Planning methods for agroforestry

Abstract

One of the major issues facing the world is the interrelated problem of deforestation and concurrent degradation of agricultural lands in tropical and subtropical nations. Agroforestry is one technique to help alleviate this problem. Implementation of newly developed agroforestry techniques in various places all over the world, has made it clear that:

• Problem solving cannot be limited to the individual farmstead or plot level from a social and ecological point of view.

• Existing landscapes present both constraints and opportunities for further land development.

• More appropriate agroforestry techniques can be applied by classifying landscape units and existing land-use systems.

• Planning is necessary because agroforestry requires a holistic perspective to be sustained during the long time necessary for implementation.

For these reasons, a review of planning methods used in agroforestry and suggestions for their improvement seems timely. Selected existing methods, with an emphasis on those being used in Kenya, are analyzed in terms of goals, community needs, site assesment, options for action, implementation, management, and evaluation. Our review was conducted through literature survey and interviews with key informants in Nairobi, Kenya; Wageningen, the Netherlands; and Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Landscape planning might be an approach that can be used with agroforestry to provide a more comprehensive perspective. The role of landscape planning in agroforestry projects is discussed in detail, using a study from Kenya for illustration.