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CIFOR–ICRAF publishes over 750 publications every year on agroforestry, forests and climate change, landscape restoration, rights, forest policy and much more – in multiple languages.

CIFOR–ICRAF addresses local challenges and opportunities while providing solutions to global problems for forests, landscapes, people and the planet.

We deliver actionable evidence and solutions to transform how land is used and how food is produced: conserving and restoring ecosystems, responding to the global climate, malnutrition, biodiversity and desertification crises. In short, improving people’s lives.

Not out of the woods yet: challenges for economics research on agroforestry

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Tropical farming systems include a rich variety of agroforestry practices namely those in which woody perennials (trees shrubs palms and bamboos) are deliberately grown in association with crops or livestock (Nair). These range from extensive systems such as enriched woody fallows protected trees in crop fields or riparian grazing reserves; to interstitial plantings such as field borders of timber trees or woodlots on marginal farm sites; to intensive systems like home gardens or alley-cropping (Raintree). In recent years the international community has begun to recognize the potential value of agroforestry in tropical land use. There has been a sharp increase in development spending (FAO) and a new focus on agroforestry in international agricultural research centers (CGIAR). Interest has been spurred by recent research findings. Trees and shrubs provide food shelter farm in- puts such as fodder medicines and raw materials (wood fiber dyes) critical to subsistence and income of many rural households (Falconer). Trees can protect or improve the environmental resource base for crop and livestock production through windbreaks erosion barriers improved soil fertility and physical properties field drainage microclimate improvement and wildlife habitat (Young). In some regions woody perennials are more environ- mentally sustainable than permanent annual cropping (Ruthenberg). In many regions farm trees (rather than forests or commercial plantations) are the main source of current and future supplies of fuelwood timber and other important tree products (
    Publication year

    1992

    Authors

    Scherr, S.J.

    Keywords

    Agroforestry, Data collection, Economics, Models, Research

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