Feeding 9 billion people by 2050 on less land, with less water, and more extreme weather can seem hopeless. But it is not so. Agroforestry, evergreen agriculture and using the findings of agrocecology to manage farms can all bring sizeable, durable gains in productivity - even on degraded lands. The debate needs to move on from the facile organic vs. intensive agriculture one - the future will mean combining the best of all technologies while taking the way that natural systems behave into account. Much of the science is in: it's feasible. Now we need to do it.
2. Who are we?
• One of the 15 CGIAR research centres
• employing about 500 scientists and other staff.
• We generate knowledge about the diverse roles
that trees play in agricultural landscapes
• We use this research to advance policies and
practices that benefit the poor and the
environment.
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3. By 2050, we need to…
• Double world food production on ~ the same
amount of land
• Make farms, fields and landscapes more resistant
to extreme weather, while…
• … massively reducing GHG emissions.
3
4. 2500
The context: fertiliser use by region
East
Asia
2000
100 grams per Hectare
1500
South Asia
1000
Latin America
500
Sub-Saharan Africa
0
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
World Bank World Development Indicators
5. 5000 Cereal yields by region
4500
4000
East Asia
3500
3000 Latin America
Kg per Hectare
2500
2000
South Asia
1500
1000
Sub-Saharan Africa
500
0
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
World Bank World Development Indicators
6. African facts
• Population growth has rendered fallowing impossible in many
communities
• Land overuse is depleting soil organic matter, soil carbon and
soil microbiology
• Soil fertility is dropping by 10-15% a year (Bunch, 2011)
• Poverty and logistics makes fertiliser unaffordable for most
smallholders
• Funding for fertiliser subsidies is scarce and fickle
Where will soil fertility, soil organic matter and
extreme weather resilience come from ?
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7. From trees.
Faidherbia Albida in teff crop system in Ethiopia
10. Agroforestry brings massive yield
increases in trials…
Maize yield, no fertiliser – tonnes per hectare
2008 2009 2010
Number of trials 15 40 40
With fertiliser trees 4.1 5.1 5.6
Without trees 1.3 2.6 2.6
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11. … and on farmer’s fields.
maize yield (t/ha)
Maize only 1.30
Maize + fertilizer trees 3.05
__________________________________________________________
2011 Survey of farms in six Malawi districts (Mzimba, Lilongwe,
Mulanje, Salima, Thyolo and Machinga)
14. ... and now.
Zinder, Niger, today.
These 5 million hectares of new agroforest
parklands are yielding
500,000 tonnes
more than before.
(Reij, 2012)
15. Kantché district, Zinder, Niger
350,000 people, rainfall ca. 350 mm / year, typical of Sahel
drylands.
Annual district-wide grain surplus:
2007 21,230 tons drought year !
2008 36,838 tons
2009 28,122 tons
2010 64,208 tons
2011 13,818 tons drought year !
.
Yamba & Sambo, 2012
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16. Fertilizer trees perform better than NPK.
2009/2010 season; data from 6 Malawian districts
Plot management Sampling Mean Standard
Frequency (Kg/Ha) error
Maize without fertiliser 36 1322 220.33
Maize with fertiliser 213 1736 118.95
Maize with fertiliser trees 72 3053 359.8
Maize with fertiliser trees & fertiliser 135 3071 264.31
Mwalwanda, A.B., O. Ajayi, F.K. Akinnifesi, T. Beedy, Sileshi G, and G. Chiundu
2010
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17. Adaptation through trees
• Food security: organic matter, nutrients, microclimate
• Nutrition: fruits, fodder, multi-crop system support
• Weather resilience : roots pump water, trees offer shade and windbreaks
• Insurance: in hard times, farmers can sell timber
• Income diversification: crops, fuel, fodder, timber, fruits
• Health: medicinal barks and leaves, nutrition
• Energy resources : fuelwood, charcoal
• Higher biodiversity
• Reduced deforestation
19. (fertiliser trees are just one of many kinds of
Agroforestry)
• Agroforests: combinations of perennial species on arable
land
• Home gardens with perennials
• Woodlots or farm forests
• Trees on field and farm boundaries
• Sylvopastoral systems: Trees in pastures
• EverGreen Agriculture: Trees intercropped with field
crops
20. 800 $ / Ha / year
High social costs 3,000 $ / Ha / year
High environmental No social costs
costs
Low environmental
costs
Leakey,
2012
21.
22. By 2050, we need to…
• Double world food production on ~ the same
amount of land
• Make farms, fields and landscapes more resistant
to extreme weather, while…
• … massively reducing GHG emissions.
Agroforestry is a core
component of climate smart
agriculture 3
26. What do we need?
Research-based resilience:
• Ask the right questions
• Spread the right knowledge
• Influence policy makers: Sahel-AGIR etc.
• Integrate policies - the way landscapes are integrated !
3
27. Analysis of tenure effects on land
productivity and investment
Unadjudicated land: no firm legal
Adjudicated under the Land
title
Adjudication Act CAP 284 1968, intensive
smallholder cultivation with clear freehold title
Norton-Griffith, in preparation
28. The overreaching goal:
• Use agroforestry for mitigation and
adaptation.
– Improve productivity and soil properties to feed an
increasing population using climate smart agriculture
– Buffer deforestation and improve GHG
sequestration: AF is key to REDD+ and AFOLU
– Combine AF options and land management to address
land-use sustainability
29. 15 years ago, this was barren land
(yield: 0 kg/ha)
Thank you !
30. For more information
Patrick Worms, World Agroforestry Centre
Email:p.worms@cgiar.org
Tel: +32 495 24 46 11
www.worldagroforestrycentre.org
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Notes de l'éditeur
Gliricidia is a a leguminous coppice tree interplanted with maize in this photo. The leaves are cut and turned over into the topmost soil layer, providing nitrogen and other nutrients to this season’s crop. The coppiced trees then grow back below the maturing maize.
With Faidherbia tree and no fertiliser, yields exceed the average yield observed in East Asia
High input carbon practices: Improved crop varieties, crop rotation, use cover crop, conservation agriculture, better use of manure Integrated nutrient management: reduction of leaching, improved N use, improved use of fertilizers Increase availability of water: water management, water harvesting Improved tillage: less soil disturbance, incorporating crop residues and soil organic matter Agroforestry: increase above ground biomass and fuel wood, reduce soil erosion, set-aside,
Food insecurity: For farmers, finding food for survival takes precedence over innovation & investment. Projects must focus on improving livelihoods & income so that there is incentive for smallholder farmers to invest in AF. High opportunity costs: Investing in many AF practices requires up-front costs, but benefits are only realized in the long term. Pairing practices that deliver short-term benefits with AF can help farmers overcome opportunity costs and encourage investment in better management practices. Limited market access: Market access is a constraint that limits farmers’ ability to raise their income through income diversification opportunities provided by AF. Access to farm implements and capital: Payments for carbon sequestration is one potential way to overcome investment gaps and facilitate innovation. Provision of farm implements can also provide short-term benefits. Access to knowledge and training: Dissemination among farmers has the potential to spread agricultural technologies, while educational farm visits can demonstrate the local benefits of agroforestry and increase uptake rates. Insecure land tenure: Farmers are generally less willing to invest in their land and improve productivity where land tenure is less secure; therefore improved tenure arrangements are needed. Farmer involvement: Farmer involvement in project planning is crucial to making development projects relevant to local communities and within the local context. Communication: Better communication is needed to convey important messages about carbon finance to community stakeholders and to engage farmers in carbon finance schemes. Communication strategies within carbon finance should incorporate the principle of Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC). Inclusion within REDD+: The potential exists for AF to find a place within REDD+ and other strategies – due to its capacity to prevent deforestation and reduce emissions from forest degradation. In order for AF to contribute to REDD+ goals, policies guaranteeing tree rights and ownership and an appropriate market infrastructure for AF would be necessary.