The importance of trees-on-farms is increasingly recognized: in recent years, Zomer and colleagues have shown that, globally, 43% of agricultural land has at least 10% tree cover, whereas in Central America, this rises to a remarkable 47% of agricultural land with >30% tree cover. In the present document, focussing on Nicaragua’s Zona de Pueblos, Eduardo Somarriba and colleagues present a fascinating snapshot of what this high tree cover means in terms of local livelihoods and landscapes. In a sample of just 87 small farms (mean area < 2 ha), they have documented the presence, and the nurturing by farmers, of 56 varieties of 34 species of fruit trees, as well as a rich diversity of timber trees, including high-value species such as Spanish cedar (Cedrela odorata) and Cordia alliodora. This agroforestry resource plays a fundamental role in local economies and diets, supplying the main fruit markets in the country.
Publication year
2016
Authors
Somarriba E; Sepúlveda, N.; Ayerdis, J.R.; Cornelius, J.
Language
Spanish
Keywords
berry crops
Geographic
Nicaragua
