Agroforestry as alternative land-use production systems for the tropics

Abstract

This paper deals with the suitability of agroforestry systems as a protective/productive land-use alternative for some regions of the tropics. To support this statement the following considerations are briefly drawn: ° the fragility of tropical soils the expansion of agriculture at expense of forest land the improvement of productivity and preservation of environmental conditions of misused cropland. Both economic and social role of forest trees and crops in combination (spatial and/or sequential) for the production of the rural poor is pointed out. Special attention is drawn to the environmental conditions for determining the potentials and limitations of agroforestry systems, notably: soil, climate, and microclimate, vegetation, pests and diseases. Perspectives of the use of agroforestry systems in soil conservation programs are analyzed