Southern Research Station

Title: Agroforestry systems and valuation methodologies

Author: Alavalapati, Janaki R.R.; Mercer, D. Evan; Montambault, Jensen R.

Date: 2004

Source: In: Alavalapati, J.R.R.; Mercer, D.E. eds. Valuing agroforestry systems methods and applications. Agroforestry systems and valuation methodologies: an overview 2. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 1-8.

Description: Agroforestry, the deliberate integration of trees with agricultural crops andor livestock either simultaneously or sequentially on the same unit of land, has been an established practice for centuries. Throughout the tropics and, to some extent, temperate zones, farmers have a long tradition of retaining trees on their fields and pastures, as well as growing crops or raising domestic animals in tree stands or forests (Alavalapati & Nair, 2001; Gordon & Newman, 1997; Nair, 1989). In the late 1970s, agroforestry attracted the attention of the international scientific and development communities due to its potential for improving the environment and livelihood of rural tropical communities. The agroforestry prospective increased further during the 1990s as scientists and policy makers recognized the potential for applying agroforestry systems (AFS) to problems such as soil erosion, rising salinity, surface and ground water pollution, increasing greenhouse gases, and biodiversity losses in temperate zones and developed economies. Financial viability and attractiveness has also proven AFS an important land use alternative in various settings throughout the world (Garrett, 1997), generating increased interest in this sustainable land-use management practice with potential environmental and socioeconomic benefits.

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Citation

Alavalapati, Janaki R.R.; Mercer, D. Evan; Montambault, Jensen R.  2004.  Agroforestry systems and valuation methodologies.   In: Alavalapati, J.R.R.; Mercer, D.E. eds. Valuing agroforestry systems methods and applications. Agroforestry systems and valuation methodologies: an overview 2. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 1-8.