Agroforestry in the humid lowlands of West Africa: some reflections on future directions for research

Means have to be found for rural people to supply both their own needs and those of the urban dwellers, without further loss of natural resources. Some examples from around the humid tropics suggest that complex agroforests may be able to achieve this goal. In West Africa, the concepts of the cocoa (Theobroma cacao) farm and compound garden, coupled with the domestication of indigenous trees for the production of improved non-timber forest products, need to be developed. There are numerous candidate species both for domestication and for inclusion in multi-strata systems. Research is needed on the development of various forms of multi-strata agroforests, coupled with short-term tree fallows especially to rehabilitate degraded land. More ecologically-oriented studies are required to build sustainable and productive multi-strata agro-ecosystems, while domestication requires greater understanding of the needs of the food and pharmaceutical industries and the development of marketing infrastructures. Incentives are required to promote entreprenurism in rural communities, especially near urban centres. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.