Chapter 7 Forestry: Reforestation, Natural Forest Management

Table 1: Types of Agroforestry SystemsSimultaneous• Boundary plantings• Living fences or hedgesSequential• Shifting cultivation• Improved bush fallowsIf agroforestryinterventions only slowan ongoing process ofnatural resourcedegradation, considerother options.Otherwise, the gradualdeterioration of theresource base will leadto a downward spiral inwhich productivityplunges, rural povertyworsens, andenvironmental andsocial rehabilitationbecomes ever moredifficult.• Hedges planted on the contour• Alley cropping• Parkland or tree canopy systems• Silvopastoral systems• Home gardens• Shaded perennial crops• Windbreaks• Fodder banks (concentratedstands of legumes sown onnatural grass or in fallows forsupplementary dry-seasongrazing)• Relay intercropping• Taungya plantation system• Multistrata systemsPotential Environmental ImpactsAgroforestry activities are generally aimed at developing sustainablefarming systems. As such, the chances of their causing environmental harmare minimal. There are, however, several considerations that need to betaken into account:Choosing strategies wisely. The choice of tree species and technologicalapproach is a complex challenge for new programs, due to the many possiblecombinations of production goals and ecological conditions. Efforts tointroduce agroforestry flounder when too much emphasis is placed on thesearch for “miracle trees.” Experience demonstrates that a soundunderstanding of farming systems—especially their constraints andopportunities—is the key to finding out which combination of approach andspecies will be most productive and sustainable.Competition between trees and crops. Despite agroforestry’s manyadvantages, improperly designed agroforestry projects can actuallyundermine productivity and the farmer’s well-being. Trees may competewith, rather than support, agricultural crops because they:• cast too much shade• use too many scarce nutrients or too much water• reduce growing space• interfere with farming operations such as plowing and tilling the crops• host pests and diseases• deplete soil fertility over the long term from overuse.Labor intensity and cost/benefit awareness. Like the soil and waterconservation technologies with which it is often combined, agroforestryEGSSAA: FORESTRY • March 2009 • download from www.encapafrica.org26 of 30