Tropical Agroforestry Systems and Practices

The concepts and principles of agroforestry have recently been elucidated in several publications from the International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) as well as other organizations. In agroforestry systems there are both ecological and economical interactions between the different components. As pointed out by B. O. Lundgren and J. B. Raintree, agroforestry is the first concrete concept that builds on a synthesis of much of the practical experience and scientific knowledge acquired over the past decades in tropical agriculture, forestry, ecology, soil management and rural socioeconomics. ICRAF has undertaken a global inventory of existing agroforestry systems and practices in the tropics and subtropics. The productive role of the woody perennials in agroforestry systems includes the production of food, fodder, fuelwood and various other products. Because of the newness of agroforestry there are no conventional plant species that can be categorized as “agroforestry species”.