This document provides an overview of the ALTER project, which aims to investigate how investment in soil carbon can be used to alleviate poverty in dryland and wetland regions of Africa. The project involves researchers from Ethiopia, Uganda, UK, Italy studying sites in southern Ethiopia and southern Uganda. The research will assess how restoring or protecting soil services impacts poverty, develop scenarios to evaluate intervention options, and assess mechanisms to alleviate poverty through soil carbon. The project aims to provide evidence to support policies around soil management and investment, as well as contribute to advances in science.

1. Alternative Carbon Investments in
Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
Below-ground versus above-ground opportunities for the
restoration of ecosystem services
ESPA meeting, Nairobi
March 2016

2. http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/afsis/mapclient/
http://nape.or.ug/
http://na.unep.net/
Alter team photos
ALTER: Alternative Carbon Investments
in Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
Why focus on soils?

3. ALTER: Alternative Carbon Investments in
Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
Ethiopia
 Southern Agricultural Research Institute (SARI),
Country Coordinator
 Hawassa University
 International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
UK
 James Hutton Institute (JHI), Project Leader
 University of Aberdeen
Uganda
 Carbon Foundation of East Africa (CAFEA)
Subsequent collaborations :University of Turin, Italy; Natural
History Museum, UK; Ethiopian Institute of Biodiversity; University
of Edinburgh

4. ALTER: Alternative Carbon Investments
in Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
Study areas
Halaba, Southern Ethiopia Southern Uganda
Contrast between regions
• Dryland low carbon soils vs wetland carbon rich soils
• Socio-political enviroments – governance, education, policies

5. Overarching research question
MULTIPLE HUMAN
BENEFITS
CULTURAL (history,
spiritual, knowledge)
REGULATING (water
quality, erosion,
climate)
PROVISIONING (food
and fibre,, water
quantity)
POVERTY
ALLEVIATION
Can investment in soil (carbon) be used
to alleviate poverty?
• By restoring, enhancing or protecting the
goods and services supported by soils in
regions where soils are degraded or under
threat of degradation.
• Is SOC (soil) an alternative to investment in
aboveground carbon or other mechanisms?

6. How do people benefit from soils within their landscapes and
what are their attitudes towards soil?
CROPS, FODDER, DRINKING WATER, FUEL, CLOTHING, BUILDINGS,
FURNITURE, WILD FOODS, CULTURE,
WEATHER & CLIMATE REGULATION, BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION, WATER
FOR INDUSTRY & URBAN AREAS…

7. Apply models across
space and time to
evaluate soil-focussed
intervention options
Data collection and
model
development
Develop storylines
and narratives for
locally specific
scenarios
Multiple-scale strategies for
long-term poverty alleviation
through ecosystem services -
reflecting climate change
adaptation
New data
New tools
New insights
New guidance

8. Assess the effectiveness of interventions and
investments in soil carbon
Define capacity of soils to supply ecosystem
services
Understand the relationships between
poverty, people, soils and soil carbon
Enable capacity building and generation of
new information
Assess the resilience of poverty alleviation
linked to soils-based ecosystem services
Planned Research Outcomes

9. WP4. Delivery of
development and
academic impact
WP3. Assess the effectiveness of mechanisms
to alleviate poverty through soil carbon
WP1. Understand socio-
economic relationships
between soils and poverty
WP2. Assess the capacity
of the soil to supply
ecosystem services

10. Work package 4:
Delivery of academic
and development impact
ESPA AIMS:
• Capture relevant change scenarios
• Engage stakeholders
• Provide facilitation evidence for enablers of change
ALTER: Alternative Carbon Investments
in Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
Led by: Dr. Helaina Black

11. ALTER: Alternative Carbon Investments
in Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation
WP4 IMPACT
Local Regional National International
NAPAs & NAMAs
AfSIS

12. Local Regional National International
Impact of this research
Provide sound information to support strategies to alleviate
poverty in rural communities of dryland and wetland areas of
Africa
Evidence for increased investment in soils
Education and awareness raising of soil values and soil improvement opportunities
Policy and planning for soil use and management
Support project development and
implementation
Contribute to advances in science
Evidence for implementation of NAPAs
and NAMAs
Evidence to support the development of strategies in natural resource use, management
and restoration
Skills, expertise, data and knowledge

13. International impact routes
• UN IPBES and ITPS
– Revised World Soil Charter
2015
• Global Soil Partnership
– Pillars of Action
• CGIAR Programmes
• Impact orientated scientific
fora
http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/c6814873-efc3-41db-b7d3-
2081a10ede50/

15. FLARE conference
December 2016

16. National to local impact routes
• Policy,, advisory, research, local communities, farmers…
– Working with well-placed organisations and individuals
• If we produce something useful in the right format for them
then people will use it
If we produce something useful in the right format then people will be use it, or not!

17. Fieldwork- GHG
emissions
What are the seasonal and annual C losses from organic
soils under potato cultivation?
- 3 field plots, 10 sample points per plot
- Sampled at time of plot preparation, mid growing season, post
harvest
- Developing 3 methods for evaluating losses
Total C losses from organic soils since drainage?
- Same sample plots and points
- Using 2 of the methods for evaluating losses
What is the variability in GHG emissions within cultivated
areas on organic wetland soils?
- Measured CO2 emissions for 3x 5-day periods
- Measured GHG emissions for 2x 5-day periods

18. Agricultural Based on HH survey
HH survey:
• 3 main categories:
Rich  11%
Medium  36%
Poor  53%
• 2.6 plots each on average:
2 plots  95%
3 plots  45%
4 plots  13%
5 plots  4.5%
6 plots  1.5%
7 plots  0.5%
Initial strategy:
1. ~ 200 locations on agricultural land (~70 HH)
2. 2 to 3 plots for each selected HH
3. HH selected based on category and possibly
other variables in the survey (e.g. soil quality of
the plots)
Non-Agricultural Based on LC and bio-physical
Initial strategy:
1. ~ 100 locations on non-agricultural land
2. Strata based on
a) clusters of soil properties & morphological features
b) Land cover classes
3. Locations selected within the strata using random probabilistic
approach weighted by area

19. Household Survey
Development
Survey draws upon
• ALTER WP1 Ethiopian HH survey
• Uganda National Household Survey (UNHHS)
• Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS)
• Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)
Administered using Open Data Kit (ODK) on Android Phones
ODK is a free, open source resource
• Requires basic programme in Excel
• Diverse input data types
(text, date, multiple choice, audio, GPS)
• Complete package for survey design, data collection,
data aggregation
• Reduces errors, speeds up data processing, and
allows data review/ instant enumerator feedback
Lessons and methods described in Household Survey Tool Kit documentation
Work Package
1.1.5 Qualitative analysis of poverty - dimensions (the SLA
five capitals) and dynamics
1.1.6 Quantitative analysis of poverty - dimensions (the
SLA five capitals focusing soil ES) and dynamics
1.2.3. Economic model of land use decision

20. Example of findings (Ethiopia): Complex dynamics of soil erosion
Stuff that came up in the Halaba
focus groups illustrating the
complex drivers, interacting
factors, impacts and feedbacks
that are relevant when talking
about soil erosion and
management in Halaba

21. >20 researchers in 3
countries working together
with communities in
Ethiopia and Uganda
Learning process for all
Building new ways of
working
Learning to work with new
people and new
organisations
Challenging but fun
“ambitious“ and
new science
tackling a big issue

22. http://www.espa-alter.org/