Sustainability of coffee agroforestry systems in Central America; coffee quality and environmental impacts (CASCA). Fourth annual report (1 November 2004 - 31 December 2005)

The objective of this summary report is to give an overview of the main technical activities and results of the CASCA project during the fourth and final year (November 2004 - December 2004). The E.U. granted to CASCA a two-month extension until the end of December 2005 to permit the recollection and exploitation of field data undertaken during this fourth and final year of the project. One technical meeting was held in May 2005 at the headquarters of CIRAD, Montpellier, France on progress towards biophysical modeling. The final consortium meeting was held (November 19-23 of 2005) in Costa Rica at the headquarters of CATIE to assess the data collection performed during the fourth year of CASCA and to plan reporting and dissemination activities during the last months of this fourth and final year. This meeting was attended by a total of 16 persons representing all partner institutions and with researchers from all the work-packages. 22 presentations were done during these four days. (Résumé d'auteur

Améliorer les systèmes agroforestiers en zone tropicale humide : cas des cacaoyers et des caféiers [fiches de compétences forêts SIA 2011]

En zone tropicale humide, les systèmes agroforestiers (SAF) associent aux arbres forestiers des cultures pérennes (café, cacao, fruitiers...), ou encore des cultures vivrières ou de l'élevage. Ces SAF sont issus d'une part, de forêts naturelles dans lesquelles une partie de la végétation d'origine a été substituée par des arbres producteurs ou des cultures, d'autre part, de la replantation d'arbres après défriche de la forêt pour des cultures vivrières. Ces modes d'exploitation aboutissent après quelques années à un système complexe de productions multiples. Dans un contexte de diminution des terres disponibles, de pression démographique rurale, de crise alimentaire, de limites atteintes par l'intensification conventionnelle de l'agriculture et de changement climatique, l'agroforesterie offre des perspectives intéressantes. Améliorer la gestion des systèmes agroforestiers, assurer leur durabilité environnementale, technique et sociale représente un enjeu important pour la recherche et le développement. (Résumé d'auteur

Trade-offs between crop intensification and ecosystem services: the role of agroforestry in cocoa cultivation

Research published in this special issue on cocoa agroforestry illustrates the multifunctional role of shade trees for sustaining cocoa production and improving farmers¿ livelihoods, and addresses tradeoffs between higher cocoa yield and the provision of ecosystem services to local households and global society. Indeed, the use of diverse shade in cocoa cultivation is threatened by a new drive towards crop intensification. The removal of shade trees diminishes smallholders¿ ability to adapt to global change driven by demographic pressure, food insecurity, cocoa price volatility and climate change. Some forms of crop intensification may reduce ecological resilience of cocoa production systems, making adaptation strategies, combining shade trees with innovative management practices, essential for sustaining cocoa yield. Managing trade-offs between yield and environmental services at the cocoa plot and landscape scales requires a multi-disciplinary approach to identify key management options that goes beyond the artificially polarized debates around intensified versus traditional agroforestry practices, or more generally, land-sparing versus land-sharing strategies. The global challenge facing the cocoa sector today is how to increase cocoa production to meet growing demand, without expanding the area under cocoa. This means finding sustainable ways to maintain cocoa production within today¿s producing regions, particularly West Africa, through a series of technical innovations geared towards smallholders. Inappropriate intensification may result in heavy deforestation on new pioneer fronts, such as the Congo basin, and existing cocoa being replaced either by other agricultural commodities, or by less resilient and less environmentally friendly production practices. (Résumé d'auteur

Young shade trees rapidly improve soil fertility in coffee-agroforestry systems

Highly productive monoculture coffee (Coffea arabica L.) farms have rapidly expanded since the 1990s in Yunnan Province, China. In 2013, in order to initiate a large-scale transition towards more sustainable coffee growing practices, local government in southern Yunnan started distributing free shade tree seedlings to all coffee farmers in their jurisdictions. This study highlights the impact of three of these promoted shade tree species (Cinnamomum camphora, Bishofia javanica and Jacaranda mimosifolia) on soil fertility and coffee production only four years after their distribution to coffee farmers. Materials and methods Soil samples in the 0-20 cm soil layer were tested for chemical composition (soil organic matter, pH, total N, available P, exchangeable K, Ca and Mg), soil communities (free-living nematodes and microbial communities) and soil enzyme activities (β-glucodidase, N-acetyl-glucosaminidase and acid phosphatase) under shade trees (6 replicates per tree species) and in open areas (15 replicates), both in coffee rows and inter-rows, once during the rainy and once during the dry season. Additionally, we characterized root systems and soil water profiles to a depth of 1.2m, monitored litterfall for one year, as well as coffee production for two years. Major results We detected a clear positive impact of all three shade tree species on soil chemical, biological and biochemical fertility, despite the marked effect of 20 years of high mineral fertilizer inputs. In particular, we measured higher pH and soil organic matter; similar or higher soil enzyme activities throughout the year; more abundant fungi communities throughout the year; and more abundant microbial communities during the dry season below shade trees than in open areas. Furthermore, coffee trees shaded by B. javanica and J. mimosifolia yielded as much as open coffee trees. On the other hand, coffee trees shaded by C. camphora yielded less than open coffee trees, most likely as a result of high root competition from this shade tree species. Lastly, shade trees had no visible impact on coffee organoleptic quality. Conclusion These results demonstrate that carefully selected shade trees can rapidly contribute to preserving and/or restoring soil fertility in intensive coffee systems, while maintaining high coffee yield

Sustainability of coffee agroforestry systems in Central America; coffee quality and environmental impacts (CASCA). General report. Third project year (1 November 2003 - 31 October 2004)

The objective of this summary report is to give an overview of the main technical activities undertaken by all the partners of the CASCA project during the third year (November 2003 - October 2004). One technical meeting was held in May at the headquarters of CA TIE, Tunialba, Costa Rica on progress towards biophysical modeling. One consortium meeting was held (November 22- 26 of 2004) in Guatemala at the headquarters of ANACAFE to assess the data collection performed during the third year of CASCA and to plan activities for the fourth and final year. This meeting was attended by a total of 18 persons representing all partner institutions and with researchers from all the work-packages. 22 presentations were done during these four days. (Résumé d'auteur