Social Cohesion as the Missing Link between Natural Resource Management and Peacebuilding: Lessons from Cocoa Production in Côte d’Ivoire and Colombia

Katharina Löhr, Bujar Aruqaj, Daniel Baumert, Michelle Bonatti, Michael Brüntrup, Christian Bunn, Augusto Castro-Nunez, Giovanna Chavez-Miguel, Martha Lilia Del Rio, Samyra Hachmann, Héctor Camilo Morales Muñoz, Franziska Ollendorf, Tatiana Rodriguez, Bettina Rudloff, Johannes Schorling, Arne Schuffenhauer, Ingrid Schulte, Stefan Sieber, Sophia Tadesse, Christian Ulrichs, Claudia Vogel and Michael Weinhardt ()
Additional contact information
Katharina Löhr: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
Bujar Aruqaj: Institute of Sociology, Freie Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Daniel Baumert: INKOTA-Netzwerk e.V., 10115 Berlin, Germany
Michelle Bonatti: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
Michael Brüntrup: German Development Institute/Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), 53113 Bonn, Germany
Christian Bunn: Alliance of Bioversity International and The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali 763537, Colombia
Augusto Castro-Nunez: Alliance of Bioversity International and The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali 763537, Colombia
Giovanna Chavez-Miguel: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
Martha Lilia Del Rio: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
Samyra Hachmann: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
Héctor Camilo Morales Muñoz: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
Franziska Ollendorf: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
Tatiana Rodriguez: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
Bettina Rudloff: German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), 10719 Berlin, Germany
Johannes Schorling: INKOTA-Netzwerk e.V., 10115 Berlin, Germany
Arne Schuffenhauer: Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), 53113 Bonn, Germany
Ingrid Schulte: Climate Focus, 10119 Berlin, Germany
Stefan Sieber: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
Sophia Tadesse: Department of Urban Plant Ecophysiology, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Christian Ulrichs: Department of Urban Plant Ecophysiology, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Claudia Vogel: Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), 53113 Bonn, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 23, 1-25

Abstract: Social cohesion plays a key role in processes of peacebuilding and sustainable development. Fostering social cohesion might present a potential to enhance the connection of natural resource management and peacebuilding and better functioning of sustainable land use systems. This contribution explores the nexus between social cohesion, natural resource management, and peacebuilding. We do so by (1) reviewing literature on the three concepts and (2) studying four different key action areas in the context of sustainable cocoa production for their potential to enhance social cohesion, namely (a) agroforestry; (b) cooperatives; (c) certification schemes; and (d) trade policies. Research is based on experience from cocoa production in two post-conflict countries, Côte d’Ivoire and Colombia. Our findings show that by fostering environmentally sustainable agricultural practices, these key action areas have a clear potential to foster social cohesion among cocoa producers and thus provide a valuable contribution to post-conflict peacebuilding in both countries. However, the actual effects strongly depend on a multitude of local factors which need to be carefully taken into consideration. Further, the focus in implementation of some of these approaches tends to be on increasing agricultural productivity and not directly on fostering cocoa farmers’ wellbeing and societal relations, and hence a shift toward social objectives is needed in order to strengthen these approaches as a part of overall peacebuilding strategies.

Keywords: social trust; environmental peacebuilding; sustainable development; natural resource management; sustainable cocoa production (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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