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Agroforestry systems as a profitable alternative to slash and burn practices in small-scale agriculture of the Brazilian Amazon

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Abstract

Agroforestry systems are widely recognized as an important way to address numerous environmental challenges in tropical areas. They represent a sustainable alternative form of land-use for small-scale agriculture, responding to the economic development needs of communities and offering a number of ecosystem services. This article presents an evaluation of the short- and medium-term profitability of two experimental agroforestry systems where fruit trees are predominant, which were established in 2009 in the Tapajós region of the Brazilian Amazon, state of Pará. An analysis of net present value (NPV) confirms that the two experimental systems studied recover their total implementation and operating costs within a 20 years time horizon. These results underlie that prices of inputs are stable and farmers have access to markets, credit, and agricultural knowledge. The two experimental systems are compared to plots under traditional slash-and-burn cultivation, and Bragantino system. The results support changes to public policies in order to facilitate alternatives to slash-and-burn cultivation by supporting access to credit, knowledge of alternative agricultural practices, transportation systems, and industries that transform agricultural products. The consideration of ecosystem services should add a supplementary argument in favour of policies that promote agroforestry systems and thus limit the practice of slash-and-burn subsistence agriculture.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GEOTOP, Université du Québec À Montréal, Succ. Centre-Ville, CP 8888, Montréal, QUÉBEC, H3C 3P8, Canada

    Stéphane Tremblay & Marc Lucotte

  2. Department Stratégie, Responsabilité Sociale Et Environnementale, Université Du Québec À Montréal, Succ. Centre-Ville, CP 8888, Montréal, QUÉBEC, H3C 3P8, Canada

    Jean-Pierre Revéret

  3. Biodôme de Montréal, 4777 Pierre-de-Coubertin, Montréal, QUÉBEC, H1V 1B3, Canada

    Robert Davidson

  4. Centro de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (CDS), Universidade de Brasília, Modulo C, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Gleba A, Asa Norte, Brasília, DF, Brazil

    Frédéric Mertens

  5. Faculty UnB at Planaltina, Universidade de Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil

    Carlos José Sousas Passos

  6. IRD (CAR)/Laboratoire de Géographie Physique (CNRS), 92195, Meudon, France

    Christina A. Romaña

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  1. Stéphane Tremblay
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  2. Marc Lucotte
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  3. Jean-Pierre Revéret
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  4. Robert Davidson
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  5. Frédéric Mertens
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  6. Carlos José Sousas Passos
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  7. Christina A. Romaña
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Correspondence to Stéphane Tremblay.

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Tremblay, S., Lucotte, M., Revéret, JP. et al. Agroforestry systems as a profitable alternative to slash and burn practices in small-scale agriculture of the Brazilian Amazon. Agroforest Syst 89, 193–204 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-014-9753-y

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