FORests and ECological intensification of Agricultural ABSYSs

Long term objective: Improve livelihoods of forest dwellers and limit deforestation and forest degradation through the development of sustainable family farming systems based on agro-ecological intensification principles.
Medium term objective: Foster innovative thinking and design of on farm research for sus-tainable and ecological intensification within government agencies and local NGOs of agricul-tural development.
Short term objective: Reinforce and develop knowledge on agro-ecological intensification principles and the specificities of forested landscapes. Strengthen capacities of analysis of agricultural practices through efficient tools. Share the information gathered.
This project also aims at building long-term international partnerships within the research consortium. Together we will prepare an answer to a broader call from H2020 in 2017. This second proposal will focus on implementation and use of the knowledge and tools produced in Forecast in a large set of sites, to reach our medium and long term objectives.

The Forcast project consisted of three actions:

WP1: produce digital pedagogical resources to be freely available online, on ecological intensification of agricultural practices in forested landscapes. These resources include concepts from agriculture, agroforestry and forestry sciences, agrarian diagnosis approach, and methods of analysis of farmers’ decision-making process.

WP2: produce tools to conduct spatialized technical, social and economic analyses of rural livelihoods at plot, household and landscape scales, based on digital devices used by the partners: Olympe, Map village. In an open science approach, develop a web platform (in three languages: French, English, Spanish) including these tools and an online database to be fed on a voluntary basis.

WP3: validate the tools produced by WP2 through participatory action research with students and local farmers trained by the high-education partners of the project in WP1.

This project also aims at building long-term international partnerships within the research consortium. Together we will prepare an answer to a broader call from H2020 in 2017. This second proposal will focus on implementation and use of the knowledge and tools produced in Forecast in a large set of sites, to reach our medium and long term objectives.

Madagascar :
The study sites are located on the east coast of Madagascar in the region of production of clove called Fénérive-Est. Two types of agroforestry systems (AFS) are present: cultivated and/or grazed parks, and complex AFS. The clove AFS contain other cash crops (coffee, vanilla, lychee and pepper), many fruit trees, trees for firewood and construction, medicinal plants and plants for various uses. The modeling of farms shows that AFS allows a significant saving for households thanks to the various self- consumed products. It shows a variable sensitivity to fluctuations in cash crop prices depending on the types of AFS and the structural characteristics of the farm, but the diversification of AFS is in favor of a better stability of income and the economic balance of the household.
Cameroon
In 2016 two contrasting sites of the Center of Cameroon were studied: Talba and Bokito. Bokito is a site where we find old cocoa plantations with complex multi-strata structure, and a species dominance of fruit trees. Originally installed in corridor forests, they extend to the neighboring savannah areas, nibbling the areas reserved for food crops. Talba, a pioneer forest front opened in the early 1980s, brings together very contrasting farm types, from local and migrant populations. The implanted cocoa agroforestry systems are of complex to simple structure, with a species dominance of forest trees. Food systems are diverse, and different from those of Bokito.
Nicaragua:
Trees on farms are fundamental resources for rural people. The motivations that drive farmers to grow trees on their farms are still poorly known. A first study, conducted in Waslala and La Dalia, identifies socio- economic factors that influence the presence of trees on farms. The results show a strong relationship between local livelihoods and trees, how peasant perceptions influence the cultivation of trees on farms, and the relationship between land tenure security and the presence of trees.

Future prospects:
The modelling tools and database developed in Forecast will be used in a second project to conduct a systematic meta-analysis of agriculture in forest landscapes in tropical, Mediterranean and European areas. Innovations will be co-constructed with stakeholders (farmers and others), involving national agencies and local organisations to ensure their promotion and implementation.