Agroforestry systems

• Agroforestry


  Practices that integrate trees, crops and/or livestock on the same land management unit
• Windbreaks

  • Rows of vegetation, usually trees, strategically placed to protect an area from wind damage
  • Slow the wind that enters the protected area
  • May consist of single or multiple rows of trees
  • Oriented to protect from winds coming from one direction or planted in a pattern that protects an area from variable or shifting winds
• Advantages of windbreaks

  • Improving crop quality by protecting crops from wind damage
  • Increasing crop yield (by 5 - 50%), due to healthier plants, reduced stress and improved pollination
  • Conserving moisture by reducing evaporation and transpiration
  • Protecting from extremes of salt spray or hot, dry winds and dust
  • Improving animal health and productivity by reducing stress
  • Enhancing the aesthetic value, property value and recreational value of the property
  • Provision of additional farm or economic products such as timber, fire wood, fodder or food
• Windbreaks

  • Orientation
  • Spacing
  • Density
  • Height
  • Length
  • Number of rows
  • Species selection
• Desirable characteristics of windbreak species

  • Ability to withstand strong winds
  • Deep spreading root system to add stability to the windbreak by making the trees less susceptible to wind damage
  • Trees with small open crowns which reduce the risk of wind damage
  • Long living tree (long life span)
  • Highly adapted to the conditions of the site
  • Multi-purpose tree
• Living Fences

  Animal-proof barrier composed of trees and shrubs planted at close spacing around the perimeter of a field
• Types of living fences

  • Live fence posts
  • Live barriers or hedges
• Live fence posts


  Widely spaced, single lines of woody plants used instead of metal or wooden posts for supporting barbed wire, bamboo or other fence materials
• Live barriers or hedges


  Thicker, more densely spaced fences that may include a number of different species and usually do not support other fencing materials
• Purposes of live fences

  • Control the movement of animals and people
  • Provide fuelwood, fodder and food
  • Act as a windbreak
  • Enrich the soil
• Advantages of live fences

  • More affordable to install and maintain than conventional fencing for some farmers
  • Far more durable than traditional wooden posts, as they are more resistant to attack by termites and decay by fungi
  • Provide a range of products and services, such as fodder, food, fuelwood or flowers
• Desirable characteristics of trees used in living fences

  • Tolerate minor "injuries"
  • Fast growing
  • Compatible with crops
  • Produce useful products like fodder, green manure and fuelwood
  • Provide protection (stiff branches, thorns, spines, nettles, or irritating latex)
  • Vegetative propagation
  • Ability to rapidly form a callus and cover over the point of attachment of the wire to the post
  • No resin or sap
• Alley Cropping

  Practice of incorporating nitrogen-fixing trees (NFTs) or crops between hedgerows or "alleys"
• Alley Cropping

  • Supplies nutrient-rich mulch and can increase farm self-sufficiency by reducing or eliminating the need to purchase mulch and nitrogen fertilizers from off-farm
  • The nitrogen fixing trees are pruned, and their leaves and green stems provide an on-site, renewable source of fertility and mulch for crops
  • Seeks to maximize tree service roles of nitrogen fixation, soil and water conservation, weed control and nutrient cycling
  • Can lead to soil and micro-environmental improvements directly affecting associated crops
  • On sloping land, the hedgerows can be densely planted along the contours to form a barrier against soil erosion
• Advantages of alley cropping

  • Increasing self-sufficiency by providing an on-site source of nutrient-rich mulch and fertility
  • Making use of natural nitrogen cycle to provide fertility
  • Reducing use of expensive and environmentally harmful soluble fertilizers
  • Conserving water and fostering beneficial soil microorganisms through the use of mulch
  • Controlling erosion (if hedgerows planted on contours)
• Alley cropping systems require a substantial up-front investment in time to plan and install
• In very dry areas, alley cropping is not recommended due to competition problems (water)
• If hedgerows will be planted on the contour, it is important that they follow the contour closely and do not contain gaps, as these may contribute to erosion rather than prevent it
• Alley cropping is labour intensive, so if labour is in shorter supply than cash, the practice may not be appropriate
• Despite the fact that the rows of trees reduce space for planting crops, production of different crops has increased due to the increased soil fertility
• Alley cropping reduces the need for commercial fertilizers which are often inaccessible and expensive to farmers
• Improved Fallow

  Practice of using fast-growing trees, shrubs or vines to rehabilitate land that has been overexploited, overgrazed, or otherwise depleted of nutrients and organic matter
• Improved Fallow

  • Increases the future potential for agriculture on the site
  • Normally uses nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs to assimilate atmospheric nitrogen and take up and recycle nutrients
  • Gradually increases soil productivity, adds organic matter and accumulates nutrients, while suppressing the growth of undesirable weeds
• Advantages of improved fallow

  • Control of undesirable weeds while land is not under cultivation
  • Improved soil fertility
  • Accumulation of nutrients and organic matter
  • Break up of physical barriers to root growth
  • Regulation of temperatures
  • Protection from winds and erosion
  • Encourages or sustained populations of beneficial soil microorganisms
  • Reduced time required to restore soil fertility and productivity
• Desirable characteristics of trees used in Improved Fallow

  • Nitrogen fixing and/or have the ability to produce large amounts of litter with high nutrient content
  • Deep root systems
  • Hardy and tolerant of drought, poor soils and neglect
  • Short-lived and removable species
  • Non-invasive species
  • Ability to produce useful by-products (firewood, poles, edible seeds etc.)
• The effectiveness of the fallow in improving the subsequent productivity of the land depends on the length of time the land is kept in improved fallow, the effectiveness of the species used, and the removability of the species
• Agroforestry


  A land use system that integrates trees, crops, and/or livestock on the same piece of land
• Contour lines


  A set of points on a hillside that are all at the same altitude
• Contour plantings

  Vegetative strips that follow contour lines
• Contour plantings can minimize soil erosion on hillsides by up to 50%
• Establishing a contour planting

  1. Find and mark the contours

  2. Prepare the lines

  3. Plant the seeds/seedlings

  4. Protect the first year

  5. Diversify in the second year
• Terrace farming

  A method of growing crops on the sides of hills or mountains by planting on graduated terraces built into the slope
• Forest Garden

  A type of Agroforestry system that allows farmers to grow plants horizontally and vertically, utilizing a set of desirable zones
• Zones in a Forest Garden

  • Pioneer/Fertilizer Trees
  • Ground Crops
  • Root Crops
  • Vine/Climbing Crops
  • Fruit and Nut Trees
  • Hardwoods
  • Mini Livestock and Poultry
  • Marketable Flowers and Medicinal Plants
  • Biofuel Production
  • Carbon Credit Market
• Forest Garden

  • Allows people to sustainably meet their needs and produce a marketable surplus
  • Incorporates symbiotic relationships among plants, animals and microbes
  • Avoids economic dependence on one or a few crops
  • Provides a continuous supply of food and other crops
  • Allows nature to provide organic fertilizers and pest controls
  • Produces higher quality fruits and vegetables than monocultures
• Woodlots

  Solid stands of trees, often used for timber, firewood, or fodder
• Desirable characteristics of trees in woodlots

  • Fast-growing
  • Coppice or regenerate easily
  • Tolerant of poor site conditions
  • Provide needed products like firewood, fodder or mulch
• Sequential Cropping


  A practice where short-term crops are planted with and eventually replaced by long-term tree crops
• Advantages of Sequential Cropping

  • Makes long-term investment economically viable
  • Greater efficiency in land use and labour
  • Diversified farm products
• Dispersed Trees/Understory Crops

  Combining trees and shade-tolerant crops in a permanent arrangement