Agroforestry with annual crops: In many tropical regions, slash and burn practices remain common for land preparation, leading to risks of uncontrolled bush fires, soil fertility loss, erosion, biodiversity decline and increased weed, pest, and disease pressure.
At Ecotop, we promote the production of upland rice, beans, maize, and other food crops while implementing the principles of dynamic agroforestry. Through our participatory extension work with farmers in South America, Central America, Africa and Asia, we facilitate the rapid adoption of non-burning field preparation methods.
To improve the critical situation of cocoa production worldwide two main aspects have to be considered:
Stratification, high biodiversity, genetic diversity of cocoa cultivars, food security, high energy flow
Pruning, selective weeding, stratification, grafting, reducing densities of cocoa plants, elimination of unproductive cocoa trees, selection of locally adapted cocoa trees for propagation by grafting , periodic rejuvenation of the system.
Based on own practical experience ECOTOP developed during the last 20 years participatory capacity building and training programmes.
Understanding the interrelationships between processes within a specific ecosystem, within which inclusion is sought, is fundamental for sustainable agriculture. Each ecosystem has its own dynamics, which are different on a micro-regional level, but which have in common the principles of the dynamics of natural succession of species, both in terms of time and space. The starting point for the creation of an agro-ecosystem lies in the native ecosystem of the site (often niches of these ecosystems remain), trying to replicate them and improve them in regards to our agro-ecosystem.
By means of visits to innovative farmers that are implementing different dynamic agro-forestry systems, change processes can be encouraged. This without doubt implies that both designs and practice can be established in a participative manner and then rebuilt individually in the plots of land of each one of the participants. Consequently the methodological focus of training curricula should be thought of as a dynamic and eminently practical process, it is not a linear process. One of the fundamental methodological principles of this process is the development of practical skills by means of understanding the processes that govern nature and considering as well the specific social and cultural framework.
ECOTOP develops:
The agriculture sector is a potential contributor to the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission with a share of about 24 % of the total anthropogenic emission. Besides, the ongoing deforestation of tropical forests and the use of fire for land preparation is contributing considerably to global and local climate change. At the same time, there is a vast carbon sink potential in this sector including land use, land-use change, and forestry sector.
Resilience to climate change impacts is an essential virtue of Dynamic Agroforestry: Better soils mean healthier plants that can resist better to adverse conditions. Root systems reaching to different soil depths increase water use efficiency and thus a higher resistance to droughts. Working conditions are better in the shade. Trees are crucial in the water-air circulation system of the Amazon. High sequestration of carbon is a side effect of global relevance.
We help you to design models for productive dynamic agroforestry systems according to specific ecological site conditions and social-economic framework — a win-win situation for farmers and companies.
