I'm very interested in soil and forest restoration in areas of the world where over exploitation of resources has led to erosion and nutrient loss in soils and whether or how agroforestry can help to restore not only forest and soil ecosystems, but contribute to food security as well.
In certain parts of India they have recently started agroforestry. Earlier they used exotic species for reclamation of the degraded soil which led to the problem of species invasion. From my personal experience I can say that Agrroforestry could be used a powerful mitigative tool even to control species invasion.
In certain parts of India recently they have started agroforestry for reclamation of degraded soil. Decadeds back exotic species were introduced for the same purpose which led to the problem of species invasion. From my personal observation and experience I can say that agroforestry could be used as a powerful mitigative tool even to control species invasion.
Both of you who have answered, thanks so much! I'm very interested in the potential of agroforestry to address issues of landscape degradation and food security simultaneously.
I think Agroforestry is capable of achieving both the objective of controlling landscape degradation and food security simultaneously. Only you have to choose the species of the agroforest judiciously.
Please refer to tropical forest restoration by an Asian agroforestry system (taungya) recently introduced in Africa and a millennia-old Mediterranean agroforestry system in Spain (dehesa) for information and ideas.
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Dear Wendy,
Apart from food crops, even local medicinal plants can play a key role in restoring degraded ecosystems. In the Indian Himalayas, where the ecosystem is very much vulnerable to degradation, cultivation of medicinal crops has been found to be a very effective measure. It also proved to be of much help in the sustainable development of the local people and uplift them socio-economically.
Dear colleague; I would be grateful for the name of the medicinal (cash) crop as well a reference or evidence of ecosystem restoration.
Thank you
Dear Wendy, The two books below can be useful. Some cases of land restoration using agroforestry systems are illustrated.
- Land Restoration: Reclaiming Landscapes for a Sustainable Future (edited by Chabay et al 2015, ISBN: 978-0-12-801231-4, Elsevier)
- Multifunctional Agriculture: Achieiving Sustainable Development in Africa (edited by Roger Leakey 2017, ISBN: 978-0-12-805356-0, Elsevier)
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