Tanika Scherbinski edited Agro Forestry.tex  almost 10 years ago

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Several methods for agro forestry are available, including: intercropping, alley cropping and hedgerow cropping or more complex systems that form a natural forest ecosystem \cite{Mbow_2014a}.   By planting trees farmers can directly benefit through for instance fruits, firewood and medicinal qualities. Fruits contribute to their own food supply and possibly to their finances if they also sell these fruits. Using trees for firewood contributes to their financial supply if they sell wood, decrease the time that is needed to search for firewood and prevent deforestation by reforestation \cite{Mbow_2014a}. The extra availability of firewood has the negative side that it contributes to emission of greenhouse gasses and contributes to domestic air pollution since stoves in homes are often bad quality \cite{Kiplagat_2011}.   It is however the indirect effects that will help farmers adapt to a changing climate. For instance, nitrogen fixing trees bind nitrogen in the ground, fertilizing it. Since nitrogen is often a limiting factor for plant growth, this extra nitrogen in the ground will help crops prosper without the need of synthetic fertilizers \cite{Fleischer_2013}. Studies have already showed that using fertilizer tree species contributes to a larger maize yield than without the use of any fertilizer \cite{Lasco_2014}.   A second benefit trees have is that it creates shade for the surface below them, which allows them to buffer against temperature extremes and therefore decrease evaporation \cite{Mbow_2014a}. This can contribute to a longer growing period for the crops, making them less likely to fail. Furthermore, this shade will create a more comfortable working environment for the farmers.   A third benefit comes from water management by trees. If pruned correctly, the roots will grow to use water from deeper layers and therefore not compete over water with annual crops, which use water from the top soil. Furthermore, tree cover plays an important role in the water cycle, and analysis has shown that trees have a direct influence of precipitation patterns \cite{Mbow_2014a}. Since a significant fraction of the precipitation originates from local evaporation, shows that an increase in plant cover can increase the amount of local precipitation \cite{Bierkens2008}. This might eventually contribute to a positive feedback effect increasing precipitation in the area.