ICRAF's multipurpose tree and shrub information system

Woody perennials are vital components of agroforestry systems. However, the state of knowledge about most of the large number of useful species is inferior to that about other components in such systems. In order to close this gap and expedite research, ICRAF has built up a multipurpose tree and shrub information system. The recommendations of an international workshop on multipurpose tree germplasm, organized by ICRAF in collaboration with CFI and IBPGR, have been instrumental in either encouraging the pursuance of activities already started or initiating new projects. In its endeavour to serve those institutions and individual scientists who require information on multipurpose trees, ICRAF has established a Multipurpose Tree and Shrub Data Base and compiled and published a Multipurpose Tree and Shrub Seed Directory. As by-products of these two core activities, a number of related projects have been carried out, including the development of a rapid appraisal methodology for selecting priority species for further development, the preparation of multipurpose tree and shrub crop sheets, and an inventory of MPT-related data bases. In a considerable number of publications the concepts and objectives of these activities have been explained. More than 140 information requests in multipurpose trees have been answered with the help of the Multipurpose Tree and Shrub Data Base and the information gap concerning germplasm availability has been closed by the publication of the Multipurpose Tree and Shrub Seed Directory.Senior Research Scientist, ICRAF     

The ICRAF approach to international cooperation

At present ICRAF international cooperation channels the Council's contribution to efforts by national and international research institutions in both the generation of agroforestry technologies and person-power development. This paper attempts a critical evaluation of the evolutionary process that led ICRAF collaborative activities from their initial role of creating opportunities for testing methodologies to the on-going networking stage.Two stages are distinguished in the initial development phase; the one contributing to the building of an institutional capability (more in-house cooperation), and the follow-up stage where activities were aimed at establishing a basis for continuous collaboration with partner institutions.The present networking phase, with an African focus, is based on the assumption that institutional complementarity is the appropriate scheme to overcome the effect of constraints prevailing in the continenta on the generation of appropriate agroforestry technologies. In this context, an ecozone scope, integrated planning and a network organizational structure are proposed as pillars of an ICRAF strategy to achieve complementarity in agroforestry research for development.Head, Collaborative Programmers Division, ICRAF     

Agroforestry training and education at ICRAF: accomplishments and challenges

This article is a review of ICRAF's efforts over the past six years to strengthen the capability of national institutions in developing countries for the diagnosis of land management problems, identification of agroforestry potentials and research priorities, and design of appropriate agroforestry systems. The article highlights the development of the programme structure and organization as well as the main accomplishments. The evolution of the focus of T&E in support of ICRAF's collaborative research activities is based on the conviction that it is mainly by strengthening national research capabilities that appropriate agroforestry technology will be generated in response to countries' needs.Since 1982, the Council has organized seven international training courses which were held in Kenya as well as regionally and in-country; twenty-two resident trainees completed 3- to 6-month internships at ICRAF and project sites; and four research fellows/visiting scientists undertook long-term agroforestry research alongside ICRAF's multidisciplinary team, bringing the total number of researchers directly trained by ICRAF to over 250. Training modules and training materials were also developed to be used by other institutions in teaching agroforestry-related topics.Principal Training Officer, ICRAF     

The state of the art of agroforestry diagnosis and design

Seven years ago the International Council for Research in Agroforestry set out to develop a methodology for the diagnosis of land management problems and design of agroforestry systems. Since then over 60 documents (articles, conference papers and manuals) relating to the D & D methodology have been published by ICRAF and the methodology has been used to develop agroforestry plans and identify research priorities for a wide range of ecological and cultural conditions throughout the tropical regions of Africa, Latin America and Asia. This article reviews the evolution of the D & D methodology and suggests directions for its future development.Ecological Anthropologist, ICRAF     

Germplasm collections of endangered agroforestry tree species: the case of Prosopis africana in the semi-arid lowlands of West Africa

The International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) coordinates a research network in the Semi-arid Lowlands of West Africa (SALWA) in four countries: Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Senegal. Prosopis africana, an important agroforestry tree species is seriously threatened in this eco-region. ICRAF organized seed collections of this species for long-term conservation and subsequent utilization by small-scale farmers in the West African Sahel. Prior to the collection, ICRAF, the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) organized a planning workshop with collaborating national research institutes. Out of this workshop came a consensus on the strategy, logistics and choice of collection sites. To collect as much genetic diversity of P. africana in the SALWA region as possible, 34 collection sites were selected: 15 in Niger, eight in Mali, seven in Burkina Faso and four in Senegal. The main aim of the collection was to capture the genetic diversity within P. africana before the valuable genetic resources are lost. This paper reviews the methodology and results of the germplasm collection. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

ICRAF Field Station at Machakos

ICRAF has a Field Station at Machakos, 70 km south-east of Nairobi on a 40-ha site. It provides a good collection of a large number of multipurpose trees and shrubs useful in agroforestry, experimental designs, agroforestry technologie,, demonstration oof some agroforestry practices and interventions such as alley cropping, soil conservation technologies, etc. These demonstration-and trial-plots that are conducted by the Council's multidisciplinary team of scientists are also used to a limited extent for obtaining scientific information on the performance of the various species involved and of their response to management as well as interactions. The Station is visited regularly by an average of 350 individuals of various types per year, and is used for different kinds of training and field demonstrations.Principal Scientist, ICRAF     

Agroforestry experimentation: Separating the wood from the trees?

ICRAF has evolved and evaluated experimental approaches to agroforestry problems which will help resercchers reach practical conclusions most cost-effectively in the shortest possible time, and with only limited resources. This has meant looking into the experimental phases needed, developing the conceptual background to research problems which involve the complex spatial/temporal features of agroforestry systems, suggesting and initiating simplified field experimental designs and/or assessment methodologies, and establishing source and reference design materials about agroforestry research for distribution.These four sets of activities are outlined and briefly discussed in relation to some of the key research issues which have emerged.Suitable methods for many areas of experimental agroforestry are rapidly being defined, although some of the more complex issues (e.g. multistrata systems, on-farm research with multipurpose trees and tree/crop mixtures) still need a focused attempt to develop appropriate research methodologies.Head, Research Development Division, ICRAF     

ICRAF's first ten years

This article is about the institutional development of the International Council for Research in Agroforestry. It follows the Council's history from the initial ideas in the IDRC-sponsored study Trees, Food and People, its formalization in 1977, the early years up to 1980, when the Council was searching for an identity, the expansive years 1981–85, when in-house capability was built up and the foundation laid of the agroforestry discipline, to the present phase, from 1986, when major field research programmes are being initiated. The main emphasis is on the strategies and priorities behind the programmes in the different phases. A summary is given of the Council's development and growth in terms of funding and staffing. In the final section, some thoughts are expressed about ICRAF in the 1990s.Director, ICRAF; Forester     

Sesbania seed collections in Southern Africa

The International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system and has recently established a Multipurpose Tree Germplasm Resource Unit (MPT-GRU) in Nairobi, Kenya. The first major activity of the MPT-GRU was to undertake a regional germplasm collection ofSesbania in 5 countries in southern Africa in a collaborative mode with National Agricultural Research Services (NARS). The collections took place in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Key elements of a generalised collaborative mode (the model) are indicated follwed by a summary of actual events. The initial phase involved joint planning and training sessions between NARS, three sister CGIAR centres and one regional institution, the Southern Africa Development Conference (SADC) Regional Gene Bank (SRGB). This was followed by actual collections during 1993 led by National scientists with different levels of CGIAR participation in each of the five countries. The International Board of Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) took the lead in pre-collection training activities, ICRAF for developing the collection programme and the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA) for seed drying, testing and despatch for field trials. NARS gene banks guided the necessary administrative processes. The ICRAF lead scientist for the species and provenance evaluation phase was a crucial member of the planning process thus allowing integration of the collection with the eventual field evaluation. The article focuses on the collection strategy, administrative protocols for actual collections and summary results. Some advantages and difficulties associated with the collection programme and model are discussed. The collections were important in bringing together agriculturalists and foresters in a common germplasm collection exercise.     

Economics of agroforestry

Although from the start ICRAF recognized the importance of the socio-economic dimensions of agroforestry land-use systems, it was only five years after its official commencement that an economist was added to the staff. During the last five years no attempt has been made to create a separate Economics Department with its own programme. Rather, the emphasis has been on supporting on-going ICRAF activities by trying to make “economics’ an integral part of eachof these activities.

Nevertheless, in summarizing these efforts, five major areas of work can be identified:
1. Economic concepts;
2. Methods and tools for economic assessment;
3. Economic information gathering;
4. Economic analysis proper;
5. Training and dissemination.

The achievements in each of these areas, as well as some ideas on possible trends, will be summarized in this paper.     

农用林业研究与发展之方法论──诊断与设计

本文介绍了农用林业研究和发展中广泛使用的诊断与设计(D&D)方法的逻辑框架和要点, 并举例说明了该方法在国外的应用情况。作者还简单分析了该方法未能在国内广泛应用的原因, 并提出了一个在D&D方法基础上发展起未的新的方法论──诊断、设计和推广(diagnosis,design and delivery,简称Tri-D).     

Fluctuating Fortunes of a Collective Enterprise: The Case of the Agroforestry Tree Seeds Association of Lantapan (ATSAL) in the Philippines

The Agroforestry Tree Seeds Association of Lantapan (ATSAL) in Bukidnon province of Mindanao, Philippines, was organized in 1998, facilitated by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). Farmers were trained on germplasm collection, processing and marketing of agroforestry tree seeds and seedlings. ATSAL has been marketing various tree seeds and seedlings with apparent success, and has provided training on seed collection and nursery management to farmers, government technicians, and workers from non-government organizations. This paper reports initial results of a continuing study to assess the effectiveness of ATSAL’s marketing strategy, including group dynamics, and the issues and challenges the group faces. It was found that during the first 2 years, ATSAL’s market share of highly demanded timber tree species grew rapidly, thus helping to disseminate widely these important species among farmers. ICRAF’s technical back-up was an advantage, increasing the Association’s market credibility. Subsequently, ATSAL extended its market to the central Philippines, but failed to meet the demand for seeds due to organizational limitations. Market competition exists, where a non-member was able to take a larger market share than was the group. Nonetheless, ATSAL has established its name as a viable community-based seed and seedling producer, maintaining a stronghold in local and regional markets. Collective action is important for smallholders to gain market access, but is unlikely to sustain sales. Facilitating smallholder collective action is essentially an arduous task, requiring the supporting agency to hold a firm grasp of market realities, to invest in the maintenance of collective action, to provide continuous technical back-up, and to ascertain the conditions that make collective action succeed.     

A review of measurement options for multipurpose trees

There is an urgent need to standardize the methods used to assess the growth of multipurpose trees. Most of the standard methods so far described have been developed specifically for use in multilocational trial networks. This paper was prepared for the F/FRED/ICRAF Workshop on MPTS Assessment Methods, held in Thailand in May 1991 to develop internationally-recognised standards for assessment methodology. It critically reviews the methods prescribed by different networks for height and diameter measurement, and for biomass estimation, giving researchers a range of methodological options to consider and re-emphasizing the need, all too often neglected, to define assessment methods clearly and unambiguously.     

Systematic designs for field experimentation with multipurpose trees

Systematic field layouts are especially useful with MPT species for examining plant responses e.g. to density stress, and where a wide range of treatment levels are needed because of lack of previous data. Examples of a fan and a parallel-row layout are given (with suitable sets of dimensions) and the development of parallel-row designs for management trials and mixed cropping is illustrated.A revised version of ICRAF working Paper No. 12 which has been incorporated into Research Methodology for the Exploration and Assessment of Multipurpose Trees (Ed. P.A. Huxley), 1984. ICRAF, Nairobi — Financial support for the latter publication was provided by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council by means of a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development.     

西双版纳现有混农林系统的主要模式

本文在对西双版纳现有混农林系统进行广泛调查的基础上,根据国际混农林研究委员会(ICRAF)P.K.R.Nair的分类方法,将其进行了分类和评价。结果表明,该地区现存混农林系统的模式极为丰富,并以经济植物为主体的模式占较大优势。这些模式,有的已经发挥出较好的生态、经济和社会效益,有的仍处于实验阶段,有的则对合理利用当地自然资源造成不良的影响。提出了必须合理开发利用当地自然资源,积极创立和引进以粮食作物为主体的混农林系统模式的见解。     

CamFlores: A FLORES-type model for the humid forest margin in Cameroon

A FLORES-type model in the Simile modelling environment is being developed for three villages in the Humid Forest Benchmark area of southern Cameroon. The modelling project seeks to investigate the effects of introduction of new crop varieties and improved farming systems on the long-term maintenance of stable mosaics of forest and agriculture, within the context of the international Alternatives to Slash and Burn programme. Biophysical data have been collated, and socio-econnomic and tenure data have been acquired in spatially-explicit ways. Maps of land-cover at village and benchmark scale are being prepared from detailed and semi-detailed satellite imagery, using a nested legend system that allows linking of maps at different scales. These data enable the initial construction and parameterisation of the model, and will permit the extrapolation of the results of modelling from the villages to the benchmark, and ultimately to the whole of the Congo Basin humid forests. The prototype version of the model involves 10 households and about 500 land patches, and includes the three agricultural systems dominant in the southern more forested portion of the Benchmark (mixed food-fallow systems, forest melon fields, cocoa plantations) with no rental, sale or other transfer of land. Decision-making at the household level is essentially modelled deterministically, and labour productivity is assumed to be constant between households. This model is now complete, and once it has been adjusted and suitably parameterised, it will be applied to real data from the three test villages. This will require the addition of new farming systems, the introduction of modes of permanent or temporary transfer of land, and modification of the decision model to render it more realistic. The work described in this paper is a part of a project funded by the European Union through ICRAF and hosted at the IITA Humid Forest Ecoregional Centre, Cameroon. The assistance of Valentina Robiglio (JPO GIS specialist), especially in preparation of land-cover maps and in collection of socio-economic data, is gratefully acknowledged, as is the work of IITA ASB village facilitators in collection of field data. The cooperation of IITA, IRAD, CIFOR and ICRAF scientists in providing data for the model and periodically reviewing progress with the modelling process was essential to the progress achieved thus far.     

Evaluating agroforestry interventions in extension projects

Because of the relative dearth of scientific information in agroforestry, monitoring and evaluation of agroforestry technologies in development projects plays an important role in the development and improvement of technical extension recommendations. To identify appropriate methodologies, ICRAF conducted in 1988–89 a review of agroforestry technology monitoring and evaluation in 166 projects worldwide, of which 108 responded. Almost 80% of these were involved in technology evaluation. Many extension projects were conducting research to test technologies on-farm or on research plots. Technology evaluation by projects focused on the biological of trees, often with inadequate consideration of the technology context. Few projects seemed to use farmer assessment in evaluation. Recommendations are made for an effective evaluation process and selection of appropriate methods and variables to be assessed by projects. Methods should be selected according to the availability of resources and should favour collaborative or collegial interaction between farmers and project staff.     

Using sap flow gauges to quantify water uptake by tree roots from beneath the crop rooting zone in agroforestry systems

Grevillea (Grevillea robusta A. Cunn.; Proteaceae) is used in agroforestry in many areas of the highlands of East and Central Africa, and is reported to be mainly deep rooted, with few shallow roots and correspondingly low levels of competition with associated crops for water and nutrients. To examine the extent of below-ground complementarily in water use between grevillea and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.; Leguminosae), experiments were carried out at the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) Field Centre at Machakos, Kenya. Sap flux was measured using heat balance gauges attached to the stems of young grevillea trees (10–18 months old), both before and after excavating the crop rooting zone (upper 60 cm of soil) around the stem base, in order to establish the capacity of the grevillea to extract water from below this zone. After excavation, the trees maintained sap fluxes of up to 85% of the unexcavated values, suggesting a high degree of below-ground complementarity.