Search Results (44)

This study evaluated soil–atmosphere greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes—including carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O)—in cacao agroecosystems on São Tomé Island, Central Africa. The field campaign was conducted between April and May 2025, coinciding with the transition from the short rainy season to the onset of the dry period. The sampling design comprised two system types (biodiverse and conventional), two crop development stages (growing and productive), and two climatic zones (wet and dry). Gas fluxes were measured using the static chamber method and analyzed in relation to climatic, topographic, and edaphic variables. CO₂ fluxes were the dominant contributor to total emissions, accounting for approximately 97.4% of the global warming potential (GWP), while CH₄ and N₂O together contributed less than 3%. The highest CO₂ emissions occurred in conventional systems during the growing stage in the wet zone (125.5 ± 11.41 mg C m⁻² h⁻¹). CH₄ generally acted as a sink, particularly in conventional systems in the dry zone (−12.58 ± 2.35 μg C m⁻² h⁻¹), although net emissions were detected in biodiverse systems in the wet zone (5.08 ± 1.50 μg C m⁻² h⁻¹). The highest N₂O fluxes were observed in conventional growing systems (32.28 ± 5.76 μg N m⁻² h⁻¹). GHG dynamics were mainly regulated by climatic factors—such as air temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation—and by key edaphic properties, including soil pH, soil organic carbon, soil temperature, and clay content. Projected GWP values ranged from 9.05 ± 2.77 to 40.9 ± 6.23 Mg CO₂-eq ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, with the highest values recorded in conventional systems in the growing stage. Overall, our findings underscore the potential of biodiversity-based agroforestry as a climate-smart practice to mitigate net GHG emissions in tropical cacao landscapes. Full article

This article examines the production costs of cocoa farming in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, taking into account the opportunity cost approach. To this end, surveys were conducted among 228 farmers in three regions, Bonon, Soubré and Biankouma, following an east–west gradient. The estimated costs of using family labor and land were based on the opportunity cost approach. The financial costs associated with production were also taken into account. Comparative analyses between different localities and cropping systems highlighted specific workload characteristics. Finally, a principal component analysis (PCA) was used to profile producers according to their income levels and profits. The findings showed that family labor was the main component of cocoa production costs. Prices paid to farmers did not always cover all production costs, with 38% of farmers producing at a loss, and this was contingent on the agro-ecological zone. Furthermore, the agroforestry system proved to be more economical in terms of labor than the full-sun system. These results underline the relevance of the opportunity cost approach in assessing production costs and setting cocoa selling prices. This should lead to a review of public price-setting mechanisms to ensure fair remuneration for family labor. Full article

Fusarium circinatum poses severe threats to agroforestry ecosystem as a globally significant pathogenic fungus. This study utilized multi-source species distribution data and environmental variables (climatic, topographic, and soil factors) to predict the global potential habitat suitability of F. circinatum and its response to future climate change using an optimized MaxEnt model (RM = 1, FC = LQ). The results indicate that the current total suitable area spans approximately 69.29 million km², with highly suitable habitats (>0.493) accounting for 15.07%, primarily concentrated in East Asia, southwestern North America, western South America, the Mediterranean coast, and eastern Australia. The distribution of F. circinatum’s suitable habitats is primarily constrained by the following environmental factors, ranked by contribution rate: coldest quarter precipitation (29.4%), coldest quarter mean temperature (18.2%), annual mean temperature (17.2%), and annual precipitation (12%). Under future climate scenarios, the suitable habitats exhibited an overall contraction and poleward shift, with the most significant decline in highly suitable areas observed under SSP370-2050s (−52.1%). The centroid of suitable habitats continuously migrated northwestward from Gombe State, Nigeria, with the maximum displacement reaching 1077.6 km by SSP585-2090s. This study reveals a latitude gradient redistribution pattern of F. circinatum driven by climate warming, providing a scientific basis for transboundary biosecurity and early warning systems. Full article

Agroforestry systems (ASs) are increasingly recognized as effective strategies for ecological restoration and sustainable land use in semi-arid regions. This study aimed to evaluate the implementation and early outcomes of an AS established in a degraded urban area in the Brazilian semi-arid region. Specifically, we analyzed the system’s establishment process, estimated its costs, assessed structural development over time, and compared species performance and carbon accumulation across different biodiversity arrangements. After three years, the system accumulated 17.69 Mg ha⁻¹ of carbon and demonstrated significant basal area growth, particularly among fast-growing species such as Ceiba glaziovii, Gliricidia sepium, and Moringa oleifera. These species enhanced overall system productivity and likely contributed to increases in soil organic matter, facilitating the establishment of more demanding, slow-growing species. Cost analysis indicated a total implementation and maintenance estimate of BRL 57,468.79 ha⁻¹ (USD 11,096.29) over three years, with irrigation and maintenance accounting for 44.39%, labor and site preparation 31.59%, and seedling production 24.02%. Although the system proved viable under institutional support, its replicability for smallholders remains dependent on reliable water access or implementation aligned with the rainy season. The use of nursery seedlings enhanced seedling survival and system feasibility. The broader adoption of agroforestry in semi-arid regions will require supportive public policies and technical assistance. Strengthening government programs such as PNAE and PRONAF is essential, as these initiatives can promote system adoption by facilitating access to credit while also reducing costs, particularly when short-cycle crops grown within the system are sold to local schools. It is important to note that agroforestry costs vary depending on the intended objectives, species diversity, and arrangement design. Therefore, technical assistance is critical to guiding smallholders in selecting and implementing context-appropriate systems. Our findings reinforce the potential of agroforestry systems to promote carbon sequestration, restore degraded lands, and support food security and sustainable development in climate-vulnerable regions. Full article

Forest and grass systems are globally significant carbon-sequestering ecosystems, crucial for mitigating climate change and optimizing ecological management. To clarify the research history, major contributing groups, and research hotspots related to carbon sequestration in global forest and grass systems, this study utilizes the core ensemble of the Web of Science database as its data source. Employing bibliometric methodology and software, such as VOSviewer 1.6.20 and CiteSpace 5.7.R1, we analyzed the development of 594 relevant publications from 2010 to 2024, focusing on their developmental lineage, research groups, current research status, and visualizing and analyzing research hotspots and frontiers. The results indicate that the volume of the literature on carbon sequestration in forest and grass systems generally follows the pattern of a logistic growth curve, demonstrating an upward trend from 2010 to 2024. The primary contributors consist of 400 researchers, including Nath, Arun Jyoti, and Ajit, as well as 378 research organizations across 42 countries, including China, the USA, and India. China’s contribution to this field is rapidly increasing, accounting for over 20% of the total articles, with ‘Chinese Acad Sci’ and ‘Univ Chinese Acad Sci’ being the most prominent contributors, together representing 10.45% of the total publications in this field. The 179 journals, including Agroforestry Systems and Forests, serve as a significant platform for academic exchange in the development of this field. The predominant research directions are found in the areas of ‘Environmental Sciences & Ecology’ and ‘Agriculture’, which collectively account for over 50% of the publications. Additionally, research focused on ‘Sequestration’ is increasingly examining the relationship between carbon sequestration in forest and grassland systems and factors such as climate change, ecosystem productivity, and biodiversity. The keyword clusters ‘#0 ferralsol’ and ‘#4 forest ecosystem’ have consistently represented important research directions throughout this period. A total of 21 keywords were identified, with ‘land use change’ exhibiting the highest intensity at 4.4524. Future research should not only prioritize the integration of the impacts of global climate change but also enhance collaboration among authors and institutions. Furthermore, it is essential to promote multidisciplinary and cross-regional collaborative innovations by leveraging emerging technologies such as AI and genetic engineering. Full article

The significance of traditional agroforestry systems in preserving and enhancing tropical forest biodiversity in landscapes dominated by human activities has recently been recognized. We assessed the role of traditional vanilla cultivation on sustaining plant diversity in the tropical forests of northern Veracruz, Mexico. We analyzed the composition, alpha (Shannon and Simpson exponential) and beta diversity, the structure (stem density and basal area) and types of regeneration of woody plants across different vanilla production systems, including traditional vanilla plots, the agroforestry production of vanilla, the citrus–vanilla system, and fragments of tropical rain forest. Our findings revealed that traditional vanilla plots preserve 67% of the woody plants’ richness, with an alpha diversity similar to that of the forest fragments. The similarity between vanilla production systems and vegetation fragments was less than 30%. Traditional vanilla plots accounted for 34% of the basal area and had a stem density similar to that of the forest, while retaining 25% of shade-tolerant species. These results suggest that traditional vanilla plots are key landscape elements for conserving plant diversity and supporting the ecological functions of tropical forests. Full article

This study integrates the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) and the Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems (SAFA) to evaluate the sustainability and livelihood dynamics of the Amazonian Chakra system, recently designated as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the FAO. Using data from 330 producers across three associations (Kallari, Wiñak, and Tsatsayaku) in the Ecuadorian Amazon, the study employed discriminant analysis to assess governance, environmental integrity, economic resilience, social well-being, and livelihood capitals. Results revealed significant disparities across associations in key sustainability dimensions. Kallari and Wiñak demonstrated stronger governance, environmental integrity and economic resilience, linked to mature organizational structures and effective governance mechanisms. In contrast, Tsatsayaku excelled in demographic diversity and larger landholdings but lagged in governance and environmental practices. Extreme poverty affected 82% of households, with Tsatsayaku having the lowest rate (69%) compared to Wiñak (89%) and Kallari (87%). Chakra income contributed significantly to livelihoods, accounting for 44% of total income in Kallari, 37% in Wiñak, but only 16% in Tsatsayaku, whose producers relied more on off-farm activities and livestock. The integration of SLF and SAFA methodologies offered a nuanced understanding of sustainability, highlighting the importance of governance, financial strategies, and environmental conservation in promoting resilience. Policies should prioritize participatory governance, market transparency, and credit access to address disparities and strengthen sustainability. These findings underscore the critical role of the Amazonian Chakra as a sustainable agroforestry system, providing economic and cultural benefits, while emphasizing the need for tailored interventions to enhance the sustainability of Amazonian producer associations. Full article

Background: In the pursuit of sustainable energy sources, residual biomass has emerged as a promising renewable resource. However, efficiently managing residual biomass poses significant challenges, particularly in optimizing supply chain operations. Advanced modeling approaches are necessary to address these complexities. This study aims to develop a comprehensive methodological framework for creating simulation models tailored to agroforestry residual biomass supply chains. Methods: The study employs a hybrid simulation approach, integrating geographic information system mapping with a case study analysis. The simulation was conducted over a 365-day period, using the anyLogistix software (version 2.15.3.202209061204) to model various supply chain dynamics. The framework also accounts for financial, operational, customer satisfaction, and environmental metrics. Results: The simulation results showed a total expenditure of EUR 5,219,411.3, with transportation being the primary cost driver, involving 5678 trips and a peak capacity of 67.16 m³. CO₂ emissions were measured at 487.7 kg/m³. The model performed as expected, highlighting the need for sustainable logistics strategies to reduce costs, lower losses, and improve productivity. Conclusions: This study presents one of the first detailed methodological frameworks for simulating agroforestry residual biomass supply chains. It provides valuable managerial insights into the financial, operational, and environmental aspects of supply chain management. The findings may stakeholders make informed decisions to enhance the sustainability of biomass utilization in energy production. Full article

Agricultural landscapes are currently suffering and generating severe ecological issues. This is especially true in intensively managed alluvial contexts, where biodiversity is declining and ecosystem services (ES) delivery capacity is being depleted. The aim of our study is to set up and test a synthetic analytical methodology that allows us to: understand current agricultural landscape ecological quality drivers (structural and functional traits); identify context-specific strategies to correct current negative trends (landscape ecology design approach); and assess the changes in the landscape ecological behavior provided by design scenarios. The applied methodology is low-cost and low-time-demanding and is based on multi-scale landscape ecology and land-use-based ES assessment; it implements a pattern-process-design approach. Analyses are applied to four northern Italian alluvial agricultural landscape systems. We specifically address landscape biodiversity support functions (landscape ecology indicators) and landscape multifunctionality (ES spatial assessment). We test the agroforestry approach (landscape feature insertions and crop diversification) as a key strategy to enhance ecological quality and ES, and we account for its contributions to context-specific design scenarios. This analytical toolkit might serve for future applications on similar case studies. Full article

Agroforestry has the potential to support more resilient livelihoods, soil health, and biodiversity, when compared to monocropping. In Ecuador, the Union of Cacao Peasant Organizations (UNOCACE) has been working with producers since 2016 to transition cacao plots to a dynamic agroforestry system that includes timber and fruit species as well as ground cover in addition to cacao. This study evaluates the application of this model and its implications for agricultural production, livelihoods, and soil health through producer surveys and field-based sampling. The program is resulting in significantly more timber and fruit trees on the cacao plots. Despite this, cacao production and income have not decreased in a significant way, once accounting for the number of producing trees on the plots. In addition, while additional labor is utilized on the dynamic agroforestry plots, after utilizing a matching procedure, no significant difference is seen in total crop productivity for each day of labor utilized. Over time, total productivity could increase for the dynamic agroforestry plots as the companion crops and trees mature. As the program is relatively new and has undergone some changes, additional studies are needed to understand the benefits or challenges, especially for soil health, that might be realized further in the lifespan of the program. Full article

In this study, tree-selection/plantation decision support systems (DSSs) were reviewed and evaluated against essential objectives in the available literature. We verified whether existing DSSs leverage multiple data sources and available online resources such as web interfaces. We compared the existing DSSs, and in this study mainly focused on five main objectives that DSSs can consider in tree selection, including (a) climate resilience, (b) infrastructure/space optimization, (c) agroforestry, (d) ecosystem services, and (e) urban sustainability. The climate resilience of tree species and urban sustainability are relatively rarely taken into account in existing systems, which can be integrated holistically in future DSS tools. Based on this review, deep neural networks (DNNs) are recommended to achieve trade-offs between complex objectives such as maximizing ecosystem services, the climate resilience of tree species, agroforestry conservation, and other benefits. Full article

The research on Paulownia spp. has increased in the last twenty years thanks to the growing interest in the application modalities of this plant in various sectors such as wood, phytoremediation, environmental protection, paper, biofuel, chemistry and medicine. For the first time, this study analyzed the papers present in the Web of Science Core Collection on “Paulownia” to obtain a set of characteristics in the work carried out from 1971 to 2021. This analysis selected and took into account 820 articles and provided evidence of the scientific production of authors, institutions, and countries. This work showed that the most studied species was Paulownia tomentosa, followed by P. fortunei and P. elongate. The JCR category and research area with the most publications was plant science, with 20.4% of the total. The papers were published in 460 journals and in a book series. The journals with the most publications were Bioresources, Advanced Material Research, Agroforestry Systems, Journal of Wood Science and Industrial Crops and Products. The institutions with the most prolific affiliation with the field of Paulownia spp. research were Henan University, the US Department of Agriculture, Belgrade University, the Chinese Academy, and Georgia University. Finally, the 3842 keywords were divided into nine different clusters and the trends of interest in the last fifteen years were highlighted. Full article

A large portion of the Mediterranean basin suffers from a lack of organic carbon in the soil and low woody cover percentages, resulting in a very high risk of desertification. In such conditions, knowing the effects on below and above ground carbon sequestration of pioneer woody species is of great importance, although barely assessed at the individual level. In this study, we first investigated whether almond-leaved pear (Pyrus spinosa) individuals influence soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration and stock in comparison with surrounding pasturelands inside a natural reserve in Sicily, Italy. Second, we evaluated inter individual variability on such storage, testing the effects of plant height, basal diameter, canopy cover and tree structure (single or multiple stems). Soils under pear presented, on average, a significantly higher SOC than pasturelands (3.86% and 3.16%, respectively) as well as a lower bulk density (1.09 and 1.28 g cm⁻³, respectively). Due to a lower soil compaction, SOC stocks (130.3 and 113.9 Mg ha⁻¹, respectively) did not differ significantly. Below and aboveground biomass carbon accounted for a small fraction of carbon stock, while neither pear structure, age nor tree structure significantly influenced SOC concentration and SOC stock. Despite the need of further investigations, our results indicate that pear may represent an excellent tree species to improve carbon storage, both while triggering the restoration of Mediterranean woodlands or increasing biodiversity in pasturelands and agroforestry systems, that, indeed, can hold high SOC if well managed. Full article

Agroforestry systems are gaining increasing attention worldwide due to their several benefits both for landowners and also for the environment. Even though Romania has a great potential for adopting these systems on a large scale, only a few examples exist. The aim of this research was to highlight the main agroforestry systems that could be introduced in plain regions across Bihor County, Western Romania. A selection of the most suitable woody species and cereals was carried, based on available data and information. In order to select the most suitable combination, a set of eight criteria was considered and an Analytical Hierarchy Process Analysis was performed, with the aid of the Expert Choice Desktop (v. 11.5.1683) software package. The combinations that had the black locust as the main tree species scored better in comparison with the ones that had pedunculate oak as a main species. This research should be regarded as a first and important step in the analysis of several combinations of agroforestry systems that could be implemented across plain regions of Bihor County. Lastly, this proposed model could be replicated in similar studies aimed at selecting the most suitable agroforestry systems for certain sites. Future research should also consider criteria that account for various aspects, including the functional relationships of these future green spaces with nearby areas. Full article

Agroforest systems have been widely recognized as an integrated approach to sustainable land use for addressing the climate change problem because of their greater potential to sequester atmospheric CO₂ with multiple economic and ecological benefits. However, the nature and extent of the effects of an age-sequence of agroforestry systems on carbon (C) storage remain largely unknown. To reveal the influence of different aged poplar-crop systems on C stocks, we investigated the variation in biomass and C storage under four aged poplar-crop agroforest systems (3-, 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old) in the Henan province of China. The results showed that stand biomass increased with forest age, ranging from 26.9 to 121.6 t/ha in the corresponding four aged poplar-crop systems. The poplar tree biomass accounted for >80% of the total stand biomass in these poplar-crop agroforestry systems, except in the 3-year-old agroforestry system. The average stand productivity peaked in a 9-year-old poplar-crop system (11.8 t/ha/yr), the next was in 13- and 17-year-old agroforestry systems, and the minimum was found in 3-year-old poplar-crop stands (4.8 t/ha/yr). The total C stocks increased, with aging poplar-crop systems ranging from 99.7 to 189.2 t/ha in the studied agroforestry systems. The proportion of C stocks accounted for about 6, 25, and 69% of the total C stocks in the crop, poplar tree, and soil components in all studied agroforestry ecosystems, respectively. Our results suggested that the poplar-crop system, especially in productive and mature stages, is quite an effective agroforestry model to increase the study site’s biomass production and C stocks. This study highlighted the importance of agroforestry systems in C storage. It recommended the poplar-crop agroforest ecosystems as a viable option for sustainable production and C mitigation in the central region of China. Full article