In agroforestry, particular attention is placed on multiple purpose trees or perennial shrubs. Trees on farms and in forests play a crucial role in confronting some of the most important challenges of our time. Tropical forest conversion to pasture, which drives greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss, remains a pressing socioecological challenge. The central role of nurseries odi rural development forestry network papers 11 fiv research reports and studies author. As such, it plays a critical role in advancing agroforestry to enhance the nations economy and its agricultural landscapes, watersheds, and communities. This document is for 104, one of a series of the school of forest resources and conservation department, ufifas extension, and the center for subtropical agroforestry cstaf. Since agroforestry in australia and new zealand was first published in 1985 rowan has coauthored another 5 books on agroforestry and farm trees. After more than two decades of being practiced by upland farmers, it is worthwhile to determine whether agroforestry as a policy and program strategy to. Forrey training center kings gap environmental education center 500 kings gap rd, carlisle, pa 17015 717 4865031 meeting minutes may 7th, 2014 participants. Agroforestry encompasses a wide range of practices, although the systems we emphasize leverage highly productive tree and shrub crops grown in polyculture with integrated livestock. Importance of tropical homegardens agroforestry system vikas kumar1 and anjali tiwari2 1department of silviculture and agroforestry, college of forestry, vellanikkara, kerala agricultural university, kau, thrissur, kerala 680656, india 2department of agriculture and forestry, dr. An interagency agroforestry team, with input from diverse stakeholders, developed the usda agroforestry strategic framework to increase awareness and support for expanding agroforestry and help usda focus its agroforestry research and technology transfer efforts. This a map made by the user group for a forest management plan in kavre district, central nepal what is a forest management plan.
In any new educational program such as an agroforestry course, a real, concerted effort is abstract. An overview of agroforestry practices ecological agriculture for america mark l shepard, consulting agroforester, permaculture designer, radical utopian farmer forest agriculture enterprises llc new forest farms llc. Given that agroforestry systems can provide critically important. Farm nurseries it has been generally assumed that farmers need to be provided with seedlings if agroforestry programmes are to have an impact. The operational role of remote sensing in forest and. It was a traditional system in both tropical and temperate countries before agriculture intensification during the last century. Pdf ecological sustainability of nature extremely depends on tress and forest. Another important factor of agroforestry implementation is whom the pc volunteer works with in the. Agroforestry in the tropics hdra the organic organisation page 2 benefits of agroforestry systems when land is scarce or when soil has a low fertility or is sensitive to erosion, agroforestry techniques offer considerable benefits for long term agricultural sustainability. A survey of returned peace corps volunteers by gill green and kelly jones.
Ecological classification the agroforestry system is related to various ecological factors. Agroforestry practices can provide essential habitat for bees, our most important crop pollinators. Harvesting acorn to feed swine from the queen mary psalter, british library. Pdf definition of agroforestry revisited researchgate. Therefore, over the years, we have distributed close to one million shade trees so far.
During this period, activities and interest in agroforestry education and training have increased tremendously, as in other aspects of agroforestry development. This manual was produced by fao in collaboration with world agroforestry. Sustainable agroforestry practices in the southeastern. The importance of agroforestry education and training. Asean guideines o aooesty deveoment v the asean guidelines for agroforestry development is an important milestone towards increasing the prosperity, connectivity, resilience. According to the united nations, more than 7 billion people populated the earth in 2011 and this number is expected to go up to 9. The extension strategy used by the care international in kenya agroforestry extension project aep is described. A land use integration system em 8988e october 2009 sam d. Sally claggett, julie mawhorter, chris firestone, sunshine brosi, john munsell. This paper documents farmers experiences in the management and utilisation of an important agroforestry tree species, calliandra. Homegardens represent intimate, multistory combinations of various perennial and annual crops, sometimes in association with domestic animals, around the homestead which serves as a permanent or temporary. Agroforestry and biodiversity conservation traditional. Harvesting acorn to feed swine from the queen mary psalter, british library dr. The contribution of agroforestry systems to bird conservation in the andes.
Goats grazing warmseason forages in the atkins agroforestry research and demonstration site, july 2015, tuskegee university, tuskegee, al. What do trees, livestock, field corn, and ginseng have in common. This intentional combination of agriculture and forestry has varied benefits, including increased biodiversity and reduced erosion. Light competition light is very important resource for production because it is the energy source for photosynthesis and transpiration. Agroforestry practices promote biodiversity and natural. Chesapeake bay forestry workgroup agroforestry team meeting. The benefits of agroforestry derive from the interactions between trees and shrubs and crops and livestock.
Pdf a general classification of agroforestry practice. A forest management plan is a written or understood. By integrating these high value trees into agroforestry systems, smallholder farmers in the tropics could greatly benefit. The role of agroforestry in building livelihood resilience to floods and drought in semiarid kenya.
It is a flexible concept, involving both small and largesized land holdings. Growth and development of pants largely depends on photosynthesis. Angima t he goal of agroforestry is to optimize productivity and conservation benefits within a set of integrated land use practices. Tree crop interactions in agroforestry tree crop interaction in agroforestry negative production reducing interactions a. An essential userfriendly resource for conserving and expanding the use of trees. Agroforestry has come of age during the past fifteen years. Today, agroforestry is taught at the senior undergraduate and postgraduate levels in many institutions around the world, either as a separate subject or as a. In a typical university organization, it is fairly easy to see how interdisciplinary research teams can be brought together to work on agroforestry projects. Some are available as free downloads, others can be purchased directly see for salepage agroforestry for natural resource management. Agroforestry and biodiversity conservation traditional practices, present dynamics, and lessons.
As part of its programme on domestication of agroforestry trees, icraf has a. Agroforestry combines trees, shrubs, forages, grasses, livestock, and crops in innovative, flexible. Agroforestry options for the wheatbelt 7 types of agroforestry systems when selecting your desired agroforestry system consider both the economics of the activity and how well it will integrate into your existing farming system. Sustainable agroforestry practices in the southeastern united. Very recent results show that it may be a key option for the future of modern agriculture, including in temperate countries. These integrated systems can provide many economic and ecological advantages over the conventional production agriculture system. Just as there are many types and sizes of tree and shrub mixed in a forest.
With respect to the land use, a larger part of the land is used for cultivation 55 % of which. By planting agroforestry, farm needs for fodder, timber, fuel, etc. Sources of fruits, nuts, edible leaves, and other food. The achievements of sarp in transforming lives in south asia with agroforestry in a short period of 10 years are truly commendable. Why is agroforestry the most sustainable farming technique. However, this is only true under certain conditions and not a general rule, and depends on climate, soil, and the tree species planted.
Pdf importance of homegardens agroforestry system in. Hosny ellakany assistant directorgeneral forestry department at the first world agroforestry congress orlando, florida, usa 27 june2 july 2004 abstract fao has accorded food security and sustainable livelihood a high priority since the. Agroforestry could soon play a much bigger role across the usda, however, thanks to the departments agroforestry strategic framework, announced in june. There is a vital need to broaden the knowledge base of the subject of agroforestry in order to provide a more substantive basis for effective teaching and training programs. Today, agroforestry continues to be an important component of upland development policies and projects implemented by both government and nongovernment organizations. Programmes and other important projects in india and in the region. Agroforestry fact sheet agroforestry is the mixture of trees and crops in cultivated parcels. From the cbd arise important questions for agroforestry. Importance of homegardens agroforestry system in tropics region december 2015 in book. The importance of longterm land tenure security for investing in sustainable. An important feature of agroforestry systems is the interaction that occurs over time. Other than developing both improved and new propoor technologies, sarp also contributed substantially.
Smith agroecology researcher organic research centre, elm farm, hamstead marshall, newbury, berkshire, rg20 0hr kindly supported by funding from. Agroforestry and tenure food and agriculture organization of the. Tz schroth2, 1chief scientist, iucn the world conservation union, 1196 gland, switzerland email. This may include religious or cultural reasons for protecting or using the forest. Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland. Importance of tropical homegardens agroforestry system.
Taken as a whole, the guidelines form a framework in which development can take place. Vegetative tree propagation in agroforestry training. Trees and shrubs have an important ecological and economic. According to the agroforestry research trust, agroforestry systems can include the following benefits. Agroforestry is a practical and lowcost means of implementing many. Agroforestry is a combination of forestry and agriculture. In fact, it is common for farming systems to involve the integration. The role of agroforestry in environmental sustainability. On the basis of ecological parameters, it can be classified as.
Click on the hotspots to learn more about the synergies in this agroforestry system. Understanding farmers experiences and practices is important in facilitating the development and introduction of technologies that meet farmers aspirations and are thus likely to be adopted by them. The roles of trees on the small farm may include the following. These pictures were taken during a research stay at the slope farming project in arba minch. The role of agroforestry in building livelihood resilience to. Trees in agroforestry systems also have important uses such as holding the soil against erosion and improving soil fertility by fixing nitrogen or bringing minerals from deep in the soil and depositing them by leaffall. This strategy is evaluated in terms of documented changes in farmers agroforestry practices and the importance of aep relative to other changes in economic incentives, institutional support, and land use and tenure rules for agroforestry.
Agroforestry is not a common practice in the western region of ghana, and most of the farmers in our program cultivate cocoa in monoculture without much shade. The most important of these trees are the legumes because of their ability to fix nitrogen and thus make it available to other plants. Agroforestry has been an active, although small, part of the usda for at least two decades, ever since the usda national agroforestry center nac was authorized in the 1990 farm bill. In many recent publications from other parts of the world, it is. Eightyfive percent of executives and investors surveyed said cr was now a central or important consideration in investment decisions. The asean guidelines for agroforestry development is an important milestone towards increasing the prosperity, connectivity, resilience and security of the peoples of asean member states. Also, there is a belief that crops cannot grow well.
Past studies showed that agroforestry plays an important part in balancing and managing natural resources. Chesapeake bay forestry workgroup agroforestry team meeting may 78, 2014 william c. Conventionally, farmers have only grown a single crop on one field. This is an important and often discussed subject with many claiming that trees compete with annual grassland vegetation for resources, and thus reduce rangeland productivity. With the present focus on agroforestry in zimbabwe, it is important to recognise that there are traditional agroforestry practices, and the present contribution aims to describe these. In this paper, we evaluate the current status of socioeconomic research in agroforestry to answer three basic questions. It is an intensive land management system that optimizes the benefits from the biological interactions created when trees andor shrubs are.
Alley cropping is a type of agroforestry that involves growing an agricultural crop simultaneously with a longterm tree crop. Agroforestry is the management and integration of trees, crops andor livestock on the same plot of land and can be an integral component of productive agriculture. The agroforestry strategic framework pdf, 562 kb is a roadmap for agroforestry services usda provides to landowners through its conservation programs. Agroforestry, cultivation and use of trees and shrubs with crops and livestock in agricultural systems. They can maintain soil organic matter and biological activity at levels satisfactory.
Productive and protective roles of agroforestry the field examples of agroforestry systems and practices presented in. It is broadly defined as widelyspaced rows of trees andor shrubs single or multiple, that create alleyways within which agricultural crops or horticultural crops are produced. Agroforestry supports food and nutritional security through the direct provision of food, by raising farmers incomes and providing fuel for cooking, and through various ecosystem services. This is also important from an ongoing management point of view, as many of these activities. Although my work showed how habitat features within agroforestry were important to flocking birds, the literature shows that attributes of the surrounding landscape can mediate bird.
Agroforestry notes af note 44 general 14 may 2014 indigenous traditional ecological knowledge in agroforestry introduction communities around the world have practiced diverse and evolving forms of agroforestry for centuries. Table 2 show that they are not only widespread in different ecological. Agroforestry guides for pacific islands can be downloaded below in pdf format. Sustainable agroforestry practices in the southeastern united states goats grazing coolseason forages in the atkins agroforestryresearch and demonstration site, april 2015, tuskegee university, tuskegee, al. So it is very important to manage agroforestry in the right way. Agroforestry systems also yield proven strategies for longterm carbon sequestration, soil enrichment, biodiversity conservation, and air and waterquality improvements, benefiting both the landowners and society. This problem has spurred increased interest in the potential of smallscale agroforestry systems to couple sustainable agriculture with biodiversity conservation, particularly in rapidly developing areas of the tropics. Furthermore, welldesigned systems of agroforestry maximize beneficial interactions of the crop. It can be classification on the basis of important ecological parameters climatic, edaphic and physiographic ones. A major reason for practicing agroforestry land use systems is domestication of soilimproving trees for enhancing soil productivity through a. To remedy this, many agroforestry institutions are now calling for increased socioeconomic research. Present classification schemes confuse agroforestry practices, where trees are intimately associated with agricultural components at a field scale, with the whole farm and forest systems of which they form a part. Agroforestry systems as a technique for sustainable territorial management. Homegardens agroforestry system is one of the most prevalent types of land use systems suitable to high rainfall areas in tropical conditions.
Department of agriculture usda programs provide opportunities for research and outreach to enhance the use of agroforestry by todays landowners and communities. They can control runoff and soil erosion, thereby reducing losses of water, soil material, organic matter and nutrients. Vegetative propagation is seen as a possibility to select superior germplasm and bring this important resource into the farmers fields. Timing of pruning in agroforestry a winter b summer deciduous trees, which drop all their leaves at one time, are best pruned over winter. Agroforestry practices have been successful in subsaharan africa and in parts of the united states. The operational role of remote sensing in forest and landscape management focus group discussion proceedings the operational role of remote sensing in forest and landscape management editors gen takao hari priyadi wim ikbal nursal editors. The european honey bee receives most of the credit for crop pollination, but the num. Socioeconomic and environmental benefits of agroforestry. Agroforestry practices can also be designed to address other needs, such as mitigating odor, improving pollinator habitat, trapping snow, and producing biomass feedstock. The following is the established format for referencing this article. As world population increases, the need for more productive and sustainable use of the land becomes more urgent. It may include existing native forests and forests established by landholders.