Abstract
Natural forests are biodiverse ecosystems in which trees live in a mutually beneficial interrelationship with small shrubs and annual plants. For thousands of years, societies have taken advantage of this natural symbiosis to increase the economic productivity of land by planting crops amongst trees – a type of agriculture now known as agroforestry. This vegetative growth method is one variety of intercropping, in which two different food plants, such as peas and sweet corn, are planted in the same or adjoining rows of a field. Juxtaposition of plants can provide greater total yields than raising the crops separately on different segments of the same field.
The Bible, for example, records that in ancient Israel people raised grain in vineyards and engaged in other types of intercropping. Archaeologists have also shown that ancient cultures living in pre-Colombian Mexico, the Pacific Islands and Zambia – among many others – engaged in primitive agroforestry.
Although modern agriculture has long stressed monoculture cropping, researchers and farmers are increasingly turning to commercial intercropping and agroforestry for various applications. Coffee shrubs have long been raised in the shade of planted trees. In Malaysia, the profits of rubber and oil palm plantations are supplemented by growing cash crops – such as vegetables, fruits, or even mushrooms – among the trees. The use of agroforestry increases the total yield obtained from a given area of land without undue damage to the environment. By developing the optimum combination of tree and intercrop species, man also benefits as the yield per unit of water increases. Modern agroforestry has already confirmed its utility in North and South America, China, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and continental Europe.
At the Blaustein Institutes of Desert Research (BIDR), investigators headed by Prof. Pedro Berliner are advancing the use of surface runoff water to supportafforestation and agroforestry in dryland regions. This approach can benefit low-rainfall regions of Israel as well as those of many developing countries. Drought-resistant trees used in agroforestry protect soil from erosion, stabilize sand dunes, and shade intercrops from the blistering sun and blasts of hot winds. In dryland regions, this farming technique can provide improved yields of grain, vegetable garden, or forage crops, as well as firewood, lumber or fruits produced by the trees.
Runoff Water for Agroforestry
Agroforestry in Kenya
Runoff Agriculture in Turkmenistan
Grape and Olive Runoff Farming
Models for Advancing Agroforestry
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