Agroforestry Systems最新文献

Agroforestry represents a viable approach to enhancing the economic resilience of farmers, delivering ecological benefits, and mitigating pressure on forest ecosystems. Despite its recognized potential, the adoption of agroforestry practices among farmers remains limited. Consequently, understanding the determinants of farmers’ intentions to adopt agroforestry is essential to promote its widespread implementation. This study investigates the psychological factors influencing agroforestry adoption by surveying 361 farmers residing in forested regions. Anchored in the theory of planned behavior, the research framework incorporates additional variables, including organizational support and farmers’ perceptions of agroforestry’s economic advantages. The findings reveal that the basic model accounts for 53% of the variance in farmers’ intentions to adopt agroforestry, while the extended model, integrating the additional variables, increases the explanatory power to 70%. Critical determinants of farmers’ intentions include attitudes towards agroforestry, perceived behavioral control, and perceived economic benefits. Conversely, subjective norms and organizational support were not found to significantly influence intention. These findings underscore the importance of targeting influencing factors in the development of strategies to encourage agroforestry adoption. The results also emphasize the enabling role of organizational support in fostering the successful uptake of agroforestry practices. In light of these insights, it is recommended that initiatives focus on enhancing farmers’ positive perceptions, autonomy, and understanding of agroforestry’s benefits.

Indigenous fruit trees and shrubs (IFTS) play a vital role in ensuring the livelihood and nutritional security of both rural farming communities and the poor urban populations in drylands. The management and conservation of IFTS are customarily done using indigenous knowledge owned by the local people. However, there is a lack of systematic documentation and synthesis regarding the distribution and diversity of IFTS in Tigray, Ethiopia. This paper aims to analyze the richness and diversity of IFTS species across agroecologies and land use types and to identify the management options to conserve IFTS. Data were collected using field observation, informal discussions, and semi-structured and structured questionnaires administered to 495 respondents. The species diversity in home gardens and farmlands was calculated using Shannon–Wiener’s diversity index. The similarity in species composition between land uses and agroecologies was calculated using the Sorensen coefficient of similarity. The study documented a total of 44 edible IFTS species, belonging to 25 families. Cordia africana is the versatile IFTS found across the three agroecologies. The highest number of species was recorded in lowland agroecology. Agroecology and land use were found to have a significant impact on the richness of the IFTS species (P < 0.05). Communal forests harbored higher diversity compared to other land uses, while home gardens in the midland showed the highest diversity of species. There was a high similarity in species composition between land uses in the highlands. The level and type of management an IFTS receives depends on the value the species provides. Species highly valued by the community get better protection and post-planting management than species considered less beneficial. The common indigenous management practices provided to the IFTS are protection, watering, pruning, and support when at the seedling stage. These findings highlight the urgent need for conservation efforts and appropriate management strategies to safeguard the long-term existence of IFTS in human-impacted landscapes. Agroforestry systems could serve as an in-situ conservation option to conserve IFTS through domestication and sustainable use.

Tree germplasm supply has remained a challenge to scaling up agroforestry practices, especially Gliricidia sepium. As a shy seeder, practitioners often consider using gliricidia stem cuttings as an alternative. Methods to rejuvenate old seed stands to increase seed production remain unclear. The objectives of this study were to assess G. sepium (1) rooting ability of stem cuttings prior to planting; (2) field growth performance of trees derived from rooted stem cuttings; and (3) tree pollarding effect on tree growth and seed productivity. Stem cuttings were collected from Karonga, Salima and Machinga districts. These were treated with Seradix® No. 2 either (i) immediately, (ii) four days after planting (DAP), (iii) eight DAP or (iv) no application (control). For the old gliricidia stand, trees were pollarded either at (i) 0.5 m, (ii) 1.0 m, or (iii) 1.5 m above the ground. The results showed early rooting of stem cuttings with immediate Seradix® No. 2 application and 14% of the trees derived from rooted stem cuttings produced seeds two years after planting. For the pollarded old gliricidia stand, tree branches significantly increased with pruning height in the second (P = 0.0173) and third year (P = 0.0301). Gliricidia seed yield significantly increased with time (P = 0.0054). Trees pruned at 1.5 m produced higher seed yield (1320 g/tree) than those pollarded at 0.5 m (555 g/tree) four years after pollarding. It is concluded that pollarding old gliricidia tree stands can rejuvenate trees and improve seed yield.

Understanding the role played by agroforestry systems in improving water use efficiency (WUE) in coffee is a fundamental issue that could help promote sustainable agriculture. This study determined water use of Robusta coffee at various phenological stages under Albizia coriaria shade tree and open sun coffee systems. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was set up in the two systems; A. coriaria coffee system (ACS) and Open sun coffee system (COSS) having three coffee clones. Water use by coffee and shade trees was measured using sap flow meters. In addition, days from inflorescence emergence to ripening and berry size from yellow berries to ripening were also measured. An ANOVA was used to ascertain differences in water use and berry growth duration. The results showed that Robusta coffee water use per phenological stage was clone and system dependent. COSS significantly (p < 0.001) used more water per day (1.43 l/day) compared to coffee under ACS (0.62 l/day), representing a 40% difference in daily water use between the two coffee systems. The fruit phenological stages under ACS required a longer duration (397.78 days) compared to COSS (350.94 days). A significant impact of the coffee system and clone on coffee water use was observed, potentially indicating reduced demand for water under A. coriaria compared to open sun coffee.

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is a crop of high relevance in the global economy. In the eastern Amazon, a region with potential for the expansion of this crop, the initiative to plant oil palm together with other regional species of commercial interest, forming agroforestry systems (AFS), is considered ecologically, economically, and socially promising. We evaluated the floristic and structural dynamics of oil palm AFS in the eastern Amazon, Brazil. We analyzed the Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H'), the Importance Value Index (IVI), the Current Annual Increment (CAI), and mortality in six AFS, between 2016 and 2018. We established two types of AFS at each Site, namely, AFS-A—considered less diverse; and AFS-B—considered more diverse. Fabaceae, Arecaceae, Meliaceae, Anacardiaceae, and Malvaceae were the main botanical families occurring in the AFS. The floristic composition showed the greatest differences between AFS A and B from Site 2, whereas the most similar compositions were observed among the AFS from Site 3. The H' index ranged from 0.88 to 2.08. E. guineensis, Theobroma cacao L., and Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp showed the highest IVIs. In total, 38.46% of the species were wood trees, 38.46% were fruit trees, 7.69% were species planted for green manure purposes, and 15.38% were multiple-use species. Mortality in all AFS was low (< 6%). The largest diameter increments occurred in the 2016–2017 interval. Between 2017 and 2018, E. guineensis, Euterpe oleracea Mart., and T. cacao. showed low diameter increments. Between 2016 and 2018 tree growth slowed down in AFS with lower diversity, but not in AFS with higher diversity, suggesting greater resilience of AFS with higher diversity.

Vernicia fordii, a tropical and subtropical oil tree species, is highly esteemed for its fruit but yields slow economic returns. To address this, a study was conducted on intercropping Vernicia fordii with Polygonatum odoratum, a Chinese herbal medicine, to investigate its effects on rhizosphere soil microorganisms and potential for accelerated economic gains. Comparisons were drawn with monocultures of both P. odoratum and V. fordii. Utilizing 16S rDNA sequencing analysis, the study unveiled a profound impact of intercropping on the rhizosphere soil microbial community. Specifically, the abundance of certain bacterial communities such as Actinomycetes, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflexi, as well as fungal communities like Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, underwent significant changes under intercropping conditions. Within the bacterial community, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Myxococcola, and Chloroflexi increased notably by approximately 33.3%, 50%, and 50%, respectively, while Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria decreased significantly by 16.7% and 20%, respectively (p < 0.05). Concurrently, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota in the fungal community showed a significant increase in relative abundance by 10% and 5%, respectively. Functional predictions further indicated enhanced metabolic activities related to nitrogen fixation and chitin decomposition.Moreover, intercropping led to a marked increase in soil nutrient content, including organic matter, available potassium, alkaline hydrolyzable nitrogen, and sucrase activity, which are crucial for the advancement of biogeochemical processes. In terms of plant growth, P. odoratum under intercropping exhibited significant advantages, with increased plant height, ground diameter, and biomass. Notably, the ground diameter increased by 9.75% and biomass by 28.8%. Additionally, the chemical composition of P. odoratum underwent changes, with polysaccharides, total flavonoids, and total saponins showing increases of 1%, 32.9%, and 13.9%, respectively, whereas total phenolic content decreased by 19.0% (p < 0.05). In summary, intercropping not only alters the composition and abundance of soil microbial communities and enhances soil nutrient content but also promotes the growth and accumulation of specific chemical components in P. odoratum. These findings have positive implications for agricultural and forestry production, offering valuable insights for improving agricultural efficiency and economic benefits.

The global rise in afforestation highlights the need for improved forestry practices, underscoring the demand for enhanced management strategies and research. Integrated intercropping systems offer sustainable solutions, promoting biodiversity and ecosystem health. This research explored the long-term effects of weed control and row spacing on eucalyptus (Eucalyptus grandis) and pinus (Pinus taeda), intercropped with switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), within a Uruguayan setting. Using spatiotemporal mixed models, we aimed to improve experimental accuracy and understand the dynamics between stand growth and agroforestry management. Significant impacts of spacing and weed control were found on both wood volume per hectare and individual volume. Optimal results per hectare were achieved with a 7-m row spacing for both species at the hectare level, while a 12-m spacing was more favorable for individual tree sizes. Low and medium weed control affected per tree and hectare wood volume productivity. Significant differences in switchgrass productivity were found between high and low weed control in pinus. The use of spatiotemporal structures has resulted in a better fit for the models in all cases, and it is noteworthy to consider the heterogeneous variances over the years. This study underscores the value of spatiotemporal analysis in agroforestry experimentation, integrating heterogeneous structures with temporal dynamics. These insights advance agroforestry by optimizing productivity and sustainability, offering adaptable strategies for regions sharing similar environmental profiles.

Agroforestry is widely recommended in the mountainous areas of Southeast Asia to improve farmers’ livelihoods and reverse current land degradation trends. However, studies of the impacts of adoption of agroforestry practices on smallholder farmer livelihoods are limited to field-scale assessments and landscape potential. In this paper, we assess the difference in terms of farming system performance between agroforestry adopters and non-adopters in northwest Viet Nam using propensity score matching (PSM) calculating the average treatment (agroforestry adoption) effect on the treated (adopters) on core economic, environmental, and social indicators. The results of the PSM indicate an increase in revenues of about 8 million VND ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ (about 325$) per household when adopting agroforestry, but a counterintuitive outcome regarding erosion. This outcome is likely due to an improperly selected farmer control group, which is located on less erosion-prone land, as well as the presence of immature trees in agroforestry systems, whose canopies have not yet contributed to reducing erosion. A typology of adopters was produced and revealed a wide diversity of agroforestry adoption pathways across the population, which may have blurred the results of the PSM. Six farming household types were obtained ranging from ‘Off-farm income-dependent farmers’ with low proportion of agroforestry to ‘Specialists mixed agroforesters’ with higher proportion of agroforestry practices on their farm and different levels of input intensity in their farming systems. This typology highlights the need for greater context awareness in farming system research and proper control of the agroforestry type, the proportion of agroforestry in the farming systems, and the maturity of the agroforestry system. This will help to better capture the real-life, farm-scale impacts of agroforestry practices.

The number of scientific publications related to biomass carbon or soil organic carbon under various land management practices has globally and dramatically increased during the last two decades, the same applies to the peer reviewed Agroforestry Systems journal. However, the quality of papers on carbon sequestration in agroforestry systems is very heterogeneous, and many studies do not fulfil simple requirements that would ensure the scientific value of these studies, resulting in high rates of rejections before and after review. The aim of this paper, co-authored by the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editors of the Agroforestry Systems journal is to provide some basic guidelines to improve the quantification and reporting of carbon stocks and additional carbon storage in agroforestry systems, and to maximize manuscript acceptance. These guidelines are also of use for any other international peer-reviewed journal publishing studies on this topic. We also provide a checklist, for both authors and reviewers, of compulsory and recommended variables to be included before submission of an original study related to soil and/or biomass carbon stocks and sequestration in agroforestry systems.

Silvopastoral systems have been acknowledged as efficient generators of important environmental benefits, worldwide, improving pasture quality and providing thermal comfort and animal welfare, when in comparison to traditional monoculture pasture systems. In this sense, an experiment was carried out to assess forest component inclusion to intensify pasture-based livestock systems. For that, the microclimate was monitored, and the Heat Load Index was estimated, forage production and nutritional values were assessed, Nellore cattle performance and enteric methane emissions were estimated and carbon stock in the stem of eucalyptus clones AEC 144 (Eucalyptus urophylla) and AEC 2034 ((Eucalyptus camaldulensis x E. grandis) x E. urophylla) were calculated. The analyzed eucalyptus clones were distributed in simple–line rows (2 × 25 m; 155 trees ha⁻¹) under silvopastoral system set with Urochloa (syn. Brachiaria) brizantha cv. Piatã to be compared to traditional monoculture pasture system set with Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu. The silvopastoral system led to microclimatic conditions accounting for better thermal distribution and for fewer daily heat–accumulation hours over the 2 year study. Forage production and nutritional value were significantly higher and seasonally stable, and it led to better animal performance per area than the traditional system. Furthermore, enteric methane emissions were lower during the rainy season and the forest component had positive influence on the carbon stock in stems. Thus, using trees to intensify pasture-based livestock systems improves animal performance gain by neutralizing enteric methane emissions, promoting better thermal distribution and greater stability in forage production and nutritional value.