Robert Orzanna edited Agro Forestry.tex  almost 10 years ago

Commit id: 7a67adfe8232e60104b48cc42fbbe17a3551b9e9

deletions | additions      

       

\section{Agroforestry}  The predicted impacts show the necessity for smallholder farmers to adapt in order to counter the negative effects of climate change on their farming operation. Many In this context, several hundred  studiestowards possible adaptation measures already  have been performed. The evaluating various adaptation measures since the late 1990s (see \cite{Kamukondiwa_1996}). This paper focuses on two recent  studies performed by \citet{Deressa_2009} and \citet{Waha_2013} who  identified the following coping mechanisms among as  the most promising  measuresto  adapt to climate change: \begin{itemize}  \item Planting trees  \item Soil conservation 

\item Irrigation  \item Multiple cropping systems  \end{itemize}   Many of these strategies canbe  easily be  implemented by one a single  adaptation measure: measure called  Agroforestry.In practice,  Agroforestry is often used as a strategy that involves the combination of regular crops crop cultivation along  with trees and shrubs to increase the resilience of the crops and thus to generate income security from crop sales. former.  It commonly involves the following four aspects \cite{Nair_1993}: \begin{itemize} \item At least two species of plants of which at least one is of woody perennial  \item Two or more outputs  \item A cycle exceeding one year  \item A system that is ecologically (structurally and functionally) more complex than a monocropping mono-cropping  system, even for the most simplest system \end{itemize}  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}. The diversity and characteristics of Agroforestry can be observed in Figure \ref{diversity}.   The strength of this adaptation measure lies in the fact that trees have many advantages which can influence income through providing extra resources and helping with the production of better crops. Both will add security in a changing climate. Furthermore, Agroforestry can even to some extent help prevent climate change, limiting the influence on the farmers. This will benefit the farmers in multiple ways and contribute to food security \cite{Mbow_2014a}. The feedback mechanisms in Agroforestry can be found in Figure \ref{feedback} and will be further discussed now.   By planting trees, farmers can directly benefit through for instance fruits and firewood. Fruits contribute to their own food supply and possibly to their finances if they also sell these fruits. This is an example of a multiple cropping systems and provides at least two outputs. 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 of Agroforestry 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}. This can be seen as a natural method for the soil conservation adaptation measure.   Natural soil conservation by trees is also created through year-round surface cover. This stems from the fact that unlike most crops, trees will be on the land for multiple years. Where normally surface litter and crop residue are removed, which results in soil erosion and increasing the chances of water runoff, now trees still cover the surface, reducing these effects \cite{Mbow_2014a}.   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. Since trees also contribute to soil conservation, the runoff from precipitation can be decreased, increasing the available water for crops. 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, 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, and reduce the need for an irrigation system. Therefore planting of trees can be seen as a natural way of replacing irrigation.  A fourth benefit from agroforestry is the reduction of pests without pesticides. Trees can form a natural barrier and decrease the accessibility of the crops by limiting the movement of the pests. Furthermore, the different plants can give of different odors confusing insect pests and encourage the pests’ natural enemy to settle establish itself there. Agroforestry can therefore increase the yield by protecting it from pests \cite{Rathore1995}.   The final effect from Agroforestry is that it reduces the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Since trees sequester carbon, the overall carbon concentration will be reduced. Trees will use and store carbon for their entire lifetime, keeping it out of the cycle longer than regular crops. If agro forestry is applied on a large scale, the storing of carbon will contribute to reducing climate change. This way the adaptation measure will contribute to a decrease in the reason for adaptation \cite{Mbow_2014a}.  With all these effects Agroforestry covers 4 out of the 6 identified adaptation measures by just the planting of trees. The measure of early and late planting can easily be implemented in this system by planting the crops at the beginning of the seasonal rains instead of on traditional dates \cite{Waha_2013}. Different crop varieties as adaptation measure might not be necessary with Agroforestry since it changes the influencing factors like water availability and temperature in the crops favor which eliminates the need of adapting the crop to climate.   Regardless of all these great benefits of Agroforestry, the implementation rate is nowhere near its potential. The reasons for this will now be discussed in the next section.  Several methods for agroforestry are available, including: intercropping, alley cropping and hedgerow cropping or more complex systems that form a natural forest ecosystem \cite{Mbow_2014a}. The diversity and characteristics of agroforestry can be observed in figure \ref{diversity}.   The main advantages of agroforestry over other measures is primarily found in its positive influence on farmers’ income security and through the provision of additional resources and its facilitating role in the growth of crops. Those both aspects add important security in a changing climate setting. Furthermore, agroforestry can even to some extent help mitigating climate change, thus allowing farmers to benefit in multiple ways with respect to food security \cite{Mbow_2014a}. A selection of feedback mechanisms under the application of agroforestry can be found in Figure \ref{feedback} and will be further discussed.   By planting trees and shrubs, farmers can directly benefit through the harvest of additional yield such as fruits or firewood. These contribute to the farmers’ own food supply and possibly provide added income if they are able sell these fruits and firewood on local markets. Following the agroforestry typology, this is an example for a multiple cropping systems with the provision of at least two outputs. The cultivation of trees along with their use as firewood provides further benefits such as a decrease in time that is needed to search for firewood and the prevention of deforestation by reforestation \cite{Mbow_2014a}. However, the availability of additional cheap firewood can have a negative feedback in that it contributes to emission of greenhouse gasses and contributes to domestic air pollution since stoves in homes are often low efficiency \cite{Kiplagat_2011}.   It is particularly the indirect effects of agroforestry that is likely to help farmers adapt to a changing climate. For instance, nitrogen-fixing trees bind nitrogen in the ground, and thereby fertilizing it. Since nitrogen is often a limiting factor for plant growth, this extra nitrogen in the ground will help crops to grow without the need for 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}. Thus, agroforestry can be seen as a natural adaptation method to ensure soil conservation.   Natural soil conservation by trees is also created through year-round surface cover. This stems from the fact that unlike most crops, trees will be on the land for multiple years. In comparison to conventional cultivation with large extents of surface litter and crop residue removal, resulting in soil erosion and increases in probability for water runoff, agroforestry ensures surface covering through trees and thus mitigating these effects \cite{Mbow_2014a}.   A second benefit provided by trees is the provision of shade for the surface below them that allows them to buffer against temperature extremes and therefore decreases evaporation \cite{Mbow_2014a}. This can contribute to a longer growing period for the crops, making them less likely to fail. Furthermore, shade will create a more comfortable working environment for the farmers with potentially positive socio-economic and health effects.   A third benefit comes as a result 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. Since trees also contribute to soil conservation, the runoff from precipitation can be decreased, increasing the available water for crops. Furthermore, tree cover plays an important role in the water cycle. Analysis showed that trees have a direct influence on precipitation patterns \cite{Mbow_2014a}. Since a significant fraction of the precipitation originates from local evaporation, an increase in plant cover can increase the amount of local precipitation \cite{Bierkens2008}. This might eventually contribute to a positive feedback effect of increasing precipitation in local areas and reduce the need for a mechanical irrigation system. Therefore, planting of trees can be seen as a natural replacement for mechanical irrigation systems.  A fourth benefit from agroforestry refers to the reduction of pests without the use of pesticides. Trees can form a natural barrier and decrease the accessibility of the crops by limiting the movement of the pests. Furthermore, a diverse plant mix evaporates a mixture of odours that can potentially irritate insect pests and the provided free space can encourage the pests’ natural enemies to inhabit the area. Agroforestry can therefore increase yield by protecting it from pest impacts \cite{Rathore1995}.   Finally, agroforestry reduces CO\textsubscript{2} concentration in the atmosphere. Since trees sequester carbon, the overall carbon concentration in the atmosphere will be reduced. Trees will use and store carbon for their entire lifetime, keeping it out of the atmospheric cycle longer than annual crops. If agroforestry is applied on a large scale, the sequestration of carbon can significantly contribute to GHG emission mitigation and thus lessen the severity of impacts due to human-induced climate change \cite{Mbow_2014a}.  In summing all these effects, agroforestry covers 4 out of the 6 aforementioned adaptation measures through a single measure of planting trees. Yet, other measures could still be incorporated, such as early and late planting by planting crops at the beginning of the seasonal rain period instead of at traditional dates \cite{Waha_2013}. Lastly, different crop varieties as a suggested adaptation measure might not be necessary with agroforestry as the latter harmonises factors such as water availability and surface temperature, allowing traditional crops to prosper regardless of the increases in regional climate change.