Multipurpose trees and shrubs (MPTs) are a key element in alleviating several of the urgent environmental and poverty-related problems of the tropical developing countries. The inclusion of productive timber and fruit trees on small-scale farms, particularly on degraded lands, provides important sources of income while offering crucial environmental services. Multipurpose tree cultivation by small farmers can provide a superior means of reforesting large areas of degraded Imperata grasslands in Southeat Asia with ecologically- and socially-imporatant species. At the same time, these trees may provide the major source of timber and fuelwood for countries whose stock of natural forests is now virtually exhausted.
Publication year
1994
Authors
Language
English
Keywords
agroforestry systems, forestry, humid tropics, plantations, slash and burn agriculture, trees
Geographic
Indonesia
