Agroforestry Systems
15 March 2014, Manyandzeni Village, 50km South of Mbambane
INTRODUCTION:
Agroforestry is a land-management system that is used worldwide to create productive and healthy ecosystems, while still producing food. It is an intentional creation of farming and cropping at different levels of wildlife, forests, livestocks, grasses, and much more. Agroforestry has a relatively high importance in the preservation of our planet and everything it gives us to survive. Therefore, it is important that we learn of its history and benefits.
HISTORY:
According to the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations (FAO), Agroforestry systems are defined as multifunctional systems that provide economic, sociocultural and environmental benefits (. These are systems where agricultural crops are produced next to trees, shrubs, grasses, produce foods, and in some cases livestock. According to FAO, the term was first introduced in the late 1970s, which created an importance and effort towards the development of agriculture. The attention that was given to agroforestry also created positive social side effects for poor people who lived in rural areas that maintained crops and worked in farms. By giving agriculture importance it also intensified research throughout the decades and has helped sustain our planet.
Agroforestry increases carbon stored in oil which helps enhance the quality of the soil (Cole, pg. 3). The soil becomes strongly concentrated with various important nutrients, thus creating and growing healthy plants, trees, vegetables, and fruits.
The three main types of agroforestry systems:
- Agrisilvicultural: A combination of crops and trees.
- Silvopastoral systems: Combine forestry and grazing of domesticated animal pastures.
- Agrosilvopastoral: It integrates namely trees, and animals and crops.
BENEFIT EXAMPLES:
Agroforestry systems support the four soil health principles. The five soil health principles are soil armor, minimizing soil disturbance, plant diversity, continual live plant. Incorporating trees and shrubs increases in cropping systems root diversity that feeds the living organisms within the soil. Armor is being used for the farm to be protected from the sun and water, evaporation rates, maintain the soil moisture, to keep temperature in a normal range, and a limited sunlight for weeds seedlings. These benefits help prepare the soil until the next new crop.
My family who has dedicated their lives to agriculture coffee, aside from legumes, would be a great example for the Agrisilviculture system. Working on different crops is difficult because each crop has its own maintenance process. It takes a time for variety crops to share the same soil. I believe my family has struggled producing coffee because of climate change, nutrients, and soil conservation. There have been moments where they were not able to produce enough to be economically sustainable. Money being used to agriculture coffee is being expected to make the farm better to receive twice as much as is being spent. The reason why… Is because half would be spent on re-doing the process of coffee and the rest would be given to the workers. The benefits of a farmer, who follows the protocols, would be making their job easier with less complications. Agrisilviculture system would help my family prevent a loss of soil material, runoff and soil erosion, and reduce an unnecessary amount of water loss.
Stacy Bueno. October 2, 2020. (Santa Barbara, Honduras)
The picture shown above is of a coffee crop in Honduras.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACT:
Farmers that have small farms in developing countries can have an economic and social impact. The quality of the soil is important in order to produce more crops so there could be more money. The better the quality of the crips and produce are, the more business the farmers have and it increases their quality of life. This comes from having an increase of position at the social level and being more economically advantaged. Trees are the key to have an efficient nutrient cycling. Communities have given tree seedlings and training as a support to those farmers who have trouble.
It has also improved conditions for women and children. How? Helping those people with low incomes by providing money for food. For example, WIC and SNAP has been a huge economical help for those who struggle financially. Thanks to this help we have been able to save many families from starvation and have improved the world.
Works Cited
“Home.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, www.fao.org/home/en/.
Soil Health, www.fs.usda.gov/nac/topics/soil-health.php.
Agroforestry Systems, www.nzdl.org/gsdlmod?e=d-00000-00—off-0cdl–00-0—-0-10-0—0—0direct-10—4——-0-0l–11-en-50—20-about—00-0-1-00-0–4—-0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-00&cl=CL1.6&d=HASH0e3b6f3fcbe3861fcf9666.5.2.6>=1.
“Climate and Economic Benefits of Agroforestry Systems.” Climate Institute, climate.org/climate-and-economic-benefits-of-agroforestry-systems/.
Cifor, et al. “Agroforestry and Its Benefits: Biodiversity.” RESET.to, en.reset.org/knowledge/agroforestry-and-its-benefits.
Cole, Stephanie. Importance of Agroforestry Systems in Carbon Sequestration, www.cabi.org/forestscience/news/65086.