Agroforestry models for promoting effective risk management and building sustainable communities

Issue Date

2-2015

Abstract

Soil erosion and environmental degradation due to the cultivation of marginal upland areas are now considered major environmental risks in the Philippines. Agroforestry may help address the situation. In agroforestry systems, the positive interactions of tree-crop combinations not only improve biophysical conditions in farms, but also enhance food security in farming households. A combination of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), a household survey, focus group discussions, field experiments, and simulation modeling was undertaken in Claveria, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. The agroforestry system adopted depended on the farmers' motivations. The adoption of agroforestry significantly increased the households' level of income by around 42-137 %, compared with that from continuous annual mono-cropping. Another beneficial feature of an agroforestry system was the enhanced nutrient inflow to the system through leaf litterfall, stemflow, and throughfall. A modeling study using the WaNuLCAS model showed that the Eucalyptus-maize hedgerow system provided significant improvements to a range of biophysical and economic measures of productivity and sustainability. It is recommended that both national and local government units mainstream their policies and efforts toward promoting agroforestry adoption in the Philippine uplands.

Source or Periodical Title

Sustainable Living with Environmental Risks

Page

57-71

Document Type

Article

Language

English

Subject

Agroforestry, Food security, Land degradation, Leaf litterfall, Nutrient inflow, Soil erosion

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54804-1_6

Digital Copy

yes

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