Directorate of Graduate Training, Research, and Innovations

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Browsing Directorate of Graduate Training, Research, and Innovations by Subject "Agroforestry systems"

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    Components of agroforestry systems
    (Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR); World Agroforestry (ICRAF), 2022-09) Gassner, Anja; Cornelius, Jonathan P.; Dobie, Philip; Mercado, Agustin; Mukuralinda, Athanase; Okia, Clement Akias; Pinon, Caroline; Somarriba, Eduardo; Thorne, Peter
    Agroforestry systems are composed of trees and crops, trees and livestock, or trees with both crops and livestock. In this section, we explore the attributes of these components in more detail. A given agroforestry system is often centred on one species, which we call the ‘flagship species’. This is the species that the farmer considers to be the most important one – often because it contributes most strongly to their livelihood. Other components, which we call ‘flotilla species’, are added to provide agroecological services, such as shade, that support the flagship species. The needs of the flagship species (for example, for light or water) determine the types of flotilla species needed, even when these also produce useful goods. For example, when growing shade-intolerant crops like cereals, farmers need to select and plant trees that do not compete with the cereals for light. In many agroforestry systems, the flagship species is an annual crop, a perennial (long-lived) crop (including tree crops), or a livestock species; it can also be a timber species. Some agroforestry systems may have more than one flagship species. Flotilla species can be trees or crops.
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    Management of trees in agroforestry systems
    (Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR); World Agroforestry (ICRAF), 2022-09) Gassner, Anja; Mercado, Agustin; Miccolis, Andrew; Mukuralinda, Athanase; Okia, Clement Akias; Somarriba, Eduardo
    Many tree establishment efforts focus entirely on the planting process, and fail to consider the years of time and effort needed to care for the planted trees and to manage their growth. It is true that the cultivation of trees usually requires less work than crop cultivation. But trees planted on farms do require management, whatever the system, and this management can be very time consuming. The design process must ensure that farmers are aware of the demands of management and that they consider these before deciding to establish an agroforestry system. Growing trees requires a long-term commitment, sufficient resources and sound knowledge about how trees interact with their environments, including other components of agroforestry systems. In this section, we provide an overview of how to manage trees in agroforestry systems.