As a part of integrated land use management systems, agroforestry is relevant to the sustainable production of a wide variety of agricultural commodities, as well as the production of highvalue specialty products. Agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits. Agroforestrythe next step in sustainable and resilient. The information crown diameter of each tree recorded. This was an important contribution, but there has been much progress on the science and application of agroforestry in temperate regions over the past 21 years. This system involves raising livestock on improved pastures grown in association with trees. Due to the presence of trees on farmed lands, agroforestry systems host biodiversity of native species of plants and wildlife.
Agroforestry systems are a desirable option for mitigating atmospheric co2, as they provide numerous secondary benefits, including food, fodder, fuel, increased farm income, biodiversity. By implementing systems that mimic natures functions, agroforestry has. The website provides a great overview of agroforestry and details on the social and poverty alleviation benefits. Agroforestry refers to land use systems in which trees or shrubs are grown in association with agricultural crops, or pastures and livestock. Agroforestry is a lowinput system which combines trees with crops in various combinations or sequences. Simultaneous practices, in which trees and other crops are grown at the same time the type of interactions desired generally influence the arrangement of trees and crops in space. Agroforestry in sustainable agricultural systems examines the environmental and social conditions that affect the roles and performance of trees in field and forestbased agricultural production systems. Classification of agroforestry systems springerlink. From its inception, it has contained a strong element of soil management. Agrisilvicultural systems trees combined with crops.
The agroforestry strategic framework pdf, 562 kb is a roadmap for agroforestry services usda provides to. Homegarden agroforestry system mostly constitutes complex multistrata than other agroforestry systems. Nair international council for research in agroforestry, p. Moreover, having woody vegetation ecological trait is essential to have more resilient systems thatalso benefits from having legumes, shrubs and trees in. Agroforestry practices and concepts in sustainable land use systems. Agroforestry practices have been successful in subsaharan africa and in parts of the united states. For a more detailed account of the woody species involved, see nair. This intentional combination of agriculture and forestry has varied benefits, including increased biodiversity and reduced erosion. The first edition of temperate agroforestry systems, an edited volume by andrew gordon and steven newman, was published in 1997 gordon and newman 1997. Introductory agroforestry with practical pdf book icar. As the name implies, this system includes all agroforestry types in which the annual food or cash crops are alternated with tree crops over time figure 1. In fact, it is common for farming systems to involve the integration of several reasonably discrete agroforestry practices, on different types of land. In contrast to monocultures in conventional agriculture, the combination of crops with trees in agroforestry systems provides an array of positive effects, especially in regard to soil.
They can be defined as those land use systems which involve two main components treesshrubs and an agricultural crop which could also be pasture and are artificially managed. Diversity just as there are many types and sizes of tree and shrub mixed in a forest, so our agroforestry should also be made up of a wide range of species, to make them sustainably most. Forest definition, classification of forest types, status of indian forest and their role in farming system. For example, coffee agroforestry studies in uganda have revealed that while agroforestry does consistently increase soc, concentrations vary depending on the types of trees paired with 7each coffee species. Design of agroforestry systems the following principles need to be applied when planning and establishing a farm or a community agroforestry system. Tree animal interactions or tree animal interface tai. Agroforestry system official land use classification forest land agricultural land trees. Forest survey of india 73 trees in agroforestry systems in india 72 forest survey of india india state of forest report 20 forest are excluded as they do not qualify the of tree green cover under scattered stratum, definition of agroforestry. The food forest ketelbroek nl and fazenda da toca br.
Definitions and components of agroforestry practices in. A typology for types of uk agroforestry developed from lawson et al. It may include existing native forests and forests established by landholders. Despite looking very different, both projects are agroforestry systems food forest ketelbroek, fazenda da toca generally, there are three main types of agroforestry systems. Agroforestry systems are classified on the different categories. Their goal is to promote the use of agroforestry through extension and outreach. Pdf traditional agroforestry systems and practices. For example an agrisilvicultural system can have several types of subsystems according to the type and arrangement of its constituent components. Pdf a general classification of agroforestry practice researchgate. Agroforestry is a collective name for landuse systems involving trees combined with crops andor animals on the same unit of land. Traditional agroforestry systems tafs may be described as a set of ageold agroforestry systems which are generally devoid of intentional intensified cultivation of agricultural or forage crops. Agroforestry systems are traditional land use systems that were and are used in europe. The words system, subsystem and practice are commonly used in af literature.
In agroforestry systems there are both ecological and. Climate and economic benefits of agroforestry systems. But there a lot more to agroforestry to explain like what it does, what it brings, where it comes from. Agroforestry, broadly defined as the intentional integration of trees with crops or livestock, is an existing body of research and policy that serves as a foundation for our work. Various types of ecological settings for agroforestry are analyzed within temperate and tropical regions. Classification of agroforestry systems pdf free download. A closer look its difficult to discuss the benefits of agroforestry without taking a closer look at the bewildering variety of agroforestry systems. An international journal incorporating agroforestry forum. Agroforestry encompasses a wide range of practices, although the systems we emphasize leverage highly productive tree and shrub crops grown in polyculture with. It is the dryland agroforestry in arid and semiarid areas, e. Welldesigned and managed agroforestry systems have the potential to control runoff and erosion, maintain soil organic matter and physical properties, and.
Silvopastoral systems combine forestry and grazing of domesticated animals on pastures, rangelands or onfarm. There are three main types of agroforestry systems. Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland. Subthemes the science of scaling development and application of the options x context approach to match options to fine scale variation in site and farmer circumstances. It is an alternative to intensive cropping systems, which rely on large inputs of manufactured fertilizers and other external inputs to sustain production.
Agroforestry systems and practices united diversity library. Nair 1987 used four basis for classification of different agroforestry systems. Agroforestry practices can be related with all adaptation types. In agrisilvicultural systems, crops agriculture are combined with trees silviculture. Agrisilvicultural systems are a combination of crops and trees, such as alley cropping or. Agrofestry systems in the ethiopian highlands and valleys are growing fruits, vegetables, corn, tree crops, fodder with animals like chickens roaming in between.
Agroforestry is a cultivation system that merges trees and agriculture crops or livestock, providing enhanced resiliency and a more productive and profitable use of the land compared to a monoculture system. The farmers plant or retain trees on their farmland, both. It referes to agroforestry in the wet lands or in waterlogged areas, e. Agroforestry is a collective name for landuse systems and technologies where woody perennials trees, shrubs, palms, bamboos, etc. Agroforestry is a practical and lowcost means of implementing many. Agroforestry systems may be thought of as principle parts of the farm system itself. The definitions for the systems described below are taken from p. Plant species diversity and structure in homegarden. Vi agroforestry is a swedish ngo based in eastern africa in areas bordering lake victoria. Long, narrow areas of any type of vegetation, usually planted along contours.
Different agroforestry systems, subsystem, practices, afs classification, afs on nature and arrangement of components. Agroforestry is an environmentallyfriendly land use system where numerous interactions among trees with crops, livestock and other living organisms incl. Agroforestry, cultivation and use of trees and shrubs with crops and livestock in agricultural systems. The author, cofounder of the world agroforestry centre icraf, is a pioneer in the establishment modern agroforestry. Table 38 commonly recommended species for agroforestry systems in the humid tropics.
Agroforestry food and agriculture organization of the united nations. Ramachandran nairs an introduction to agroforestry, a reference in the field. The agroforestry types listed in the tables are named by the predominant treeshrub practice in the system. Pdf a general classification of agroforestry practice.
There are also several special applications worth consideration. The aim of this study was to investigate the structure, composition and diversity of plant species growing in homegarden agroforestry system in bulen district, northwest ethiopia. The af systems inventory afsi being undertaken by icraf provides the background information for an approach to classification. Agroforestry has also been described as the intentional combining of agriculture and working trees to create sustainable farming systems. Agroforestry is a mixture of components that consist of woody plants timber, clump, palm, bamboo, and other cambiumborne plant species with agricultural plants seasonal species andor cattle, which set in temporal a arrangement and spatial arrangement as well sardjono et al. Since all agroforestry systems refer distinct agroforestry practices in which agriculture crops, forestry trees and pastures animals uses of land are combined either temporally or spatially where the arrangement of different types of components e. Agrisilvicultural systems are a combination of crops and trees, such as alley cropping or homegardens. There are various types of agroforestry systems, some of which are listed as follows. Agroforestry systems, by mimicking the complexity of natural ecosystems figure 1, can provide farmers with reliable, sustainable food production while protecting the environment. Different cretrias are used in the classification of agroforestry systems which are majorly accepted. Traditional agroforestry systems may be described as a set of ageold agroforestry systems which are generally devoid. Agroforestry systems can be classified in many ways using a variety of different criteria, such as the structural composition and arrangement of the different components in the system, their. Agroforestry definitions, objectives, potential and distinction between agroforestry and social forestry.
Agroforestry is the management and integration of trees, crops andor livestock on the same plot of land and can be an integral component of productive agriculture. Some commonly used systems are alley farming and live fences plate 39. For example, one classification approach is based on the type of components. The journal particularly encourages contributions that demonstrate the role of agroforestry in providing commodity as well noncommodity benefits such as ecosystem. Agroforestry also has the potential to reduce risk through diversification of a.
A collection of figures may also be combined in a pdf file. In agroforestry parlance, there is a subtle difference between the traditional agroforestry systems tafs compared to the classical agroforestry, prominent in longevity and degree of intensification. This theme serves as the lead centre for the livelihood systems flagship of the cgiar research programme on forests, trees and agroforestry. Woody perennials trees are important of all agroforestry systems. Classification of agroforestry af systems is necessary in order to provide a framework for evaluating systems and developing action plans for their improvement. Interactions at tree crop interface tci positive or production enhancing or beneficial interactions. While most agroforestry practices can be applied almost anywhere in the united states.
Agroforestry seeks positive interactions between its components, aiming to achieve a more ecologically diverse and socially productive output from the land than is possible through conventional agriculture. Common types of agroforestry systems applied by landowners and land managers across the united states are silvopasture, alley cropping, forest farming, riparian forest buffers, and windbreaks. Better spontaneous adaptation is usually associated to higher biodiversity, which increases resilience. Treecrop interactions or tree crop interface tci b. The ecological benefits of successful agroforestry systems include. It is a flexible concept, involving both small and largesized land holdings. The most common includes the nair agroforestry system of classification. Agroforestry is a set of practices integrated into larger land use systems. For a farmer or rancher to adopt an agroforestry system, he or she must be both able and willing to incorporate rows or blocks of trees andor shrubs in individual fields or units. It has been practiced in the united states and around the world for centuries.
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