Agroforestry Systems最新文献

Scalable solutions are needed to support sustainable cocoa production in West Africa. Monitoring the transition of unpruned full-sun monocultures to pruned, mature agroforestry systems remains a major challenge in cocoa farming, which could be tackled thanks to remote sensing technologies. In this respect, this study investigates the use of drone-borne LiDAR to track and predict changes induced by pruning and shade tree planting in the canopy structure and biomass of various cocoa farming systems in Ivory Coast, the largest cocoa-producing country. Results obtained under experimental conditions show that changes in some (but not all) canopy structural traits correlate with the intensity of pruning in full-sun monocultures. Besides, a strong correlation was observed between biomass removals and changes in Leaf Area Index in response to pruning (r = -0.82, p < 0.01). Based on 264 plots surveyed across 53 plantations, our study demonstrates that drone-borne LiDAR can effectively discriminate between pruned and unpruned full-sun monocultures, young and advanced agroforestry systems by exploiting differences in canopy structural traits (92% mean accuracy). The latter also allowed accurate retrieval of aboveground biomass in these farming systems (R² = 0.79 and 0.73 and RMSE = 0.10 and 0.18 (log-scale) for cocoa and total aboveground biomass, respectively). Our study thus highlights the reliability and versatility of drone-borne LiDAR to monitor pruning and agroforestry transition in cocoa farming systems, and the need to pursue research in this field to deploy this technology at scale to support intervention planning and management strategies in cocoa plantations.

The configuration of farmland shelterbelts plays a crucial role in determining their shelter effects. To optimize the configuration patterns of farmland shelterbelts in Xinjiang, wind tunnel simulation experiments were conducted on six mixed tree–shrub shelterbelt configurations at six different angles between the prevailing wind direction and the main shelterbelt orientation. The results revealed that at 90°, Type VI exhibited the strongest windbreak capacity, followed by Type II, whereas Type I performed the worst, with average shelter efficiencies of 45.5%, 43.3%, and 33.6%, respectively. All shelterbelts formed strong deceleration zones within horizontal distances of 1 ~ 3H, with gradual airflow recovery and stabilization occurring at 5 ~ 15H. As the angle between the prevailing wind direction and the main shelterbelt increased, the protective coverage gradually expanded. For Type II and VI shelterbelts at large angles (≥ 60°), significant differences in average wind speed were observed per 15-degree increment, whereas no significant differences were found at small angles (≤ 45°). Therefore, when constructing farmland shelterbelts, priority should be given to the Type II and VI configurations, and an angle deviation of 0–30 degrees between the prevailing wind direction and the main shelterbelt orientation is acceptable. Exceeding this range will reduce the windbreak effectiveness of farmland shelterbelts.

Agroforestry systems integrate open and woody elements within agricultural landscapes, creating structurally complex ecosystems that provide habitats for diverse taxa, including spiders. This study examined the effect of agroforestry systems on ground-dwelling spiders across multiple European countries. In each country, several mature agroforestry plots were compared with non-agroforestry agricultural and woody reference plots. Our findings reveal that agroforestry supports species from both open and forested habitats, contributing to landscape-scale biodiversity. Alpha diversity was higher in silvopastures than in forests, but beta diversity (turnover) was not significantly different between agroforestry and other habitat types. Instead, there was a trend towards decreasing spider richness with increasing field size, across all habitat types. High variability in spider diversity across regions suggests that local environmental factors, such as tree species, management practices, and climate, play a key role in shaping spider communities. Our study supports that mosaic of small fields with diverse land uses, combined with seminatural habitats and structurally heterogeneous productive systems like agroforestry, can enhance biodiversity and species-rich agricultural landscapes.

Low light is a characteristic of coffee agroforestry systems, yet the optimal shade level for establishing such systems remains unclear. Furthermore, the effects of reduced light on the growth and physiology of juvenile Coffea arabica F1 hybrids have not been fully explored. This study examined gene-by-environment interactions among coffee hybrids and their parental lines across a controlled shade gradient in a greenhouse. The tested C. arabica included landrace accessions (i.e. ‘ET531’, ‘MS’, ‘T4905’, and ‘Rume Sudan’), pure lines (i.e. ‘Caturra’,‘T5296’, ‘Marsellesa’ and ‘IAPAR59’), and F1 hybrids (i.e. ‘H1’, ‘H3’, ‘Mariana’, and ‘Starmaya’). Plants were grown under five shade treatments intercepting 0, 35, 58, 73, and 88% of ambient light (ranging from ~10 to 800 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) to simulate agroforestry light environments. Shade significantly influenced all measured traits, including photosynthetic parameters, chlorophyll a fluorescence, aboveground biomass, specific leaf area, total leaf area, growth rate and leaf count. Notably, the line varieties ‘Caturra’ and ‘Marsellesa’ and hybrid ‘Starmaya’ demonstrated comparatively enhanced vegetative performance when grown under shade (i.e, shade level of 35 – 88%), particularly in leaf count (ca. 75 % more), plant height (ca. 75 % taller), and stem dry mass (50 % greater). Wild Ethiopian accessions ‘ET531’ and ‘Rume Sudan’ exhibited distinctive plant height responses, reflecting their unique genetic adaptation patterns to shade, with plant height and apical dominance increasing, as a photomorphogenetic response to avoid the shade. These findings offer preliminary insights to inform the selection of C. arabica genotypes suitable for coffee agroforestry systems based on juvenile plants.

Homegardens (HG) in the Darjeeling Himalayas represent indigenous and sustainable agroforestry systems that spatially integrate diverse crops, trees, and livestock through traditional knowledge. These multifunctional landscapes play a vital role in conserving biodiversity, enhancing food security, and sustaining rural livelihoods. The present study examined the influence of altitude and vertical stratification on the structure, species composition, and socio-economic attributes of 150 HG (n = 50 per altitudinal class: Low, 100–800 m asl; Mid, 800–1600 m asl; High, > 1600 m asl). HG size ranged from 0.01 to 0.28 ha (mean = 0.07 ± 0.04 ha) with 3–5 vertical strata. Most HG (67%) were over 50 years old, and 22% exceeded a century in age, reflecting their deep-rooted traditional significance. Agriculture formed the primary livelihood (60%) of HG owners, complemented by livestock rearing (cows, goats, pigs, and poultry), which contributed to income and nutrition. The majority (85%) reported HG-based income ranging from US$ 67–135 per month. Results indicated that HG age, stratification, and species richness varied with altitude; however, stratification complexity emerged as the key determinant of species richness, while altitude and its interaction effects were not significant. Livestock numbers differed across altitudes, with Low-altitude HG (5.1 ± 3.6) maintaining significantly more animals than High-altitude HG (4.3 ± 4.3), whereas Mid-altitude HG (4.7 ± 4.1) showed intermediate values. Overall, the findings highlight the ecological importance of vertical stratification and the resilience of traditional HG systems that continue to sustain biodiversity and livelihoods across the altitudinal gradients of the Darjeeling Himalayas.

This study investigates the soil nutrient status of coffee fields in the Gedeo Zone (1,347 km²) of southern Ethiopia, a region recognized for its multi-storey agroforestry systems and premium ‘Yirgacheffe’ coffee (Coffea Arabica L.), a specialty cultivar prized for its unique floral and citrus flavor profiles. The study aims to address concerns of declining productivity and ensure sustainable management. Soil samples were collected from 12 representative homegarden coffee plots in two distinct agroclimatic zones: midland (Woyna Dega) and lowland (Kola). The analysis focused on characterizing key soil physicochemical properties to assess their suitability for coffee production and to compare fertility between the two zones. The findings reveal that while organic carbon and total nitrogen were significantly higher in midland areas, most other key soil parameters, including pH, available potassium, calcium, magnesium, and Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), showed no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) between the two zones. The soils were generally moderately to slightly acidic with a mean pH of 6.3, which is conducive to coffee cultivation. While traditional agroforestry systems maintain high levels of soil organic matter and most essential exchangeable cations (e.g., K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺), our findings provide critical, spatially-explicit evidence of an emerging nutrient imbalance, most notably a widespread deficiency in available phosphorus, with 70% of sites below optimum levels. The identified phosphorus deficiency constitutes a critical limiting factor for coffee production, potentially compromising plant health and the overall sustainability of the agroforestry system. It is, therefore, imperative that immediate and targeted interventions that focus on integrated phosphorus management are implemented, such as the application of phosphorus-rich organic amendments (e.g., compost from poultry manure) and the judicious use of P-containing inorganic fertilizers. This study provides critical data for developing targeted soil fertility management strategies, which are crucial for ensuring the long-term environmental and economic sustainability of the unique ‘Yirgacheffe’ coffee agroforestry landscape and for safeguarding the livelihoods that depend upon it.

Riverine agroforestry (AF) systems play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem health by enhancing biodiversity, stabilizing riverbanks, regulating hydrological cycles, and sequestering significant amounts of carbon. However, research on riverine agroforestry in Ethiopia is limited. Most studies have focused on homegardens, parklands, and enset- or coffee-based AF systems. This lack of empirical evidence limits our understanding of the ecological functions of riverine agroforestry and restricts its integration into national strategies for land restoration, climate adaptation, and sustainable resource management. This study evaluated the composition, diversity, biomass carbon stock, and soil organic carbon (SOC) in riverine agroforestry and adjacent cropland systems in the Upper Awash Basin of Ethiopia. Vegetation was surveyed in 240 plots, and 480 soil samples were collected to evaluate soil organic carbon and bulk density. We recorded a total of 84 woody species from 61 genera and 38 families, with 96.4% classified as native. Species accumulation curves and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination indicated that riverine agroforestry had greater ecological heterogeneity and distinct species composition compared to cropland. Riverine plots had significantly higher Shannon diversity (1.87 vs. 1.21), Margalef species richness (2.45 vs. 1.49), and total biomass carbon stock (62.76 vs. 15.41 Mg C ha⁻¹) compared to croplands, which showed greater Simpson evenness due to the dominance of a few disturbance-tolerant species. SOC were substantially higher in riverine systems, both in the topsoil (43.73 vs. 21.34 Mg C ha⁻¹) and subsoil (35.03 vs. 14.97 Mg C ha⁻¹), indicating increased organic matter inputs and favorable microclimatic conditions. The total ecosystem carbon stock in riverine agroforestry systems (141.52 Mg C ha⁻¹) was nearly 2.7 times greater than that of croplands (51.72 Mg C ha⁻¹). These findings highlight the multifunctional value of riverine agroforestry in enhancing biodiversity, improving soil health, and fostering climate resilience, making it a crucial nature-based solution for restoring Ethiopia’s degraded landscapes.

In the light of escalating climate challenges, agroforestry is receiving renewed attention for its potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing the resilience of agricultural systems. The main difference between agroforestry and conventional agricultural systems is the presence and management of woody landscape features (WLF). The few datasets assessing WLF on agricultural land are limited in their spatial resolution and apply minimum mapping thresholds, potentially biasing derived estimates of WLF characteristics. Our study aimed to assess the current extent of WLF in Germany with high spatial resolution, including size variability and WLF type composition. We investigated WLF on agricultural land across seven federal states. In each of the seven states, 100 grid cells totalling 25 km² of agricultural land were selected, amounting to a total area of 175 km². Within this area, WLF were manually identified, delineated and classified using digital orthophotos. The results were compared with state-of-the-art datasets, particularly the Digital Basic Landscape Model (ATKIS). We identified a total of 4.8 km² land hosting WLF, covering 2.7% of the investigated area. The extent of WLF estimated in our study was twice as large as the estimate derived from the ATKIS dataset. Overall, we identified a much larger number of WLF, which were on average much smaller in size compared to the WLF in the ATKIS dataset. Extrapolating our results to the national level, we estimate WLF coverage at 4,899 km², corresponding to 57.2 Tg above-ground biomass or 28.6 Tg carbon. The biomass and carbon content were estimated based on literature-derived biomass densities. Our study indicates that accurately assessing WLF requires higher spatial resolutions than previously used. Datasets based on low-resolution images and those using minimal mapping units are not suited for capturing small WLF.

Agroforestry practices which integrate agriculture and forestry have emerged as essential for sustaining livelihoods in Ethiopia enhancing productivity and providing significant social, economic, and environmental benefits. The objective of this review is to identify and analyze the primary agroforestry practices in Ethiopia, focusing on their contributions to ecological balance and community empowerment. A literature review was conducted, incorporating studies published in English. This involved searching databases such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus using relevant keywords related to agroforestry and its impacts. A rigorous inclusion and exclusion criterion ensured that only credible, contemporary studies were analyzed, resulting in the synthesis of findings from 75 high-quality articles. The results reveal that agroforestry practices, including home gardens, alley cropping, and coffee-based systems, significantly enhance agricultural productivity and improve soil health by enhancing soil fertility. They contribute positively to soil fertility enhancement, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, food security. Home gardens, for instance, can sequester up to 150 tons of carbon per hectare, while coffee-based agroforestry with distinct annual components combined capture around 7.2 tons of CO₂ annually. Overall, agroforestry plays a vital role in fostering ecological balance, empowering communities with economic opportunities, and enhancing nutritional security. Through promoting context-specific agroforestry systems, Ethiopia can enhance biodiversity conservation, improve food security, and build resilience against climate change, contributing to the sustainable development of its agricultural sector. Community engagement and training and monitoring and evaluating impacts are recommended for improved agroforestry practices in Ethiopia to exploit the potential benefits.

The agro-industrial model adopted in Brazil in recent years is based on maximizing production and profit and it is extremely important to propose an agricultural development model based on sustainability. Agroforestry systems (AFS) represent a path towards a more conservation agriculture. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the soil quality of an organic agroforestry system used in cultivation of citrus (Citrus sp.) fruits presenting different tree densities. This study was conducted under field conditions of the municipality of Itirapina, Brazil. The soil of the experimental area was classified as Entisols Quartzipsamments. The four treatments were placed in a randomized block design, with three replicates, totaling 12 plots. The treatments were: T1 – Citrus with a density of 446 plants ha⁻¹; T2 – Citrus AFS with a density of 713 plants ha⁻¹; T3 – Citrus AFS with a density of 780 plants ha⁻¹; and T4 – Citrus AFS with a density of 1,040 plants/ha⁻¹. To evaluate soil quality, disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected at depths of 0.00–0.10, 0.10–0.20, and 0.20–0.40 m in three agricultural years (2019, 2020, and 2021). The results showed that the effect of natural shading on citrus crops by AFS did not influence the chemical and physical properties of the soil in the evaluated period of three agricultural years. However, after three years, agroforestry systems increased soil organic matter by 45% in the 0–0.10 m layer, raising carbon stocks by 2.77 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and improving fertility (base saturation > 66%, CEC 74.35 cmolc dm⁻³). Soil bulk density increased but remained below critical levels. Penetration resistance decreased by up to 58% in surface layers, indicating improved soil structure.