IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i15p5880-d387832.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Viability of Agroecological Systems under Climatic Uncertainty

Author

Listed:
  • Aïchouche Oubraham

    (GERAD, HEC Montréal, 3000 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, QC H3T 2A7, Canada)

  • Patrick Saint-Pierre

    (LASTRE, 14 rue Domat, F-75005 Paris, France)

  • Georges Zaccour

    (GERAD, HEC Montréal, 3000 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, QC H3T 2A7, Canada
    Chair in Game Theory and Management, 3000 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, QC H3T 2A7, Canada)

Abstract

To cope with ever-increasing demand and ensure food security, agronomic systems have shifted over time from traditional agriculture, based on the organic fertilization of soils, to intensive and specialized farming that use chemical fertilization. This resulted in increased soil productivity in the short term, but caused serious ecological drawbacks over time (degradation of soil quality, pollution of water and air, loss of biodiversity, erosion, etc.), and even reversed the trend of agricultural productivity. In this paper, we propose a viability theory–based model to study the sustainability of an agricultural system subject to climate uncertainty. Our objective is to determine what farming practices and activity sequences restore soil quality to a desired level while ensuring an acceptable level of productivity in the presence of the risk of major climatic disasters. The model is applied to Guadeloupe, an island in the West French Indies. We found that the results are highly sensitive to the direct effect of hurricanes on the soil’s quality, which, in turn, strongly affects the impact of the other parameters and that the export oriented sector is more vulnerable and less resilient to climatic uncertainties than the sector aimed at the local market.

Suggested Citation

  • Aïchouche Oubraham & Patrick Saint-Pierre & Georges Zaccour, 2020. "Viability of Agroecological Systems under Climatic Uncertainty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-29, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:5880-:d:387832
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/5880/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/5880/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Spencer, Nekeisha & Polachek, Solomon, 2015. "Hurricane watch: Battening down the effects of the storm on local crop production," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 234-240.
    2. Oubraham, Aïchouche & Zaccour, Georges, 2018. "A Survey of Applications of Viability Theory to the Sustainable Exploitation of Renewable Resources," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 346-367.
    3. Sabatier, R. & Doyen, L. & Tichit, M., 2010. "Modelling trade-offs between livestock grazing and wader conservation in a grassland agroecosystem," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 221(9), pages 1292-1300.
    4. Baumgärtner, Stefan & Quaas, Martin F., 2009. "Ecological-economic viability as a criterion of strong sustainability under uncertainty," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(7), pages 2008-2020, May.
    5. Tichit, M. & Doyen, L. & Lemel, J.Y. & Renault, O. & Durant, D., 2007. "A co-viability model of grazing and bird community management in farmland," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 206(3), pages 277-293.
    6. M. Tichit & B. Hubert & L. Doyen & Didier Genin, 2004. "A viability model to assess the sustainability of mixed herds under climatic uncertainty," Post-Print hal-00716790, HAL.
    7. Valérie ANGEON & Samuel BATES, 2015. "L'Agriculture, Facteur De Vulnérabilité Des Petites Économies Insulaires ?," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 42, pages 105-131.
    8. Sabatier, R. & Oates, L.G. & Jackson, R.D., 2015. "Management flexibility of a grassland agroecosystem: A modeling approach based on viability theory," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 76-81.
    9. Lauriane Mouysset & Luc Doyen & Frédéric Jiguet, 2014. "From Population Viability Analysis to Coviability of Farmland Biodiversity and Agriculture," Post-Print hal-01565883, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Oubraham, Aichouche & Saint-Pierre, Patrick & Zaccour, Georges, 2022. "Viability of a multi-parcel agroecological system," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 470(C).
    2. De Lapparent, Alice & Sabatier, Rodolphe & Paut, Raphaël & Martin, Sophie, 2023. "Perennial transitions from market gardening towards mixed fruit tree - vegetable systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sabatier, R. & Mouysset, L., 2018. "A robustness-based viewpoint on the production-ecology trade-off in agroecosystems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 1-9.
    2. Oubraham, Aichouche & Saint-Pierre, Patrick & Zaccour, Georges, 2022. "Viability of a multi-parcel agroecological system," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 470(C).
    3. Joly, Frédéric & Sabatier, Rodolphe & Tatin, Laurent & Mosnier, Claire & Ahearn, Ariell & Benoit, Marc & Hubert, Bernard & Deffuant, Guillaume, 2022. "Adaptive decision-making on stocking rates improves the resilience of a livestock system exposed to climate shocks," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 464(C).
    4. De Lapparent, Alice & Sabatier, Rodolphe & Paut, Raphaël & Martin, Sophie, 2023. "Perennial transitions from market gardening towards mixed fruit tree - vegetable systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    5. Lauriane Mouysset & Luc Doyen & François Léger & Frédéric Jiguet & Tim G. Benton, 2018. "Operationalizing Sustainability as a Safe Policy Space," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-9, October.
    6. Cuilleret, Mathieu & Doyen, Luc & Gomes, Hélène & Blanchard, Fabian, 2022. "Resilience management for coastal fisheries facing with global changes and uncertainties," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 634-656.
    7. Groot, Jeroen C.J. & Rossing, Walter a.H. & Tichit, Muriel & Turpin, Nadine & Jellema, André & Baudry, Jacques & Verburg, Peter & Doyen, Luc & van de Ven, Gerrie, 2009. "On the contribution of modelling to multifunctional agriculture: learning from comparisons," MPRA Paper 65467, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Céline Huber & Luc Doyen & Sylvie Ferrari, 2021. "Profitability and conservation goals reconciled through biodiversity offsets," Bordeaux Economics Working Papers 2021-19, Bordeaux School of Economics (BSE).
    9. Holzer, Jorge & Olson, Lars J., 2021. "Precautionary buffers and stochastic dependence in environmental policy," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    10. Vortkamp, Irina & Barraquand, Frédéric & Hilker, Frank M., 2020. "Ecological Allee effects modulate optimal strategies for conservation in agricultural landscapes," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 435(C).
    11. Luc Doyen & Sébastien Lavaud & Anne-Sophie Masure, 2018. "RMA newsletter Spring 2018," Post-Print hal-02196599, HAL.
    12. Donovan, Pierce & Springborn, Michael, 2022. "Balancing conservation and commerce: A shadow value viability approach for governing bycatch," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    13. Drechsler, Martin & Wätzold, Frank & Grimm, Volker, 2022. "The hitchhiker's guide to generic ecological-economic modelling of land-use-based biodiversity conservation policies," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 465(C).
    14. Sabatier, Rodolphe & Doyen, Luc & Tichit, Muriel, 2014. "Heterogeneity and the trade-off between ecological and productive functions of agro-landscapes: A model of cattle–bird interactions in a grassland agroecosystem," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 38-49.
    15. Béné, C. & Doyen, L., 2008. "Contribution values of biodiversity to ecosystem performances: A viability perspective," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1-2), pages 14-23, December.
    16. Doyen, L. & Thébaud, O. & Béné, C. & Martinet, V. & Gourguet, S. & Bertignac, M. & Fifas, S. & Blanchard, F., 2012. "A stochastic viability approach to ecosystem-based fisheries management," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 32-42.
    17. Doyen, L. & Armstrong, C. & Baumgärtner, S. & Béné, C. & Blanchard, F. & Cissé, A.A. & Cooper, R. & Dutra, L.X.C. & Eide, A. & Freitas, D. & Gourguet, S. & Gusmao, F. & Hardy, P.-Y. & Jarre, A. & Litt, 2019. "From no whinge scenarios to viability tree," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 183-188.
    18. Mathieu Cuilleret & Luc Doyen & Hélène Gomes & Fabian Blanchard, 2021. "Resilience-based management for small-scale fisheries in the face of global changes and uncertainties," Bordeaux Economics Working Papers 2021-20, Bordeaux School of Economics (BSE).
    19. Alvarez, Isabelle & Zaleski, Laetitia & Briot, Jean-Pierre & de A. Irving, Marta, 2023. "Collective management of environmental commons with multiple usages: A guaranteed viability approach," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 475(C).
    20. Surun, Clément & Drechsler, Martin, 2018. "Effectiveness of Tradable Permits for the Conservation of Metacommunities With Two Competing Species," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 189-196.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:5880-:d:387832. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.