Agroforestry for fruit production & soil health

This solution was shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM , 14 May 2021

Print date: 14 April 2024 10:32

Description of the innovative solution

Food biodiversity Regenerative agriculture Diet diversity Healthy diet

Soil degradation includes soil fertility decline, nutrient imbalance and erosion. Such phenomena can lead to decreased capacity of soils to regulate water flows as well as a loss of biodiversity. This innovation proposes to implement fruit tree plantations through agroforestry practices. This could regulate land degradation, provide income, nutritional benefits and carbon retention. Further, planting trees in (mountain) watersheds generates resilient and effective watersheds. Drought-resistant fruit trees could be opted for, but a diversity of outputs could be possible such as fodder crops, creating multi-functional landscapes.

Primary users

Subsistence farmers
Small & medium commercial farmers
Women
Children & youth
Low/Middle income households
Peri-urban consumers
Rural consumers
Rural communities

Dietary impact

Agroforestery benefits to farming families and communities 1) increased fresh fruit availability and consumption and therefore enhanced consumption of vitamins and minerals, 2) generally increased dietary diversity through enhanced rotations, and 3) over the medium term, increased income (largely through reduced input costs) allowing farming households to afford increasingly healthy and diverse diets. Additionally, food and dietary security will be improved with increased access to fuels for cooking and via other ecosystem services such as pollination that are essential for the production of other food plants.

Planetary impact

Through holistic management and smart design, various components like crops, trees, plants and livestock combine to form a diverse, self-sustaining production system. Thus this method puts agriculture back into the landscape and improves the resilience of food production against the impacts of climate change and other shocks. Agroforestry increases carbon sequestration thereby mitigating climate-change, improves soil health by reducing erosion, improving water moisture capacity via water retention and shade cover, and improving fertility, it generates cleaner water as it leads to a more resilient and effective watersheds, and supports biodiversity protection by making the farming system more diverse. A secondary benefit is reduced use of fossil fuels via reduced synthetic fertiliser and pesticide requirements.

Equity impact

It is crucial that small holder farmers including the youth and women are included in this innovation. This can be done through capacity building and provision of credit and technologies essential for the implementation of this innovation. Smallholder farmers should be deliberately targeted, creating jobs and income amongst this group, not just large companies.

Main concerns

Agroforestry for fruit production and soil health can be a win-win scenario with proper planning and implementation over the long term, with high potential to generate good income, youth engagement as part of healthy rural communities. In the short term, there may be a reduction in incomes due to foregone income on the main crop (whose area is reduced) plus the transition period required for the fruit trees to become productive and
for biodiversity to be enhanced. There will likely also be short term higher costs to invest in this new agricultural approach and a lot of politics involved. This will take some time and resources.Also, knowledge and technology gaps and policy and market constraints in certain parts of the world; Weak governance including land tenure challenges, especially for smaller farmers; Tradition and excessive dependence on grains as main source of food and lack of good horticulture strategy for homestead agroforestry for smaller farmers

Supply chain segment

Agricultural inputs and primary production practices

Maturity level

Moving to scale

Criteria

Food affordability Climate mitigation Climate adaptation Water use Soil health Increasing agrobiodiversity

SDG target

SDG 2: Zero Hunger SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being SDG 10: Reduced Inequality SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production SDG 13: Climate Action SDG 15: Life on Land

Context

Rural

Examples and additional resources

Real-world examples

See this solution in action in different contexts and settings around the world

Fruit-tree Agroforestry in Northwest Vietnam

Project information

Studies economic, productivity, ecological, and other effects due to fruit-tree based agroforestry systems and different practices in Northwest Vietnam.

Viet Nam

Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment _0.pdf (5.23 MB)

doi.org/10.3390/la...land9110451

Shared by IFSS Research Team

Additional resources

Learn more about this solution through studies, articles, business cases, and other information

Fruit-tree portfolios for nutrition study

Scientific paper

Study on effects of farm production using 'fruit-tree portfolios,' which select socio-ecologically and nutritionally important fruit tree species, in Kenya.

doi.org/10.1007/s1...019-00970-7