Multifunctional Agriculture and Opportunities for Agroforestry –

Implications of IAASTD

Roger RB Leakey

James Cook University

Cairns, AUSTRALIA

Food and non-food production

Valuation of environmental

services

Recognition of traditional and

diversified land use

Cultivation and commercialisation

of traditional foods

SOCIAL

ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMIC

Health

Gender equity

Tradition and culture

Soils

Climate

Biodiversity

Income

Marketing

Trade

“inescapable interconnectedness of agriculture’s different roles and functions”

=$

‘Multifunctional agriculture’ recognizes agriculture as a multi-output activity producing commodities and non-commodity externalities and public goods, such as environmental services, landscape amenities and cultural heritages.

IAASTD

IAASTD: 2005-2008

A new paradigm for agriculture based on a

set of policy issues was approved by 62

governments on April 11th 2008

INTER-GOVERNMENTAL PLENARY, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

Assess the Impacts of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology on Environmentally, Socially and Economically

Sustainable Rural Development Worldwide

Thus, in principle, there is acceptance of the need for a new paradigm for agriculture based on the concepts of multifunctionality practice?

Reportsfor details see www.agassessment.org

1 Global Report

5 Regional Reports (Central and West Asia and North Africa; East and South Asia and the Pacific; Latin America and the Caribbean; North America and Europe; and Sub-Saharan Africa)

Synthesis Report (95 pages)

Global Summary for Decision Makers (36 pages)

Regional Summaries for Decision Makers (17-21 pages)

Executive Summary for Synthesis Report (23 pages)

8 Policy Briefs

Breeding

Agricultural inputs

Genetic potential

Yield

Water

Pests, weeds

and diseases

Selection

Soil fertility

Marketing and trade

Tradition and Culture

Global policies

Biotechnology

Other products

Environmental services

Mechanization

Population control

GREEN REVOLUTION

GOAL Hunger

(IAASTD GOAL 1)

Industry

Biotechnology

Cropping system

Agroecosystem diversity

IPM

Public / Private

Partnerships

IAASTD GOAL 3

Livelihoods

IAASTD GOAL 2

Health and Nutrition

IAASTD GOAL 5

Social sustainability

IAASTD GOAL 4

Environmental sustainability

IAASTD GOAL 6

Economic growth

IAASTD calls for the

Evolution of Agriculture

Greater Multi-functionality

The cycle of biophysical and socio-economic processes causing ecosystem degradation and social deprivation

(after Leakey et al., 2005)

The cycle of biophysical and socio-economic processes causing ecosystem degradation, and increased social and economic deprivation (modified from Leakey et al, 2005).

Desire for security and wealth

Unsustainable Cropping

Ecosystem degradation

and soil erosion

Breakdown of Loss of biodiversity nutrient

cycling and loss of soil fertility/ structure

Breakdown of ecosystem function

Increased use of agrichemicals

Loss of crop yields

Pollution of Increased waterways,

Costs aquifers, Hunger and wetlands etc.

malnutrition

Increased health risks

Declining livelihoods, leading to poverty and social deprivation

Regulated by social organizations at the

community level

Deforestation Overfishing Overgrazing

Regulated by social organizations at the national

/ international level

Other external factors: eg. war, disasters, etc.

Loss of income from wildlife and plants

Loss of income from food crops and wildlife

External factors: eg. Entrepreneurs

Increased vulnerability to HIV / AIDS

Regulated by social organizations -

national / international level

Regulated by social organizations at the community level

SCALE OF THE PROBLEM

50% of the world population (3.2 billion) live on less than US$2

per day.

2 billion people are malnourished.

2 billion ha of land are degraded (38% of

world’s crop land).

MULTIFUNCTIONAL AGRICULTURE ‘delivering socially, economically and environmentally sustainable rural

development’ AGROFORESTRY

‘a dynamic, ecologically-based natural resources management system that, through the integration of trees into agricultural systems and landscapes, diversifies and increases production, while simultaneously promoting social, economic and environmental benefits for land users’

Low input and agroecological technologies that contribute to MFA

Low-input, resource-conserving technologies, that are also socially-relevant, pro-poor, approaches to agriculture and build social and natural capital at community and landscape levels include: Organic agriculture, Agroforestry, Conservation agriculture, Ecoagriculture Permaculture.

Integrated Natural Resources Management (INRM), Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), Integrated Crop and Livestock Management (ICLM), Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

MFA delivery

Agroforestry, in common with other low-input systems, addresses:

soil fertility management; rehabilitation of degraded farming systems; loss of biodiversity above and below ground; carbon sequestration; soil and watershed protection.

Agroforestry also adds:

useful and marketable tree products for income generation, fuel, food and nutritional security/health and the enhancement of local livelihoods;

complex mature and functioning agroecosystems akin to natural woodlands and forests;

linkages with culture through the food and other products of indigenous trees that are of traditional importance to local people.

Rehabilitate Degraded Land and Restore Soil Fertility

Most poor smallholder farmers cannot afford fertilizers

Well developed and easily adopted ‘Improved fallow’ systems are effective and can raise crop yields 3-4 fold.

Diversification of farming systems to create mature agroecosystems

Environmental sustainability, carbon sequestration and agroecosystem function

Diverse and mature agroecosystems integrate food crops with tree crops

People in Developing Countries still have to provide food, medicines and all their other day-to-day needs for themselves from their natural resources, without any support from social services.

Modern farming systems lack all the species that used to provide all the products needed for everyday survival.

Agroforestry for products and services that meet local and traditional needs

Social sustainability

Well-being, health, nutrition, gender equity, tradition and culture, empowerment, etc.

Recognize the important role of local people, their traditions and culture

Climate change and the Carbon Cost of Agriculture

Agriculture’s ecological footprint includes all the environmental costs of producing the raw materials, energy, machinery, pesticides, fertilizers, etc.

Agroforestry has a low carbon footprint and can reduce emissions of GHGs.Mollison, 1988

AF steps to MFA

Agroforestry has three prime steps to sustainable development:

(i) the restoration of lost productive capacity in farm land, especially degraded land (soil fertility management),

(ii) the creation of new opportunities for greater and more diversified production with enhanced utility and profitability (tree domestication),

(iii) the promotion of value-adding of AFTPs, entrepreneurism and job creation in rural communities (commercialization of agroforestry products).

Step 1. Restoration of Soil Fertility

Step 2. The domestication of a wide range of local species

Natural forests

Common property extractive natural resources forhunter gatherers

Agroforests

Private natural resources cultivated by farmers

Timber Forest plantations

D

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S

T

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A

T

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NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS (NTFPs)

AGROFORESTRY TREE PRODUCTS (AFTPs) (Simons and Leakey, 2004)

Step 3. Commercialization of new products

Agricultural diversification requires commercial diversification

Integration of the 3 steps

to: reduce poverty, malnutrition, hunger and

land degradation.

For example: Closing the ‘Yield Gap’

Step 1 – Improved fallows

Step 2 – Tree domestication

Step 3 – Product commercialization

Outputs and benefits

POVERTY / MALNUTRITION / HUNGER ASSOCIATED WITH DEGRADED FARMLAND AND LOSS OF NATURAL VEGETATION

Cultivation of staple food

crops

Partial restoration of soil fertility and

structure by Biological nitrogen fixation and

organic inputs

Improve yields of staple foods

Free up some land for cash

cropping

Domestication of new cash crops from

indigenous species

Diversify farming system with tree crops

Enhance food and

nutritional security

Improve quality and

yield

Value-adding and processing

Ensure genetic diversity Trade Employment

Income Products for day-to-day

use

Enhance gender equity

Conserve tradition and

culture

Enhance immune

system and health

Improved livelihoods and well-

being

ECONOMIC / SOCIAL / ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH MULTIFUNCTIONAL

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

Income from tree products

Restore woody vegetation and

sequester ‘Greenhouse Gases’

Increase biodiversity and restore

agroecological function

Encourage and

conserve wildlife

Purchase fertilizers and other

inputs

Further improve yields of staple food

crops

Income

“Fasten Your Seat Belts”

for a Safari to see Multifunctional Agriculture in

Practice

Agroforestry as the Delivery Mechanism for MFA

MFA in ACTION 1(485 villages / 7100 Farmers + Entrepreneurs, Traders, Microfinance)

5 RRC’s

$

Agroforestry has

improved our lives

My kids are eating fruits

and veg

I’ve improved my house and built a well

My family are healthier and going to

school

I’m buying fertilizers

and have a cow

I’ve decided to be a

nursery man and stay in my village

I’m processing and trading

AFTPs

Agroforestry delivers multiple benefits

31 positive impacts identified

MFA in ACTION 2

Sold 18 tonnes of kernels for

$438,000 in 2004 in Port Vila.

MFA in ACTION 3

PhytoTrade

patent

Figure 3b. Fruit mass of Namibian Marulas from different sites

0

20

40

60

80

N16

N13 N

4N

1N

3N

17N

15 N2

N8

N12

N20 N

7N

10 N5

N14

N19

N11

N18 N

6N

9

N26

N28

N27

N30

N22

N31

N21

N29

N25

N23

N38

N40

N52

N37

N56

N54

N33

N45

N53

N50

N42

N47

N48

N36

N43

N44

N46

N51

N35

N32

N39

N55

N34

N49

N41

"Wo

nd

er"

North west North east West

Fru

it m

ass

(g)

Integrated AF Practices

Home garden with orchard trees, vegetables, chickens

Tree fodder bank

Pig

s

Goats

House

Agroforest 3: Cereals and root crops with scattered trees, rotating Improved Fallows and contour hedges

Agroforest 1: Indigenous fruit, nut and timber species at high density (3 x 3m), with medicinal plants and shade crops

Agroforest 2: Indigenous fruit and nut trees at low density (10 x 10m) as shade over cash crops (coffee or cocoa)

Tree nursery

Boundary trees as a windbreak and for wood, timber and fuel

MFA will not be delivered by a single AF system. It will require a series of AF practices integrated across the farm

Public – Private Sector Partnerships

Participatory domestication of Allanblackia spp.

Public-Private-Partnership involving local communities, national and international researchers and Unilever plc.

Kernels contain a hard white fat high in oleic (39-49%) and stearic (52-58%) acids.

GLOBALIZATION LOCALIZATION 1750 ……………………………………………………………………………..……………………………………………. 1950 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2000 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Traditional agriculture National research by NARS National extension services NGOs and CBOs Farmer field schools Integrated natural resources management Participatory Rural Appraisal Agroforestry for soil fertility management Agroecology and Integrated Natural

Resources Management Participatory domestication and breeding Fair trade Water-user associations Promotion of indigenous species Equity and gender initiatives Recognition of farmer/community IPR GOAL Multifunctional agriculture Alleviation of poverty, hunger, malnutrition,

land degradation, climate change, etc.

Tropical plantations for export markets International commodity research Green Revolution Agribusiness for fertilizers/pesticides

and seeds Multinational companies for

commodity trade WTO trade agreements Biopiracy Biotechnology Commercial and industrial partnerships in developing countries Multi-national companies engage in Public-Private Partnerships Multi-national companies initiate business partnerships with communities in tropical countries

Breeding

Agricultural inputs

Genetic potential

Yield

Water

Pests, weeds

and diseases

Selection

Soil fertility

Marketing and trade

Tradition and Culture

Global policies

Biotechnology

Other products

Environmental services

Mechanization

Population control

GREEN REVOLUTION

GOAL Hunger

(IAASTD GOAL 1)

Industry

Biotechnology

Cropping system

Agroecosystem diversity

IPM

Public / Private

Partnerships

IAASTD GOAL 3

Livelihoods

IAASTD GOAL 2

Health and Nutrition

IAASTD GOAL 5

Social sustainability

IAASTD GOAL 4

Environmental sustainability

IAASTD GOAL 6

Economic growth

MultifunctionalAgriculture

Agroforestry is poised to be the implementing mechanism

Opportunities for Agroforestry arising out of MFA

Promote agroforestry as a key delivery mechanism for MFA – the proposed new paradigm for agricultural and rural development approved by 62 countries. Use MFA to improve public knowledge and understanding of the importance of agroforestry. Scale up agroforestry R&D to level having significant economic, social and environmental impacts.

Agroforestry has the potential for rapid adoption

• 1.8 billion involved and needy clients

• 1 billion hectares of land

For the adoption of Multifunctional Agriculture, agroforestry represents one of the “low hanging fruits” that can be implemented straight away.

Issues and Challenges raised by IAASTD

Authors were pleased to hear that AF is a contributor to MFA. They expressed their view that agroforesters were rather aloof and poorly integrated with Agriculturalists.

IAASTD process identified that Agroforestry has a PR image problem (100’s of reviewers).

AF = only 50,000 ha and it is well known to be a failure (cf: 1 billion hectares)

The AF Dissemination Continuum

Research Research publications

The AF Dissemination Continuum

Research Research publications

Transfer to farmers

The AF Dissemination Continuum

Research Research publications

Transfer to farmers Adoption

The AF Dissemination Continuum

Research Research publications

Transfer to farmers Adoption

Identification and quantification of impacts (QBL)

The AF Dissemination Continuum

Research Research publications

Transfer to farmers Adoption

Identification and quantification of impacts (QBL)

Communicate to policymakers

The AF Dissemination Continuum

Research Research publications

Transfer to farmers Adoption

Identification and quantification of impacts (QBL)

Communicate to policymakers

Communicate to the public:

TV, Press, Popular magazines

The AF Dissemination Continuum

Research Research publications

Transfer to farmers Adoption

Identification and quantification of impacts (QBL)

Communicate to policymakers

Communicate to the public:

TV, Press, Popular magazines

Primary and Secondary Education

The Challenge is not how to improve the lot of subsistence farmer households at the village level – it is how to scale the process up to tens of millions of people each year to meet the sustainable development goals.

Our ability to achieve this will be enhanced if agroforestry can be seen as the delivery mechanism for Multifunctional Agriculture.