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Indigenous knowledge in a ‘modern’ sustainable agroforestry system—a case study from eastern Brazil

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Abstract

The case of an agroforestry farm in the coastal mountain area of the federal state of Bahia, Brazil, is used to highlight benefits of the integration of traditional knowledge into a scientifically based farming system. Special attention is given to the selection, combination and management of the crops cultivated. Working hypotheses on the rationale of some major measures are suggested and discussed from a synecological point of view. The results show that under the site conditions the ‘forest garden’ provides cocoa yields without external inputs at a level which, in the surrounding cocoa plantations, can only be attained by the use of considerable amounts of fertilizer and pesticides.

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Schulz, B., Becker, B. & Götsch, E. Indigenous knowledge in a ‘modern’ sustainable agroforestry system—a case study from eastern Brazil. Agroforest Syst 25, 59–69 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00705706

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