| 1. |
- Bargues Tobella, Aida
(författare)
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Determination of land restoration potentials in the semi-arid areas of Chad using systematic monitoring and mapping techniques
- 2023
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Ingår i: Agroforestry Systems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0167-4366 .- 1572-9680. ; 97, s. 1289-1305
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The restoration of degraded lands has received increased attention in recent years and many commitments have been made as part of global and regional restoration initiatives. Well-informed policy decisions that support land restoration, require spatially explicit information on restoration potentials to guide the design and implementation of restoration interventions in the context of limited resources. This study assessed ecosystems indicators of land degradation using a systematic approach that combines field surveys and remote sensing data into a set of multi-criteria analyses to map restoration potentials in the semi-arid areas. The indicators considered were soil organic carbon, erosion prevalence, enhanced vegetation index, Normalized differences water index and the Net Primary productivity. Three classes of restoration potential were established: (1) areas not in need of immediate restoration due low degradation status, (2) areas with high potential for restoration with moderate efforts required and (3) areas in critical need of restoration and require high level of efforts. Of the total area of the study site estimated at 88,344 km2, 59,146.12 km2, or 66.94% of the theoretically recoverable area, was considered suitable for restoration, of which 38% required moderate efforts while 28% require less efforts. The recoverable areas suitable for restoration could be restored through tree planting, soil and water conservation practices, farmers managed natural regeneration, and integrated soil fertility management. These results can help to spatially identify suitable multifunctional restoration and regeneration hotspots as an efficient way to prioritize restoration interventions in the context of limited resources.
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| 2. |
- Björklund, Johanna, 1961-, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring the potential of edible forest gardens : experiences from a participatory action research project in Sweden
- 2019
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Ingår i: Agroforestry Systems. - : Springer. - 0167-4366 .- 1572-9680. ; 93:3, s. 1107-1118
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To meet the environmental challenges that are presently confronting society, the narrow focus on agricultural production needs to be altered to one that places equal value on the generation of crucial ecosystem services. Current research shows that perennial intercropping systems such as agroforestry may be a feasible alternative. Based on studies during the establishment of edible forest gardens in 12 participating farms in Sweden, this paper explores the potential of utilizing multi-strata designs for food production in temperate, highincome countries. Design and species composition of such gardens, types of food they provide, and how they would best fit into the present landscape are discussed. Factors for success and major problems related to the establishment are shared. Potential benefits were found to be closely related to a thorough analysis of the social and ecological contexts before establishment. Characteristics of the site and goals of the garden need to guide species and design choices. If forest garden approaches to food production should contribute to more than local selfsufficiency, the gardens need to increase in scale. Marginal lands and transitions areas between different land uses may be appropriate. Large knowledge gaps concerning potential production, social and economic benefits, and agronomic issues were identified.
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| 3. |
- Damasco, Gabriel, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Certification of açaí agroforestry increases the conservation potential of the Amazonian tree flora
- 2022
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Ingår i: Agroforestry Systems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0167-4366 .- 1572-9680. ; 96, s. 407-416
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The harvesting of açaí berries (palm fruits from the genus Euterpe) in Amazonia has increased over the last 20 years due to a high local and global market demand and triggered by their widely acclaimed health benefits as a ‘superfood’. Although such increase represents a financial boom for local communities, unregulated extraction in Amazonia risks negative environmental effects including biodiversity loss through açai intensification and deforestation. Alternatively, the introduction of certified sustainable agroforestry production programs of açaí has been strategically applied to reduce the exploitation of Amazonian forests. Local açaí producers are required to follow principles of defined sustainable management practices, environmental guidelines, and social behaviors, paying specific attention to fair trade and human rights. In this study we investigate whether sustainable agroforestry and certification effectively promotes biodiversity conservation in Amazonia. To address this question, we conducted a forestry inventory in two hectares of long-term certified açai harvesting areas to gain further knowledge on the plant diversity and forest structure in açaí managed forests and to understand the contribution of certification towards sustainable forest management. On average, we found that certified managed forests harbor 50% more tree species than non-certified açaí groves. Trees in certified areas also have significantly higher mean basal area, meaning larger and hence older individuals are more likely to be protected. Certified harvesting sites also harbor dense populations of threatened species as classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (e.g.Virola surinamensis, classified as ‘endangered’). Besides increasing the knowledge of plant diversity in açaí managed areas, we present baseline information for monitoring the impact of harvesting activities in natural ecosystems in Amazonia.
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| 4. |
- Elmqvist, Bodil, et al.
(författare)
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A traditional agroforestry system under threat: an analysis of the gum arabic market and cultivation in the Sudan
- 2005
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Ingår i: Agroforestry Systems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1572-9680 .- 0167-4366. ; 64:3, s. 211-218
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The main aim of this study is to review the environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of the gum arabic farming system in central Sudan. A further aim is to analyse some of the main factors influencing production in recent decades in order to understand the future trade potential and consequently the smallholder livelihood. The study shows that end-user imports of gum arabic have increased during recent decades. Gum arabic is mainly for uses such as soft drinks, confectionary, and pharmaceuticals. However, even with this increased demand the production in Sudan, the main country of production, is declining. The producers, mainly smallholders, suger from fluctuating prices. If the gum arabic farming system should be able to provide the environmental benefits of improved soil fertility and the socioeconomic benefits of risk spreading and dry season income opportunities, the prices paid to smallholders must be stabilized at a fair level, otherwise a shift to other crops or practices might take place.
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| 5. |
- Getachew, Merkebu, et al.
(författare)
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Within and among farm variability of coffee quality of smallholders in southwest Ethiopia
- 2023
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Ingår i: Agroforestry Systems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0167-4366 .- 1572-9680. ; 97:5, s. 883-905
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The biophysical drivers that affect coffee quality vary within and among farms. Quantifying their relative importance is crucial for making informed decisions concerning farm management, marketability and profit for coffee farmers. The present study was designed to quantify the relative importance of biophysical variables affecting coffee bean quality within and among coffee farms and to evaluate a near infrared spectroscopy-based model to predict coffee quality. Twelve coffee plants growing under low, intermediate and dense shade were studied in twelve coffee farms across an elevational gradient (1470–2325 m asl) in Ethiopia. We found large within farm variability, demonstrating that conditions varying at the coffee plant-level are of large importance for physical attributes and cupping scores of green coffee beans. Overall, elevation appeared to be the key biophysical variable influencing all the measured coffee bean quality attributes at the farm level while canopy cover appeared to be the most important biophysical variable driving the above-mentioned coffee bean quality attributes at the coffee plant level. The biophysical variables driving coffee quality (total preliminary and specialty quality) were the same as those driving variations in the near-infrared spectroscopy data, which supports future use of this technology to assess green bean coffee quality. Most importantly, our findings show that random forest is computationally fast and robust to noise, besides having comparable prediction accuracy. Hence, it is a useful machine learning tool for regression studies and has potential for modeling linear and nonlinear multivariate calibrations. The study also confirmed that near-infrared spectroscopic-based predictions can be applied as a supplementary approach for coffee cup quality evaluations.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Kaartinen, Riikka, et al.
(författare)
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Shade trees decrease pest abundances on brassica crops in Kenya
- 2019
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Ingår i: Agroforestry Systems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0167-4366 .- 1572-9680. ; 93, s. 641-652
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Agroforestry practices may mitigate the current loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services due to deforestation and agricultural intensification. To examine the effects of agroforestry on the ecosystem service of pest regulation, we assessed pest abundances and biological control potential in shaded and open kale (Brassica oleracea L. acephala) fields in Western Kenya. Specifically, we compared the abundance of pest aphids and caterpillars, ground-dwelling ants, spiders and predatory beetles, and examined aphid parasitism rates, predation rates on diamondback moth eggs, attack rates on surrogate caterpillars and bird predation on aphids. Shade trees effectively reduced abundances of aphids, caterpillars and increased abundances of spiders and predatory beetles, but neither affected ant abundances, or predation and parasitism rates. Our results suggest that presence of shade trees can decrease pest abundances, but that this is not only due to improved biological control by natural enemies but also due to microclimatic conditions affecting pest performance and bottom-up processes such as changes in plant quality and soil conditions. We encourage studies exploring simultaneously how top-down and bottom-up processes affect pest regulation in agroforestry settings.
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| 8. |
- Kardell, Örjan, 1963-
(författare)
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A theoretical study for North Vietnam of alternative agroforestry systems to pure cassava
- 1993
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Ingår i: Agroforestry Systems. - : Kluwer Academic Publishers. - 0167-4366 .- 1572-9680. ; 21:3, s. 251-262
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Cassava is recognized in the region as the second most important crop after paddy rice. In Vinh Phu province of Vietnam, it is usually grown on highly erodible slopes of the small hills surrounding paddy fields. Cassava crop land is generally in annual use until the yield is less than 3-4 t fresh tubers/ha. This constant cropping system rapidly depletes the soil as fertilizers are infrequently used and crop residues are usually removed from the fields. Erosion is a major problem as the soil is exposed through hand cultivation and regular weeding during a cropping season which coincides with the wet season. Sustainable and productive cropping systems are needed. In order to take a first step towards sustainability, this paper presents several possible agroforestry systems in which cassava could be intercropped with a number of nitrogen fixing trees and shrubs. Several theoretical combinations have been examined assuming a critical lower production limit of 3-4 t fresh tubers/ha. Those with sustained high potential yields are recommended for future field experimentation.
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| 9. |
- Ky-Dembele, Catherine, et al.
(författare)
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Inter- and intra-provenances variations in seed size and seedling characteristics of Khaya senegalensis A. Juss in Burkina Faso
- 2014
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Ingår i: Agroforestry Systems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0167-4366 .- 1572-9680. ; 88, s. 311-320
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Within- and between-provenance variations in seed and seedling traits of Khaya senegalensis A. Juss were studied at INERA in Burkina Faso. Nursery grown seedlings from four provenances in Burkina Faso were used for the study. The studies revealed significant variability in all traits evaluated. Seed length and weight significantly varied among provenances and families within provenances, where Bopiel and Koyenga had the highest mean values. Height and root collar diameter of 1 year old seedlings significantly varied among families within provenances. Except leaf biomass ratio and carbon isotope ratio which varied significantly among provenances but not among families within provenances, all other seedling biomass traits-total plant biomass, stem biomass ratio, leaf biomass ratio, root biomass ratio, root shoot ratio, specific leaf area, and leaf area ratio were significantly affected by provenances and families within provenances. The magnitude of variation due to family effect ranged from 65 to 93 % for seed size traits, and from 4.5 to 17.8 % for seedling characters. Estimates of family heritability were moderate to high (0.67-0.95) for seed traits, but low to moderate (0.19-0.59) for seedling characters, indicating that much of the total variation in seed traits is due to the genetic effect. The two most prominent provenances, Koyenga and Bopiel, with higher seed size and greater seedling growth could be considered for an eventual K. senegalensis improvement program in Burkina Faso.
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| 10. |
- Lana, Marcos
(författare)
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Analyzing influencing factors to scale up agroforestry systems in Colombia: A comparative ex-ante assessment of cacao farming and cattle ranching in two regions
- 2022
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Ingår i: Agroforestry Systems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0167-4366 .- 1572-9680. ; 96, s. 435-446
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Agroforestry systems (AFS) are proved to enhance sustainable land management. Thus, there is increasing demand for effective ways to scale up AFS so that more people can benefit. Consequently, this study assesses the scaling-up potential of agroforestry systems (AFS) using cacao farming and cattle ranching in Caqueta and Cesar, Colombia, as examples. An ex-ante assessment using the ScalA tool is conducted through interviews with AFS experts from institutions promoting AFS. Using a comparative approach, results reveal that AFS have different scaling-up potential depending on the type of farming system and location characteristics. In our case, it is slightly higher for cacao farming than for cattle ranching in both regions and it is higher in Caqueta than in Cesar for both systems. Factors hindering the scaling-up potential for both regions are economic conditions at the local and regional levels since there is a lack of stable and differentiated markets to absorb AFS products. In contrast, the scaling-up potential in both regions is increased by the factors related to the capacity of the organizations that promote AFS and the attitudes of local communities toward them. The study generates information about factors that may hinder or foster AFS scaling-up, including not just the capacities and mechanisms to promote them but also the enabling conditions. This contributes to prioritizing AFS interventions and better allocating their resources to increase their chances of successful scaling-up.
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