the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
| 28 Nov 2023
Positive tipping points for accelerating adoption of regenerative practices in African smallholder farming systems: What sustains adoption?
Abstract. Regenerative agriculture (RA) practices have been promoted as a critical climate change resilience strategy and adaptation solution for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, most RA programmes struggle with securing and sustaining high adoption rates with many facing dis-adoption. We used Lenton et al.’s positive tipping points framework to assess the potential for fast and lasting adoption of Regenerative Agriculture (RA) in Sub-Saharan Africa. This involved reviewing literature and combining evidence from the successful expansion of the International Small Group and Tree Planting Program (TIST) in East Africa to examine the conditions and feedback processes that drive RA adoption. We found that the key leverage points for TIST wide and rapid adoption were: (1) the cultivation of reinforcing feedback processes that strengthened the social capital around adoption and (2) elimination of barriers to carbon accreditation. Integrating carbon accreditation protocols as standard in design or review of RA interventions could provide an essential leverage to boost adoption rates. Future studies could explore what drives variations in scaling rates and patterns between the sites to inform more site specific interventions.
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RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-2531', Anonymous Referee #1, 13 Mar 2024
The manuscript ‘Positive tipping points for accelerating adoption of regenerative practices in African smallholder farming systems: What sustains adoption?’ assesses the potential for successful adoption of Regenerative Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. It introduces the concept of positive social tipping processes using existing frameworks and applies them to the example of the International Small group and Tree planting programme (TIST) in East Africa.
While RA adoption and the TIST programme is a very interesting example of a positive social tipping point and the manuscript has the potential to become an interesting publication, the manuscript in its current form lacks clear structure, clear definitions and coherent use of terminology. It requires fundamental reworking before publication.
The structure of the manuscript is not clear. Why do the authors start with the social tipping point framework by FOLU, then use Fesenfeld (2022) and finally move to Moore et al’s (2015) concept of scaling? What is the connection between Moore et al and STPs and why is it useful to use them both?
The manuscript is not very well written and requires correction of typos and other language and grammar mistakes before publication. In addition, the manuscript’s style (repetition of words, mistakes in referencing) needs to be improved.
In more detail:
Section 1:
Fig 1 which is directly copied from the FOLU report is not necessarily suitable to describe a positive social tipping process. Column 3 (conditions for systemic tipping points) is labelled as ‘enabling environment’ in the FOLU report (non peer-reviewed grey literature) but usually, positive tipping frameworks start with enabling conditions before reinforcing and dampening feedbacks lead to a tipping point. I would recommend using Fig 3 in Lenton et al (2022) or Fig 4.2.3 in the Global Tipping Point Report as framework instead.
Section 2:
I wouldn’t define economic competitiveness as an enabling condition. I would rather define it as social tipping element following Otto et al (2020). An intervention to create an enabling condition to reach economic competitiveness could be investments in R&D or extension services in the RA field. The examples of control variables for enabling conditions provided in the Lenton et al (2022) figure seem more suitable to me.
The categories economic competitiveness, accessability, capability and cultural appropriateness are neither clearly defined nor coherently applied throughout section 2. For example, access to affordable credit is listed under ‘capability’. Extension services are discussed in the competitiveness section. Each category needs to be clearly defined.
The role of information is not clear. Is it an additional category or does it run through the four other categories?
Section 3:
Fig 2: Apparently this figure is adapted from Fesenfeld (2022) but the reference is missing in the bibliography and thus, I cannot evaluate it. Also, the four categories (economic competitiveness, accessibility etc) are, according to the text, interacting in Fig 2, but they are not even referenced in Fig 2.
The section is titled ‘reinforcing feedbacks processes’ but they are not discussed in detail in the section. Fig 2 is not well described in the text. It is not clear how Moore’s (2015) definition of scaling is linked to the Fesenfeld et al. transition diagram.
Section 8:
Why is a causal loop diagram used to describe the positive feedback loops? Who developed it and on what basis? Was it developed together with TIST farmers? Or based on a literature review? This is all very unclear.
Fig 5 is labelled ‘reinforcing feedback loops’ but shows dampening feedback loops as well. The negative link between ‘decreased soil productivity’ and ‘decreased crop yield’ is incorrect. More decreased soil productivity leads to more decreased crop yield. Further, a rapid growth of trees leads to a decrease in soil productivity. The link needs to be positive or the label needs to change to ‘soil productivity’. The entire figure needs to be reworked.
Again, how is Fig 6 linked to the positive social tipping framework? Who has developed the figure, based on what information? Why is the layout different to Figs 5 and 4?
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2531-RC1 -
RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-2531', Anonymous Referee #2, 07 Apr 2024
The presented manuscript “Positive tipping points for accelerating adoption of regenerative practices in African smallholder farm systems: What sustain adoption?” examines the potential of an accelerated and sustained adoption of regenerative agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. It analyses the conditions and feedback processes as concepts of social tipping processes using the example of the International Small Group and Tree Planting Programme, supplemented by literature review.
The idea of analysing the adoption of RA using a concrete example is interesting and promising, but the approach used is unclear and needs more explanation. For example, it is not clear to me, how the framework for operationalising positive tipping points was used throughout the process and how it was linked to other approchaes such as the three forms of scaling by Moore.
Furthermore, the manuscript lacks definitions and a standardised use of terminology. For instance, a clear definition of regenerative agriculature practices is missing. In Section 1, conservation agriculture, climate-smart agriculture and agroforestry are presetente as RA practices. In my understanding, conservation agriculture, climate-smart agriculture and regenerative agriculture are all alternative approaches to conventional agriculture that fall under the umbrella of sustainable agriculture, while RA practices tend to include specific agricultural practices such as reducing tillage or growing cover crops (I would include agroforestry here as well) (e.g. Newton et al., 2020). To avoid confusion, I would suggest giving a clear definition of what is meant by RA practices. Also, it is not clear to me whether the Tree Planting Programme is considered as a practice or a programme that facilitates RA practices; again, a more precise definition would be helpful.
More detailed comments for the respective sections:
Section 2:
- For me, it is not clear to me where the key factors come from and how they are linked to the framework presented in Section 1. Rogers (2003) is cited for the list of conditions and not the framework for operationalising positive tipping points.
- The structure of the respective paragraphs is not clear to me as well. What should be presented and explained? Description of the conditions (e.g. economic competitiveness) in the context of RA in Africa and measures to create these conditions (e.g. information exchange)? If this is the case, it should be made more explicit.
- In the paragraph about "Cultural and social appropriateness", every citation is double. In addition, the description of the competition to the green revolution in Africa in the second paragraph is not clear to me. What is the green revolution? How does this relate to the condition described?
- In the paragraph about "Accessebility", is it not clear what the different forms of accessibility are? The first sentence is incomprehensible to me in this regard. What is meant by intervention? What is meant by process (the examples given were considered practices in section ?)? What is meant by product? In the third part of this paragraph, thre references seem to be missing.
Section 3:
- The chapter is called “Reinforcing feedback processes in adoption in RA”, but feedback processes are not mentioned or explained in the text. What do the feedback processes mean for the adoption of RA?
- In Fig. 2, it's not clear how the different conditions from Section 2 are reflected.
- In line 268, a distinction is made between the individual level and the household level. What does this distinction mean with regard to regenerative agriculture? Individual farmers, farming households? Section 8 makes a similar distinction between the household and the community level? I would suggest clearly defining these levels and indicating which levels are of interest or being looked at.
Section 5 and 6:
- The table is its own chapter.
- It is not clear to me why the example of TIST is analysed using the three forms of scaling from Moore et al. What is the relationship between the conditions and feedback loops and the three forms of scaling?
Section 8:
- Figure 4 and 5: It is not clear to me how to read this figure. "Social contagion and network effects" seems to be a category of feedback processes. Do the social, ecological, economic and agronomic processes indicated lead to social contagion? Or does a contagious feedback process result from the interaction of these processes? I would suggest explicitly representing the important feedbacks using causal loop diagrams and labelling indicating the respective feedback processes.
- Small note: In Figure 4 it is feedback processes, in Figure 5 it is feedback loops. I would standardise the descriptions.
- Figure 6: Same comment as for Figure 4 and 5. The figure is difficult to read, a clear indication of the feedback processes would be helpful. To be consistent here, I would suggest also adding the polarities (+/-) as in the other two figures.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2531-RC2
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