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"Agroforestry"
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Land‐use history determines ecosystem services and conservation value in tropical agroforestry
Agroforestry is widely promoted as a potential solution to address multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Zero Hunger, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, and Life on Land. Nonetheless, agroforests in the tropics often result from direct forest conversions, displacing rapidly vanishing and highly biodiverse forests with large carbon stocks, causing undesirable trade‐offs. Scientists thus debate whether the promotion of agroforestry in tropical landscapes is a sensible policy. So far, this debate typically fails to consider land‐use history, that is, whether an agroforest is derived from forest or from open land. Indeed, 57% of papers which we systematically reviewed did not describe the land‐use history of focal agroforestry systems. We further find that forest‐derived agroforestry supports higher biodiversity than open‐land‐derived agroforestry but essentially represents a degradation of forest, whereas open‐land‐derived agroforestry rehabilitates formerly forested open land. Based on a conceptual framework, we recommend to (a) promote agroforestry on suitable open land, (b) maintain tree cover in existing forest‐derived agroforests, and (c) conserve remaining forests. Land‐use history should be incorporated into land‐use policy to avoid incentivizing forest degradation and to harness the potential of agroforestry for ecosystem services and biodiversity.
Journal Article
Índices fitossociológicos da comunidade infestante presente em sistema agroflorestal na Amazônia Tocantina, no inverno e verão amazônico
Os Sistemas Agroflorestais (SAFs) surgem como alternativa de produção sustentável de alimentos e serviços ambientais, entretanto a comunidade infestante presente nesses sistemas podem comprometer demasiadamente a produtividade e a qualidade da produção. A partir disso o objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar o levantamento fitossociológicos da comunidade infestante em área conduzida em sistema agroflorestal na Amazônia Tocantina, em duas épocas do ano, no inverno e verão amazônico. Para a avaliação da comunidade infestante, foi adotado o quadrado amostral de 1,0 m2, onde as plantas daninhas presentes foram removidas, mensuradas, classificadas. Com base nos dados coletados determinaram-se os índices de densidade, densidade relativa, frequência, frequência relativa, abundância, abundância relativa, massa fresca relativa, índice de valor de importância e o índice de valor de importância relativa, no período de 2015 a 2017. A composição da flora infestante foi bastante diversificada durante todo período experimental. Foram identificados 1.741 indivíduos, distribuídas em 63 espécies, em 35 famílias botânicas. A espécie Heliconia psittacorum foi predominante, com 460 plantas infestantes identificadas obtendo maior índice de importância, juntamente com a espécie Rhynchospora cephalotes, tornando essas duas espécies as mais representativas, na maioria dos indices avaliados.
Journal Article
Abstract
This section contains all the poster abstracts from the “Agroforestry” track of the 2015 Society of American Foresters National Convention, held November 3-7 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Journal Article
Abstract
This section contains all the presentation abstracts from the “Agroforestry” track of the 2015 Society of American Foresters National Convention, held November 3-7 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Journal Article
First typology of cacao
We present a typology of cacao agroforest systems in Colombian Amazonia. These systems had yet to be described in the literature, especially their potential in terms of biodiversity conservation. The systems studied are located in a post-conflict area, and a deforestation front in Colombian Amazonia. Cacao cropping systems are of key importance in Colombia: cacao plays a prime role in post conflict resolution, as cacao is a legal crop to replace illegal crops; cacao agroforests are expected to be a sustainable practice, promoting forest-friendly land use. We worked in 50 x 2000 m.sup.2 agroforest plots, in Colombian Amazonia. A cluster analysis was used to build a typology based on 28 variables characterised in each plot, and related to diversity, composition, spatial structure and light availability for the cacao trees. We included variables related to light availability to evaluate the amount of transmitted radiation to the cacao trees in each type, and its suitability for cacao ecophysiological development. Cacao agroforest systems may actually be achieving biodiversity conservation goals in Colombian Amazonia. One challenging prospect will be to monitor and encourage the conservation of tree species diversity in cacao agroforest systems during the development of these cropping systems, as a form of forest-friendly management enhancing sustainable peace building in Colombia.
Journal Article
Abstract
The article contains all presentation abstracts from the Agroforestry track of the 2012 Society of American Foresters National Convention.
Journal Article
Policy challenges for agroforestry implementation in Europe
Agroforestry (AF) is a sustainable land use practice and system that increases the ecosystem services delivery from agricultural lands compared with treeless systems. Agroforestry can be considered a practice when linked to plot scale (silvoarable, silvopasture, homegarden, woody linear landscape strips, and forest farming), and a system when associated with the global farm scale. The enhancement of the ecosystem services is associated with the use and promotion of the biodiversity caused by the presence of trees that optimizes the use of the resources if adequate species are mixed. Agroforestry can be implemented at temporal and spatial scales. At the temporal scale, the use of woody perennials to increase soil fertility is a traditional technique that improves soil health and reduces the need of using herbicides (e.g., the legume Ulex sown for 10 years in between crop cultivation). Five agroforestry practices can be implemented at the plot level: silvopasture, silvoarable/alley cropping, homegardens/kitchengardens, woody linear landscape strips, and forest farming. A farm including these practices is considered an agroforestry system working at the landscape level when several farms are mixed. In spite of the acknowledgment that AF has at the European level for being included as part of Pillars I and II, the spread of AF is limited across Europe. Four challenges, linked with technical, economic, educational, and policy development, have been identified by the AFINET thematic network that, if addressed, may foster policy adoption across the EU. This article proposes 15 different policy recommendations to overcome them and the need of developing an AF strategy for the EU.
Journal Article
Tradeoffs between income, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning during tropical rainforest conversion and agroforestry intensification
Losses of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning due to rainforest destruction and agricultural intensification are prime concerns for science and society alike. Potentially, ecosystems show nonlinear responses to land-use intensification that would open management options with limited ecological losses but satisfying economic gains. However, multidisciplinary studies to quantify ecological losses and socioeconomic tradeoffs under different management options are rare. Here, we evaluate opposing land use strategies in cacao agroforestry in Sulawesi, Indonesia, by using data on species richness of nine plant and animal taxa, six related ecosystem functions, and on socioeconomic drivers of agroforestry expansion. Expansion of cacao cultivation by 230% in the last two decades was triggered not only by economic market mechanisms, but also by rarely considered cultural factors. Transformation from near-primary forest to agroforestry had little effect on overall species richness, but reduced plant biomass and carbon storage by [almost equal to]75% and species richness of forest-using species by [almost equal to]60%. In contrast, increased land use intensity in cacao agroforestry, coupled with a reduction in shade tree cover from 80% to 40%, caused only minor quantitative changes in biodiversity and maintained high levels of ecosystem functioning while doubling farmers' net income. However, unshaded systems further increased income by [almost equal to]40%, implying that current economic incentives and cultural preferences for new intensification practices put shaded systems at risk. We conclude that low-shade agroforestry provides the best available compromise between economic forces and ecological needs. Certification schemes for shade-grown crops may provide a market-based mechanism to slow down current intensification trends.
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