Fuzzy Cognitive Map Clustering to Assess Local Knowledge of Ecosystem Conservation in Ecuador

Maritza Satama and Eva Iglesias
Additional contact information
Maritza Satama: Department of Agricultural Economics, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, ETSIAAB, Avda. Puerta Hierro 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Eva Iglesias: Department of Agricultural Economics, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, ETSIAAB, Avda. Puerta Hierro 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 6, 1-26

Abstract: Smallholder farmers in developing countries such as Ecuador have contributed widely to ecosystem conservation. Although they have been affected by the consequences of climate change, the synergy of Pachamama care and technical knowledge has become key to sustaining dynamics in their local territories. This paper presents a combined methodology approach based on fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) to capture perceptions of ecosystem conservation. The purpose was to assess the impact of the “Biocorridors for Living Well” program on the application of local knowledge by smallholder farmers. The findings showed that program managers had a limited narrow focus based on the general program ideology, whereas peasants’ perceptions revealed a more complex map, highlighting the importance of building capacities beyond sustainable agricultural techniques. Also, both groups were aware of the contribution of ecosystem conservation to rural development. However, it is essential to stress that the contribution of smallholder farmers to conservation was critical, and most of the time, their efforts were not valued. Therefore, to scale up program outcomes, national and international institutions require an understanding of local peasants’ perceptions to guarantee action sustainability and to avoid repetitive actions in their local territories.

Keywords: rural development; policy-making; developing countries; comparative assessment; local knowledge (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/6/2550/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/6/2550/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:6:p:2550-:d:336303

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().