LPLK10287U Agroforestry

Volume 2026/2027
Education

MSc Programme in Agriculture
MSc Programme in Environment and Development
MSc Programme in Global Environment and Development

Content

Agroforestry framework, terminology and history

Agroforestry systems and practices

Interactions of crops and trees: microclimate and water cycking

The role of trees and crops in nutrient cycling and their effect on soil parameters, in particular soil erosion 

Agroforestry species (crops, trees, animals), roles and functions of different components and criteria for use

Pest and disease control and management in agroforestry systems

Socio-economic aspects and cross cutting issues in in relation to agroforestry, e.g. tenure, gender, economic development and adoptability

Learning Outcome

The objective of the course is to provide students with insights into the overall options, limitations and constraints 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, chemical and biological  factors in different systems, climates and topography.
  • List major groups of crops 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 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 interactions between livestock and the bio-physical environment in agroforestry systems
  • Describe the nutrient cycling and energy flows in small subsistence systems with a large tree component
  • Describe how political and cultural institutions may favor or discourage perennial crops in farming systems
     

Skills

  • Analyze and describe the synergetic, complementary and competitive relations between different species in small complex systems consisting of several crops, animals and tree species
  • Analyze biophysical conditions in the main types of tropical systems (humid lowland, dry areas and highlands tropics) and temperate regions and their influence on agricultural systems.
  • Explain key socio-economic limitations in relation to adoptability of improved practices, for example under different economic, political, historical and cultural settings
  • Explain how presence of trees and other species alter conditions for pests and pathogens, and how trees may aggravate or reduce pest and disease problems as compared with non-agroforestry systems
  • Analyze quantitative and qualitative outputs of agroforestry systems in relation to investment and production costs, 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 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 conflicting interests in relation to various types of agroforestry interventions under different ecological and socio-economic settings

Teaching material consists of book chapters and articles which will be linked or uploaded via Absalon

It is recommended that the student possesses a basic understanding of natural resource management, equivalent to a BSc degree.
Teaching is based on regular classroom sessions. Teaching material such as presentations, exercises and overview material will be uploaded to KU e-learning system Absalon.

During the course, students (in groups or individually) will develop a case study for a selected area and farmer, involving agroforestry, resulting in a report that will be uploaded to Absalon.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 32
  • Preparation
  • 158
  • Exercises
  • 15
  • Excursions
  • 1
  • Total
  • 206
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Feedback by final exam (In addition to the grade)

During the block, there will be discussions of the case study.

Furthermore, students are expected to make two oral presentations during the course and will receive oral feedback from peers and teacher. At the exam, students get an explanation of their grade of the two parts of the exam.

Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral exam on basis of previous submission, 20 minutes
Type of assessment details
Description of examination: The written assignment is a case study submitted prior to the exam week. The oral exam will start with a presentation and a discussion of the case study. The second part will be a discussion of a randomly selected topic, drawn at the oral exam, covering any of the course modules.
The grade will be given on the bases of the oral exam.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Re-exam

Identical to the ordinary exam. The case study has to be submitted two weeks befor the re-exam.

Criteria for exam assesment

Se learning outcome