Knowledge for Development

Agroforestry

The concept of agroforestry encompasses trees and shrubs combined in one way or another with crops and/or livestock. The basis of these systems is to allow the tree and the shrub to play their full roles in the protection and regeneration of the environment. Pushed into the limelight by the global challenge of climate change – which is increasingly being linked to the loss of forests – or by more specific issues of managing wood resources, agroforestry constitutes, without doubt, a part of the solution for a better integration of mankind and his activities with the natural environment. Research in agroforestry is distributed amongst several actors (universities, national and international research and development centres). Agroforestry is now included in several major debates on the future of the planet’s resources. The scientific community should seize this opportunity to advance agroforestry’s potential for contributing solutions for viable plant and animal production systems especially in the context of climate change, for the fight against poverty, for food security, for economic, social and political stability, and for a greener agriculture. Moreover, it is essential that this widely dispersed scientific community finds methods of disseminating its findings to users to increase understanding of agroforestry’s importance for sustainable agricultural and rural development. (This folder was prepared by CABI and CIRAD in collaboration with CTA. Editor in chief, Judith Francis, CTA, 2010).

This review by Cheikh Mbow and colleagues from the World  Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) addresses the role of agroforestry in the links between food security and agricultural sustainability in Africa. The paper poses the hypothesis that 'Agroforestry concepts and practices can form an effective, efficient and fair pathway towards the achievement of many sustainable development goals'. It aims to demonstrate that the products and services emanating from the integration of trees within farming systems can contribute to food security, farmer livelihoods and environmental resilience. Agroforestry requires several enabling conditions beyond biophysical suitability. Many pending research questions must be explored to optimise agroforestry knowledge and practice, as failure of some agroforestry strategies is related to lack of integration and system approach.  For agroforestry to be adopted it should not be constrained by policies which hinder the integration of trees, with crops and livestock.    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877343513001929   (Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 20/02/2014)  28/03/2014
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This guide, now translated into Bislama (one of the official languages of Vanuatu), provides practical advice on how to grow sandalwood, including site and host selection, spacing, weeding, disease management, pruning and harvesting. Sandalwood’s high value and small size make it unique among forestry trees in that it can be incorporated into smaller ornamental gardens as well as larger commercial plantings. This guide will help the people of Vanuatu and other Pacific island countries to participate in this lucrative rural industry.  http://aciar.gov.au/publication/MN151a (ACIAR, 19/12/2013)  27/01/2014
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Researchers from CIRAD and their partners in Ivory Coast spent 17 years monitoring trial plantations in which rubber was intercropped with cash crops suited to shade, such as coffee, cocoa, lemon and cola nut. Results show that intercropping rubber with coffee and cocoa is a profitable combination, helping smallholders diversify their sources of income and make better use of their land. Rubber-lemon and rubber-cola nut systems were never profitable however. In coffee or cocoa intercropping systems, gross profit was already positive in the third year compared to the eight years needed for financial equilibrium in rubber monoculture.    http://www.cirad.fr/en/research-operations/research-results/2013/rubber-intercropping-with-coffee-or-cocoa-is-more-profitable-than-monocropping   (CIRAD, 11/2013) 17/12/2013
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Frank Place (World Agroforestry Centre) and colleagues, review the most pressing policy-related constraints to agroforestry in this extended excerpt from the book ‘Agroforestry for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services – Science and Practice’. Three policy areas determine the benefit from agroforestry: 1) Long term private property rights; 2) Policies related to tree germplasm multiplication and dissemination; 3) Recognition of agroforestry as an attractive investment area within agricultural programmes. Policy-related constraints include: land and tree tenure, germplasm systems, subsidies for other land use practices, extension systems, departmental structure of governments, and recognition of environmental services. Policy reforms that have been pro-agroforestry did tackle some of these issues.   http://agroforestry.net/overstory/overstory251.html  (The Overstory No. 251, January 2013) 07/03/2013
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