LPLK10287U Agroforestry

The objective of the course is to provide students an insight into the overall options, limitations and constrains pertaining to sustainability of small complex production systems with a large tree component under a wide range of conditions, with particular emphasis on the tropics. The course should enable students to relate to agroforestry systems under different bio-physical, socio-economic and political settings and suggest development strategies to improve outputs of the systems

By the end of the course the students are expected to be able to:

Knowledge

• Describe positive and negative effects of trees on physical (e.g. soil, microclimate, water balance) and biological (e.g. crops, animals, and pests) factors in different systems, climates and topography.
• List major crop and agroforestry trees and their interaction in agroforestry systems
• List major types of pest and diseases in tropical agriculture, and their possible interaction with trees or tree environments
• Describe how interaction may change with seasons and with growth and development of  trees
• Describe relevant technical and management operations, which can be used to improve total yield, food security, financial security and other relevant outputs of the AF system
• Describe the interaction between livestock and the bio-physical environment in agroforestry systems
• Describe the principle of nutrient cycling and energy flow in small subsistence systems with a large tree component
• Describe how political and cultural regulations may improve or discourage perennial crops in farming systems
   

Skills

• Analyse and describe the synergetic, complementary and competitive relations between different species in small complex systems consisting of several crops, animals and tree species
• Analyse the framework of biophysical conditions in the main types of tropical systems (humid lowland, dry areas and highlands tropics) and temperate regions and its influence and limitation on agricultural systems.
• Explain key socio-economic constraints and limitations in relation to present conditions and adoptability of improved practices, for example under different economic, political, historical and cultural settings
• Explain how presence of trees in general and particular species alter conditions for pest and pathogens, and how trees may aggravate or reduce pest and disease problems as compared with non-AF systems
• Analyse quantitative and qualitative outputs of agroforestry systems in relation to investment and production cost, seasonality, market and domestic need
• Analyze sustainability in terms of production, income and long term natural resource management in agroforestry systems

Competences

• Recommend relevant agroforestry interventions to meet/cope with/overcome short and long term food problems, production constraints and/or environmental degradation

• Predict possible implementation/adoption obstacles in relation to socioeconomic factors

• Predict possible areas of conflicting interests in relation to various types of agroforestry interventions under different ecological and socio-economic settings