Annual crops mixed with trees give room to interactions which have always been a key element determining the management options applied by farmers. Both in tropical and temperate zones, choosing the compatible species, their spatial and temporal arrangement and the management practices to apply are critical to optimize the overall production of any specific agroforestry system or technique and the ecosystem services that they provide. Biophysical studies include a combination of field trials, observational studies and modelling to understand soil-tree-crop interactions, mainly regarding the sharing of growth resources such as soil nutrient, water and light, as well as structural and functional biodiversity. On the other hand, qualitative and quantitative studies point out various social, economic and policy factors affecting farmers in their practice. Despite farmers’ innovations and scientific advances, there are still some methodological challenges in determining the trade-offs and synergies between and among goods and services, and how to boost the provisioning, supporting, and regulating functions of such agroforestry systems. In this session, we will explore what can be learned from local traditional systems, farmers’ innovations and scientific research to conceive agroforestry systems for annual crops that will provide such critical ecosystem service functions in the quest for ensuring food security while achieving adaptation and mitigation goals in face of changing climate.
CIFOR-ICRAF Speaker
Presentations
A low soil-disturbance agroforestry system in Taiwan – cultivation of a medicinal orchid Anoectochilus formosanus, under forest
Fen-Hui Chen, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Taiwan (Republic of China)
Tranformation of orchards to agroforestry systems for maximizing production, income and micro-environment
MD GIASHUDDIN Miah, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Bangladesh
Effects of agroforestry species on wood species distribution at the long-term agroforestry trials site, Juja Kenya
David Lelei, CIFOR-ICRAF, Kenya
Economic performance of floriculture crop as influenced by organic manures and tree spacings under Grewia optiva, Drummond-based agroforestry system
Kashmir Singh Pant, Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, India
