Open access copy available
Tree species diversity and vegetation structure in shade coffee farms in Veracruz, MexicoBackgroundWhile some studies have argued that shade coffee enables similar biodiversity to remnant forest fragments, others contest that the ecological functions of shade coffee can be assumed to be the same or that policies promoting shade coffee will also benefit remnant forest fragments. Not all taxa have been thoroughly studied in shade coffee. This study reports on tree species diversity and vegetation structure in shade coffee farms in Veracruz, Mexico. Open access copy available |
Coffee Agroforestry Systems in Central America: I. A Review of Quantitative Information on Physiological and Ecological ProcessesBackgroundCoffee (Coffea arabica, L.) is the most widely grown cash crop in Central America. While previous research identified various environmental factors that affect its growth and yield, the authors believe that quantitative knowledge of coffee and other tropical agroforestry systems is still limited. This article provides both a literature review and a summary of quantitative data necessary to develop process-based models for coffee agroforestry systems in Central America. Open access copy available |
Vilcanota Valley Rehabilitation and Management ProjectOpen access copy available |
Biodiversity Conservation in Traditional Coffee Systems of MexicoBackgroundThis article discusses the capacity of traditional coffee agroforestry systems for maintaining biodiversity levels. Research Goals & MethodsThe authors describe five coffee plantation systems based on differing vegetational and structural complexity: (1) traditional rustic, (2) traditional polyculture, (3) commercial polyculture, (4) shaded monoculture, and (5) unshaded monoculture. Open access copy available |
ITTO Guidelines for the Restoration, Management, and Rehabilitation of Degraded and Secondary Tropical ForestsbackgroundThis guide provides detailed information on the tools and concepts for rehabilitating and managing degraded forests and secondary forests. These lands have an often unrecognized ability and potential for providing valuable ecosystem services and provisioning timber, NTFPs, and other goods. Open access copy available |
Multifunctional Shade-Tree Management in Tropical Agroforestry Landscapes – A ReviewbackgroundThis article discusses the benefits of shade systems in the production of cacao and coffee crops, with a particular focus on the long-term cycle of cacao production. Open access copy available |
Use of the Amazonian Tree Species Inga edulis for Soil Regeneration and Weed ControlbackgroundThis article presents research on leguminous tree-based fallows using Inga edulis in Peru. Research Goals & MethodsFour treatments were compared over a period of nearly 3 years: 1) natural fallow, 2) fallow with I. edulis, 3) fallow with I. edulis combined with a cover crop of kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides), and 4) continuous cropping of cassava. Open access copy available |
Biomass Growth and Farmer Knowledge of Inga edulis in Peruvian AmazonbackgroundThis study develops an equation for diameter-based biomass estimation of Inga edulis. The tree is widely grown in the Peruvian Amazon as a naturally occurring early-successional tree and in small farms and gardens for fruit and fuelwood. Open access copy available |
How to Improve Adoption of Agroforestry Systems Among Small Farmers in Peruvian AmazonbackgroundThis article surveys factors affecting the acceptibility rate of a multistrata agroforestry system. Research Goals & MethodsSmall farmers from three communities in central Peru were surveyed and data was collected on farm and houshold characteristics, cultivated crops and tree species, and agroforestry practices. Open access copy available |
Estimación de la cantidad de carbono capturado por el fuste del hualtaco (Loxopterigium huasango) en el bosque seco de Sullana, Piura - PerúEsta investigación evalúa la habilidad del Hualtaco (Loxopterigium husango) de capturar el carbono en el Bosque Seco del Perú. Los datos de biomasa y carbono fueron obtenidos de forma directa con base a las muestras recolectadas del bosque seco semidenso de Colina del Distrito de Lancones, provincia de Sullana en la región Piura, Perú. Los autores presentan sus resultados incluyendo la fracción de carbono para la especie (0,47), el contenido promedio de carbono (66,61 kg) y carbono equivalente (245,41 kg) por individuo, y la correlación entre la cantidad de carbono otros indicadores de crecimiento. Open access copy available |
