agroforestry systems

with perennial crops

Improving banana agroecosystem productivity: Lessons for integrated systems integration

C. Staver, P. Siles, O. Bustamante, N. Castellon, S. Mpiira

Bananas – mixed cropping

Bananas – backyard Bananas – perennial crops

Smallholder bananas

Farmer technology

Rapid shade Easy to manage

Food Feed Food Feed

Regular monthly income Food Feed

Crop residue Soil cover

What can science contribute to improve smallholder management

of complex systems?

Multi-strata coffee with banana 4 countries Latin America Mixed food and perennial crops

with banana – Central Uganda

5

Farmers and scientists prototype intensification approaches

6

Costa Rica Honduras Nicaragua Perú

Productive coffee

(%) 31±4 48±7 51±5 52±5

Coffee Density

(plants ha-1) 4244±242 4736±248 4845±173 5098±256

Banana Density

(plants ha-1) 601±55 302±25 354±25 386±32

Tree Density

(Number ha-1) 553±57 163±12 185±19 197±15

Basal area trees

(m2 ha-1) 16.4±1.9 10.2±1.1 8.2±0.7 9.1±0.8

Species Richness

(trees) 4.4 6.6 6.8 3.8

Results: diagnostic shaded coffee with bananas

Costa Rica

Honduras Nicaragua Perú

Percent Light to coffee (%)

46±3 35±2.3 45±3 39±2

Percent Light to Banana (%)

68±2 72±3 66±3 50±2

Banana present above coffee (%)

61±5 52±3 61±4 56±4

Tree present above banana (%)

38±5 63±6 45±4 73±7

Light in different strata – shaded coffee with banana

Priorities – Farmer proposed after 3 meetings on the state of coffee, trees, bananas, costs

- coffee pruning

- banana/coffee nutrition and fertilization

- banana/tree spacing and mgmt

- Panama disease

- more value for bananas

Peso d

el ra

cim

o (

Kg)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Gros Michel

Williams

Datil

Minima 25% 50% 75%PAR (mol m

-2 s

-1)

0 500 1000 1500 2000

An (

mol m

-2 s

-1)

0

10

20

30

40

75% Light

50% Light

25% Light

100% Light

Fot

osín

tesi

s ne

ta (

mol

m-

2 s-1

)

RAFA (mol m-2s-1)

Banana response to partial light - agroforestry

- Minimal effect of 25-35% light reduction - Bigger bunch partial light cultivar Gros Michel - Gros Michel bunches even in deep shade

11

¿How many bananas with still acceptable coffee yield?

Tree shade: 25-35%

Light to coffee plants: 50%

Sombra de platano: ??

12

13

Better prices for banana – farmer initiatives Now Before

Volume 2,206

crates

356 sacos

Sale price 28 70

Gross Income 61,768 24,951

Marketing Costs 22,060 12,104

Net Income 39,708 12,847

Increased income 3 times

Before

Now

Steps: - Reconnaissance of possible markets

by farmer commission;

- ID of promising options grower group

- Feasibility study of alternative options

- Pilot marketing and expansion

What is the role of trees and shrubs as mulch and fodder in banana productivity maintenance/improvement?

Kikyusa Kisweeka Mateete

Banana mats/farm: 355 291 571

Trees/farm: 23 15 11

% Households with livestock: 68 31 29

% households manure banana: 17% 18 24

% households mulch banana: 25% 18 21

% bananas under trees: 4.7% 6.7 1.6

% trees pruned: 9% 7 7

Diagnostic: components and their linkages

Co-existence on farm, although not highly integrated

Good neighbor trees for banana: Albizia, Ficus

Bananas friendly to neighboring trees: kibuzi, kisana

Trees/shrubs for fodder: ficus, jackfruit, mango,

Banana response to manure and mulch?

Fodder needed to feed a zero-grazed goat?

Tree/fodder species for energy and protein?

Tree/shrub productivity in dry and wet season?

Manure produced by zero-grazed goat?

Calculations

Field measurements

20 69 households in three zones

Tools and guidelines

More goats

More shrub fodder

More manure More, bigger bunches

Integrated smallholder systems intensification

Emerging useful approaches

New knowledge essential: simple, complicated, complex

- Symptom recognition Fusarium, but not sucker transmission and long life in soil - All components already on farm (bananas, goats, trees, shrubs, manure) but new way of using them

Integrated smallholder systems intensification

Emerging useful approaches

Agroecosystem processes – observation/decision tools

- Nutrient balance applied to mixed system - Using free light and water for biomass production mulch, fodder, others - System design for pest/disease mgmt

Integrated smallholder systems intensification

Emerging useful approaches

Iterative, adaptive learning approaches to generate prototypes

- Improved decision making/figure out how to start

- Cost calculations to filter agroecosystem options -Who else in the household is implicated

- Consideration of alternative intensification pathways

Integrated smallholder systems intensification

What we did not do, but saw relevance

Food security Dietary diversity

Ecosystem services water

Household typologies

Chaos Coffee rust in 2013

Innovation systems Next generation of prototypes

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