AGROFORESTRY

Agroforestry is a land use management system that combines trees or shrubs with agricultural land use such as crops or pastures. The approach combines agriculture and forestry to create integrated and sustainable land-use systems. By diversifying land use, an agroecological succession is initiated that enhances the functionality and sustainability of the agricultural system whilst also providing access to marketable products from the trees and shrubs (e.g. fruits, nuts, medicines). The use of agroforestry has multiple benefits including enhanced crop yields, improved income generation, increased biodiversity, improved soil structure, reduced erosion and sequestration of carbon. Agroforestry complements and reinforces traditional reforestation efforts by reducing the pressure on remaining natural forests and providing environmental services.

Potential agroforestry interventions include:

Alley or intercropping: Planting of tree rows to create alleys within which agricultural crops can be produced. Careful planning can create improvements in farm microclimates like temperature and water retention, ultimately mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Riparian forest buffers: Areas adjacent to waterways or wetlands that are managed differently with the aim of reducing erosion of productive agricultural land. Riparian buffers can stabilise eroding banks, prevent erosion, filter sediment from runoff and reduce flood damage down stream
Silvopasture: Integrating productive trees and grazing livestock providing both short and long term income sources
Windbreaks: Linear plantings of trees and shrubs designed to provide protection to other agriculture pursuits while at the same time presenting an income stream for the farmer. Windbreaks protect other crops from physical damage from extreme events and improve water retention and soil health.

Examples of agroforestry approaches used in the Pacific for different farm types include:

Flatland Farm: In flatland areas, a farm can be divided into rectangular plots and different species are planted in each of the plots (e.g. pineapples, yams), whilst the perimeter is lined with trees (e.g. sandalwood and citrus trees).

Sloping land farm: In sloping areas, a farm can be divided according to the elevation. Indigenous trees and vetiver grass hedges at the top can merge into root crops and vegetables in the middle and fruit trees at the bottom where livestock can also feed. The periphery is then lined with sandalwood and citrus plants.

Pros and cons

Agroforestry can increase biodiversity by creating more habitat for birds, bats and other species that help to keep pests under control.
Agroforestry can improve soil health as the shade from trees decreases soil and air temperatures and helps to retain water in the soil for longer. This in turn leads to more stable populations of beneficial microbes.
Agroforestry has human health benefits by producing nutritious food and thus addressing malnutrition.
Trees offer wind protection and shade for livestock which reduces wind chill and heat stress which in turn reduces livestock mortality.
Agroforestry can increase production as in addition to normal crops, you’re also growing wood or tree products with little to no reduction in crop yields, particularly while the trees are still young and growing. Once trees do mature, enhanced microclimate conditions often produce higher crop quality and yields, which offsets any space lost to tree rows. Adding livestock to orchards increase yields from both practices.
Women’s participation in agroforestry can strengthen gender equity and provide alternate livelihood options to them to become self-reliant as illustrated in the case study.

Agroforestry is relatively complex, meaning that there can be unintended consequences. For example, as shrubs and trees grow so do their root systems which, if not carefully managed, can interfere with nearby crops.
With agroforestry, there is a much higher level of initial planning, and ongoing monitoring necessary to be successful.
Trees take a long time to grow so a long term commitment is required in order to see returns.
There is inconvenience caused for more traditional and structured farming approaches (e.g. harvesting practices).
Livestock can damage trees which requires fencing protection to mitigate. This requires time and resources.

Indicative cost

Agroforestry implementation would be of medium cost as it does not require significant capital works but does require both human resources (e.g. for planting, maintenance) as well as initial outlay on materials (e.g. plants, fencing). Whilst providing cost estimates is difficult given the broad range of influencing factors across the Pacific, the below table outlines the key components that should be taken into account when estimating an agroforestry project budget for a specific location.

Components	Unit (A)	Number of units (B)	Unit Cost (C)	Budget (B x C)
Establishment Cost
Land (if not already held)	e.g. km²
Planning and design	e.g hours
Materials (e.g. plants, fertiliser)	e.g. number
Labour	e.g. hours
Reporting to donor (if required)	e.g. hours
Ongoing Cost
Maintenance Cost (materials and labour)	e.g. number and hours
Reporting and Monitoring	e.g. hours

Comparison against conventional approaches

Agroforestry is compared against monoculture using mechanical farm operations. Monoculture techniques use standard farm operations by planting one crop which is then harvested at the same time using farm equipment.

Comparison of the two approaches is presented below:

Monoculture	Agroforestry
Monoculture techniques cause loss of soil nutrients when the harvest takes place. The use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers degrades soil quality.	Agroforestry prevents soil erosion and increases soil health for the crop production.
Over time monocultures tend to change the system to be unproductive.	Agroforestry has the capacity to give back soil its productive capabilities
Monoculture farming is not resilient to climate change impacts which affects food production and food quality.	Agroforestry is resilient to climate shocks and improves food quality and availability.

Resources

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Agroforestry Guides for Pacific Islands. See https://agroforestry.org/books/agroforestry-guides-for-pacific-island
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Research on Ecosystem Research on Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA): A reference guide. See https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Research%20on%20EbA_a%20reference%20guide_by%20EbA%20South.pdf
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Promoting Agroforestry to Develop Resilience to Climate Change and Food Security of Communities in Pacific Island Countries, Secretariat of the Pacific Community. See http://www.asiapacificadapt.net/adaptationforum/sites/default/files/4.%20APAN%20Presentation%20-%20Cenon%20Padolina%2025Sept2014.pdf
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Human health and Climate change in Pacific Island countries, Western Pacific Region. See https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/human-health-and-climate-change-in-pacific-island-countries
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Agroforestry for Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change. See https://siwi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Agroforestry-for-adapation-and-mitigation-to-climate-change_web.pdf

Figure References

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1. A Planetary Health Perspective on Agroforestry in Sub-Saharan Africa. See https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332219301319
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2,3. Promoting Agroforestry to Develop Resilience to Climate Change and Food Security of Communities in Pacific Island Countries, Secretariat of the Pacific Community. See http://www.asiapacificadapt.net/adaptationforum/sites/default/files/4.%20APAN%20Presentation%20-%20Cenon%20Padolina%2025Sept2014.pdf

On-ground impacts that the EbA option addresses

Crop failure

Dying of rain forest

Soil degradation

Changes in dominant forest types

Increased erosion

Invasive species increasing

Case study

Nadroumai Women improve soil health through Agroforestry

Nadroumai Catchment, Sigatoka, Fiji

The Secretariat for the Pacific Community’s (SPC’s) Sustainable Forestry and Landscape Management Program (SFLMP) implemented a four-year project titled ‘Enhancing value-added products and environmental benefits from agroforestry systems in the Pacific’. The project promoted agroforestry and sustainable agriculture in the Nadroumai catchment, Fiji, where resource exploitation and unsustainable agriculture had resulted in exacerbated erosion, flooding and drought events.

The project began with community awareness activities and learning about community decision-making processes. Local partners were identified and agreed to set up and manage a tree nursery. SPC helped establish the nursery and organised training in nursery management, tree propagation and essential business skills with a focus on training of women. SPC also facilitated the development of business by-laws with a clearly laid out benefit-sharing mechanism that allowed the women to benefit from their activities.

By the end of the project a total of 10 hectares were planted under agroforestry, leading to improved agricultural outcomes. In addition, the income received from the tree nursery is being used to fund development projects. As a result of the project, the community was able to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 15 in addition to enabling local women to create income opportunities for their community.

Reference: Secretariat of Pacific (SPC), https://www.spc.int/updates/blog/2020/03/nadroumai-women-improve-soil-health-through-agroforestry