These are abstracts of selected articles some AFTA's members have published recently about agroforestry research and policy direction. Very useful materials. Happy reading!
The Future of Temperate Agroforestry in the United States
Shibu Jose, Michael A. Gold and H. E. GarrettAbstract:
Agroforestry has been practiced in the United States since the 1930s in the form of windbreaks; however, science-based agroforestry research and practice gained attention only in the 1970s. Even then, the progress of agroforestry and its acceptance by practitioners, farmers and policy makers were hindered by the paucity of hard evidence to support the practice. The scientific foundation that has been laid, over the past decade in particular, has elevated agroforestry‟s role as an integral component of a multifunctional working landscape in the United States. Recent trends in the agriculture sector necessitate farm diversification as an essential strategy for economic competitiveness in a global market. The realization that agroforestry systems are well suited for diversifying farm income while providing environmental services and ecosystem benefits has increased receptivity on the part of some landowners. Agroforestry systems offer great promise for the production of biomass for biofuel, specialty and organic crops, pasture-based dairy, and beef, among others. Agroforestry also offers proven strategies for carbon sequestration, soil enrichment, biodiversity conservation, and air and water quality improvement not only for the landowners or farmers but for society at large. The USDA Agroforestry Strategic Framework released in 2011 identifies agroforestry as an important component of a much- needed national strategy to “enhance America‟s agricultural landscapes, watersheds, and rural communities.” Minor shifts in national agricultural policy can catalyze the growth of agroforestry further. In an era of environmental sustainability and green business, the realization that agroforestry is an environmentally sound, ecologically sustainable, and economically viable alternative to traditional farming will propel its adoption to newer heights in the coming decades.
Shibu Jose, Michael A. Gold and H. E. Garrett. 2012. The Future of Temperate Agroforestry in the United States. In: P.K.R. Nair and D. Garrity (eds.), Agroforestry – The Future of Global Land Use, Advances in Agroforestry 9, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-4676-3_14, © Springer Science 7Agroforestry strategies to sequester carbon in temperate North America
Ranjith P. Udawatta and Shibu JoseAbstract:
Information on carbon sequestration potential of agroforestry practices is needed to develop economically beneficial and ecologically and environmentally sustainable agriculture management plans. The synthesis will provide a review of carbon sequestration opportunities for agroforestry practices in temperate North America and the estimated carbon sequestration potential in the US. The carbon sequestered by agroforestry could help offset US fossil fuel emissions by 33%. Despite data limitation and uncertainty of land area, these estimates indicate the important role agroforestry could play as a promising CO2 mitigation strategy in the US and
temperate North America. The analysis also emphasizes the need for long-term regional carbon sequestration research for all agroforestry practices and standardized protocols for carbon monitoring.
Equations for estimating aboveground biomass of cadaghi trees in farm windbreaks
Bijay Tamang, Michael G. Andreu, Christina L. Staudhammer, Donald L. Rockwood and Shibu JoseAbstract:
Agroforestry systems have received global attention lately as a strategy for carbon mitigation, but still are one of the least studied systems. This study was conducted in south Florida to develop biomass equations for windbreak grown cadaghi (Corymbia torelliana) trees and to estimate biomass in various aged windbreaks. Trees were selected for destructive sampling based on diameter at breast height (DBH) distribution from five windbreaks. Crown biomass was estimated using randomized branch sampling (RBS) and trunk biomass by taking disks every 1.5 m along the stem. Results indicated that DBH alone was sufficient to predict aboveground biomass, but including height in the models gave better results. Oven-dry whole tree biomass per
100m of windbreak ranged between 166 and 26,605 kg. Because fast-growing cadaghi can produce significantly more biomass in a short period than other windbreak species, landowners can expect higher returns from biomass or carbon trade over a shorter period.
Agroforestry for biomass production and carbon sequestration: an overview
Shibu Jose & Sougata BardhanAbstract:
Ever since the Kyoto Protocol, agroforestry has gained increased attention as a strategy to sequester carbon and mitigate global climate change. However, our understanding of carbon sequestration in specific agroforestry practices from around the world is rudimentary at best. Similarly, while agroforestry is well recognized as a land use practice capable of producing biomass for biopower and biofuels, very little information is available on this topic. This thematic issue is an attempt to bring together a collection of articles on carbon sequestration and biomass for energy, two topics that are inextricably interlinked and of great importance to the agroforestry community the world over. These papers not only address the aboveground carbon sequestration, but also the belowground carbon and the role of decomposition and nutrient
cycling. The biological and economic realities of producing biomass in agroforestry practices are also discussed.