by questionnaire with 100
local residents prior to a half-day workshop with 15–20 selected participants held to
discuss the questionnaire findings (see Table 6.1). This was done to shorten the
indicator toolkit’s recommended duration of one to two full days for the workshop,
as both communities felt that this would be too time-consuming for local residents.
6 Lessons Learned from Application of the “Indicators of Resilience…
well-being and for their landscape protection was always high among the community members. Communities also felt the need to deepen collaboration among themselves and with extension workers to share and exchange knowledge and experiences.
Many of the case studies demonstrated that bringing disparate types of knowledge
into conversation can lead to new ways of knowing. In these ways, Bioversity
International’s experience shows that the indicators have contributed to the understanding and management of complex systems through the lens of worldviews and
values of the local communities managing them.
6.3.4 Using the Indicators for Community Self-Diagnosis,
Monitoring, and Evaluation in Japan
The indicators were used in surveys conducted as part of a UNU-IAS project to
develop a framework and method of monitoring and evaluation for agricultural biodiversity conservation and use in rural villages in Japan, funded by the Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. The purpose of the surveys was to
capture factors for monitoring including drivers of change and perceived outcomes
of conservation activities, whether included in the indicators or not, relevant to the
development of monitoring and evaluation methods in Japan. For this purpose, resilience assessment using the indicators was tested as a self-monitoring process for
local people that would lead to the creation and revision of action plans. While the
indicators had been used mostly in developing countries to date, these surveys were
an opportunity to evaluate whether the indicators were also useful in the context of
a developed country.
Two assessment workshops were conducted, in the Hiki community of Suzu
City, Ishikawa Prefecture in February 2016, and in the Kiyokawa community of
Minabe Town, Wakayama Prefecture in August 2016. Both case study sites were
chosen as they are located within the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) designated Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems
(GIAHS) sites of “Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi” and “Minabe-Tanabe Ume
System,” where communities are still utilizing local and traditional knowledge in
managing SEPLS for their rural livelihoods today. Agriculture is an important
industry for both communities. In the landscapes and seascapes adjacent to Hiki,
people are engaged in different kinds of production activities including growing rice
and vegetables, charcoal-making, and fisheries; while in the mountainous landscape
of Kiyokawa, most are farmers engaged in production of plums (Prunus mume),
citrus fruits, vegetables, and charcoal.
For each community, a pre-survey was first conducted by questionnaire with 100
local residents prior to a half-day workshop with 15–20 selected participants held to
discuss the questionnaire findings (see Table 6.1). This was done to shorten the
indicator toolkit’s recommended duration of one to two full days for the workshop,
as both communities felt that this would be too time-consuming for local residents.
6 Lessons Learned from Application of the “Indicators of Resilience…