Agroforestry systems are suggested as sustainable designs in agroecosystems because (among several benefits) they enhance agrobiodiversity. Why then in the agricultural landscapes of more temperate zones agroforestry systems are not constructed as much as in the tropics?
Most agroforestry systems (shamba, home gardens, agroforestry parks, hedges, windbreaks, intercrops,...) work best in tropical areas.
Agroforestry and agro-sylvo-pastoral systems were wide-spread in temperate SW Eurasia before the second industrial revolution (mechanisation; global commodity market; synthetic fertiliser). Relicts include dehesa in Iberia, Hudewald and open strip-field systems in many regions. On the Iberian dehesa, see our 3 papers on RG. My conclusion: it is economy, not climate.
I agree with Hein Van Gils .
In the 40ies in Italy the use of Agroforestry was basically the normal successful agrarian landscape management (some examples: Olive trees and vegetables and wheat, Morus alba, with Juglans regia and Ulmus sp. were cultivated with vegetables and other plants). It was conducted in an astounding variety of different forms all over the peninsula. Nevertheless, when modern agriculture came, with mechanization, chemicals, fertilizers... later on global markets... it was a revolution, landscape changed dramatically together with the production chain organization. Nowadays very few Italians suspect that the landscape was dominated by agroforestry only 70 years ago.
Sometimes I show some photographs to my students and they tell me: This is how it looked my valley 60 years ago? I can't believe it...
There is now a slow coming back to some more sustainable forms of land use but the recovery is relatively slow, if it is occurring, and anyway it will never return the same landscape of the past.
Definitely climate is not the driver of Agroforestry affirmation.
I think evolution of agroforestry systems would be a better word. It has always been there and adoption of modern technology made it irrelevant for many area of mono-culture.
Article Responsible innovation through conscious contestation at the...
In fact agroforestry practices have a long history in temperate climates (see this link: http://orgprints.org/18173/1/History_of_agroforestry_v1.0.pdf).
I believe that greater importance is given to these systems in tropical countries, this may be related to the attempt to contain tropical forest deforestation and to overcome rural poverty in these countries, this is seen in the very history of agroforestry systems research and in the itself "agroforestry".
In the 1970s there was a growing concern about land use and the devastation of tropical forests, socio-environmental problems resulting from deforestation for fuel production and expansion of agriculture and livestock were already evident, and poverty was concentrated in the rural areas of countries. In that decade the FAO redirected its policies in search of solutions to poverty and the rapid conversion of forest ecosystems. However, it was the International Development Research Center of Canada (IDRC) that took the first steps in pursuing these solutions.
IDRC subsidized research and expeditions, led by forestry engineer John Bene, to develop agricultural models that would allow the integration of forests into agricultural systems. As a result of their research, in 1977 John Bene and his team published the Trees, Food and People (Link - https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/bitstream/handle/10625/930/IDL-930.pdf?sequence=1) report, identifying the priority themes for forestry and agricultural research in the tropics, arguing that greater attention should be given to forestry, agriculture and / or livestock farming, emphasizing that this was the key issue for food production and forest conservation. In reference to the integration practices between crops, livestock and forest, the authors suggested the term "agroforestry". Bene also suggested the creation of the International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), founded in 1977.
In the 1980s the main focus of the ICRAF was the research with these systems in Africa, from 1990 its area of action expanded to South America and Asia, tropical regions and that much of the population lived in poverty. Other institutions directed also directed more research efforts to these regions, influencing the generation of knowledge and also in a greater popularization of these practices in tropical countries.
Neil Insh
I did not find any articles that specifically answer this question. However, in a Google Scholar search for "temperate agroforestry systems", several articles appear with agroforestry systems in temperate regions. Just as there are several articles on "tropical agroforestry systems".
I did not measure the number of articles that appear in the two surveys. However, I thought of two other questions: Are agroforestry systems more researched in the tropics or in temperate regions? and the idea that agroforestry systems are more widely adopted in the tropics is due to the greater number of articles published on these systems in these regions, to the detriment of temperate systems?
Thank you all again for your thoughtful responses to my question. Leovigildo Aparecido Costa Santos I appreciate you very much for sharing copy of John Bene's book and also the paper about the history of agroforestry in temperate regions.
Dear Mr Bruno Borsari and all RG
In my opinion agroforestry activities in the form of efforts to mix forestry and agricultural crops are not carried out extensively in temperet areas, because there are constraints or problems of sunlight and temperature, but in temperet areas using optimal land use arrangements between forestry, agriculture and animal husbandry efficiently for optimization product
Regards
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