Browsing by Author "Travis, Alexander J."

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  • An agricultural model for biodiversity conservation
    Travis, Alexander J. (2008)
    This presentation discusses the SANREM CRSP long term research activity (LTRA-2), "An Agricultural Markets Model for Biodiversity Conservation," in the Luangwa Valley of Zambia. The objectives are:
  • Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) links biodiversity conservation with sustainable improvements in livelihoods and food production
    Lewis, Dale; Bell, Samuel D.; Fay, John; Bothi, Kim L.; Gatere, Lydiah; Kabila, Makando; Mukamba, Mwangala; Matokwani, Edwin; Mushimbalume, Matthews; Moraru, Carmen I.; Lehmann, Johannes; Lassoie, James; Wolfe, David; Lee, David R.; Buck, Louise; Travis, Alexander J. (The National Academy of Sciences, 2011)
    In Zambia's Luangwa Valley, past economic development initiatives and household coping strategies have severely depleted natural resources and, in turn, hindered further development. The Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) Model has been developed to improve and shift livelihoods to ventures that also protect and conserve natural resources. The program trains the least food-secure in sustainable agriculture practices, identifies and trains those responsible for the greatest amount of resource depletion, and helps provide access to extension and markets to both of these groups. Although the program is still in progress, numerous indicators have been identified that signal its effectiveness, such as the stabilization of certain animal species and adoption of sustainable agriculture practices.
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    Deforestation as a result of unsustainable agricultural practices
    Travis, Alexander J. (2005)
    Deforestation is rampant in this region. The soil is depleted by current farming practices, particularly for cotton and tobacco. This leads to more deforestation as farming plots become useless within just a few years.
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    Illegal deforestation in Zambia
    Travis, Alexander J. (2005)
    Dr. Dale Lewis, a co-PI on the grant and the originator of the COMACO model, points out recent illegal deforestation in one of Zambia's National Forests to Dr. Alfonso Torres, another co-PI on the grant (from Cornell).
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    Reformed poacher now basing his livelihood on sustainable agriculture and ecotourism
    Travis, Alexander J. (2005)
    The man in the middle of the photo is a reformed poacher who has spent over 15 years in jail for his illegal hunting activities. Since deforestation is being reduced and game populations are rising in the Luangwa Valley, he is now able to make more income by raising bees for honey production and by giving tours for wildlife tourists.
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    Rice being dried at the Lundazi Regional Trading Centre, Zambia
    Travis, Alexander J. (2005)
    Rice and other food crops are being grown using conservation farming techniques, instead of the unsustainable practices currently employed.
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    SANREM livestock and poultry research
    Travis, Alexander J. (2009)
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    SANREM-COMACO Workshop
    Travis, Alexander J. (2009)
    This powerpoint presentation provides an introduction for a COMACO/SANREM workshop held in Chipata, Zambia in June 2009. The presentation discusses the goals and structure of the workshop, and gives an overview of COMACO. Some content of presentation is absent pending publication.
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    Sustainable smallholder poultry interventions to promote food security and social, agricultural, and ecological resilience in the Luangwa Valley, Zambia
    Dumas, Sarah E.; Lungu, Luke; Mulambya, Nathan; Daka, Whiteson; McDonald, Erin M.; Steubing, Emily; Lewis, Tamika; Backel, Katherine; Jange, Jarra; Lucio-Martinez, Benjamin; Lewis, Dale; Travis, Alexander J. (2016-06)
    In Zambia's Luangwa Valley, highly variable rainfall and lack of education, agricultural inputs, and market access constrain agricultural productivity, trapping smallholder farmers in chronic poverty and food insecurity. Human and animal disease (e.g. HIV and Newcastle Disease, respectively), further threaten the resilience of poor families. To cope with various shocks and stressors, many farmers employ short-term coping strategies that threaten ecosystem resilience. Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) utilizes an agribusiness model to alleviate poverty and food insecurity through conservation farming, market development and value-added food production. COMACO promotes household, agricultural and ecological resilience along two strategic lines: improving recovery from shocks (mitigation) and reducing the risk of shock occurrence. Here we focus on two of COMACO's poultry interventions and present data showing that addressing health and management constraints within the existing village poultry system resulted in significantly improved productivity and profitability. However, once reliable productivity was achieved, farmers preferred to sell chickens rather than eat either the birds or their eggs. Sales of live birds were largely outside the community to avoid price suppression; in contrast, the sale of eggs from community-operated, semi-intensive egg production facilities was invariably within the communities. These facilities resulted in significant increases in both producer income and community consumption of eggs. This intervention therefore has the potential to improve not only producers' economic resilience, but also resilience tied to the food security and physical health of the entire community.
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    Wire snares and guns collected to promote sustainable natural resource management
    Travis, Alexander J. (2005)
    The manager of COMACO's Regional Trading Centre at Lundazi shows the wire snares and guns that farmers have voluntarily traded in, in order to receive training in conservation farming methods and to be able to participate in COMACO. Over 30,000 wire snares and 700 guns have been collected in this way, which helps to curb illegal hunting.