Farming with trees: using agroforestry to drive resilience in

agricultural landscapes

Eduardo SomarribaKingston, Jamaica

16 July 2015

Trees are a common feature in many agricultural landscapes.

Globally, 80% of agricultural land (including pasture lands) has up to 30% tree cover….trees are a common feature in agricultural landscapes

Many examples of farming with trees

http://www.agroforesteria.cl/menu/galeria_fotos/fotos_silvopastoral.htm

Hedgerow intercroppinggenomics.nottingham.ac.uk

Quesungual, Lempira, Honduras, Foto: García E.

Second World Congress on Agroforestry - Nairobi, August 2009Hans-Peter Liniger, Joseph Ndungu, Njeru Gitonga, Mirjam Njoroge-van Roode, Anna Büchi, Peter Waldner*

Olivier Roupsard

Trees on farms provide goods for livelihoods to rural families and other

ecosystem services to society

Timber standing stock (dbh > 30 cm, m3/ha) in cocoa plantations in Central America. Timber trees as family

savings reduce financial vulnerability

Shade trees reduce heat strees in coffee production systems

Trees and shrubs as a source of forage for livestock….

substitute expensive concentrates and other feedstuff

Family benefit (US$/ha) FB = CF + self-consumption valued

Complexity- +

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Fruit trees and food/nutritional securityGrupo (1)

Grupo (2)

Grupo (3)

Grupo (4)

0.00 3.94 7.87 11.81 15.74

achotesonzapoteaguacate

guanabanalimon dulce

naranjanaranja agria

toronjabananomamonnispero

limon agriopapaya

mandarinamango

pera de aguazapote

guayabamamey

cococoyol

fruta de pantamarindo

pejibaye

Frut

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Ward

Distancia: (Euclidea)

Grupo (1)

Grupo (2)

Grupo (3)

Grupo (4)

Vitamins A and C

Fe and Zn

Proteins and carbohidrates

Need shade trees providing fruits with high concentration of folic acid (for pregnant women)

Café Frutales Maderables Servicio Musáceas

C1 C2 C3 C40

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20

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Café Frutales Maderables Servicio Musáceas

Trees on farms can store significant amounts of carbon in wood and this may result in additional incomes to farmers

However, despite their importance and ubiquitous presence in the landscape….

Trees of farms are “invisible”….

in most forestry laws, national accounts, and in public policies and in

rural development programmes

Challenges for the future

1. Change in mentality: trees on farms as crops

2. Demonstrate that trees on farms can play an important role in rural livelihoods even under agricultural intensification scenarios

3. Incorporate trees on farms in national legal, institutional and policy frameworks

Challenges for the future4. Adjust current research strategies (aimed at

increasing crop productivity) to consider trees and their interactions with crops/livestock (shading, fodder, etc.) in the cropping systems

5. Incorporate trees on farm in climate change mitigation/adaptation strategies

6. Avoid inequalities in property/access of women to trees on far

We need more research to support farming with trees

Thank you