Using integrated landscape management to scale agroforestry: examples from Ecuador

Agroforestry is considered a foundation for multi-functional, socio-ecological landscape transformation. Landscapes where agroforestry is practiced contribute to the full range of goods and services from agriculture to natural resources needed for social and ecological sustainability. Yet the barriers to large-scale agroforestry adoption are substantial, rooted in the misalignment between risk-takers (small-scale farmers) and beneficiaries (society at large). Integrated landscape management (ILM) offers a strategy for scaling up agroforestry by mobilizing collaborative efforts among multi-sector stakeholders to address these barriers. This study explores the application of ILM strategies in agroforestry initiatives in two landscapes in Ecuador: the Choco-Andean Bio-Corridor led by Ecuadorian society and the Agenda for Transforming Production in the Amazon project of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The ILM framework provides the conceptual basis for analyzing processes that advance the scaling-up of agroforestry, limits to progress, prospective levers of change to unlock constraints, and partnership strategies to accelerate agroforestry development. The cases demonstrate that ILM strategies are valuable in advancing the knowledge-intensive and adaptive collaborative management processes needed to scale agroforestry adoption.