Cacao (Theobroma cacao) cultivation maintaining a high proportion of shade trees in a diverse composition (agroforestry) is currently being viewed as a sustainable land use practice. Our research hypothesis was that cacao agroforests (AF) can support relatively high tree diversity, as compared to surrounding primary and/or secondary forests. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of forest conversion on tree communities by comparing tree composition, community characteristics (richness and diversity) and spatial structure (density, canopy height, basal area) among primary forest, secondary forest, and cacao AF. In total, we collected data from 30 25 × 25 m plots on three land use systems (20 in cacao AF, five in secondary, and five in primary forests) in San Alejandro, Peruvian Amazon. All trees with DBH 10 cm were counted, identified to species, and their height and DBH were recorded. Our results support the hypothesis that cacao AF present a relatively high tree species richness and diversity, although they are no substitute for natural habitats. We identified most common species used for shading cacao. Tree species composition similarity was highest between cacao AF and secondary forest. Vegetation structure (density, height, DBH) was significantly lower compared to primary and secondary forest. Species richness and diversity were found to be highest in the primary forest, but cacao AF and secondary forests were fairly comparable. The tree species cultivated in cacao AF are very different from those found in primary forest, so we question whether the relatively high tree diversity and richness is able to support much of the diversity of original flora and fauna.
Tag: cacao
Livelihood strategies and land use system dynamics in Gorontalo
The project ‘Agroforestry and forestry in Sulawesi: linking knowledge with action’ (AgFor Sulawesi) project is being implemented in three provinces of Sulawesi, Indonesia (South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and Gorontalo) from 2011 to 2016 to enhance agroforestry and forestry livelihood systems in rural communities. The baseline survey reported in this document was conducted to support the project. The main objectives were to study the general characteristics of community livelihoods, local farming systems and land-use systems, based on community perspectives. The assessment of land-use dynamics, farming systems and livelihood strategies in two districts of Gorontalo was considered essential for designing the next phase of the project. The livelihood baseline study addressed both community and household levels. The results of group discussion show the dynamics of land use and diversity of livelihood strategies among village typologies. Maize and vegetables, as well as agroforestry based systems of plantation crops such as coconut, cacao and clove dominate the land use in all the village typologies. In general, community livelihood strategies are dominated by maize, vegetables, and agroforestry tree based products. Further analysis of household-level information indicates that the number of male and female household members are relatively similar in all villages in all typologies and the majority of household heads were from the Gorontalo tribe. The educational level in Typology 4 villages, especially in Modelidu, is the lowest compared to other respondents. The level of education in the other typologies are relatively similar, with female education level slightly lower than men. Land tenure status is relatively equal for most typologies, the land owned together by husband and wife – in others the husband has the greatest responsibility. The cultivated land is generally located on private land in the village (Typology 1, Typology 4 and Typology 5). The others work more land in protected forests and production forests (Typology 2 and Typology 3). Household level analysis also showed that the average annual income per household in Typology 1 is lower compared with other typologies. The main source of income for farmers is also different for each village: Typology 1 sourced from maize yields and agricultural wages; Typology 2 from nonagricultural wages and maize; Typology 3 from maize, chili and agricultural wages; Typology 4 from agroforestry gardens; and Typology 5 from coconut and non-agricultural wages. Sources of income from agriculture (58-88%) is higher than non-agriculture (12-42%) in all the village typologies. The income per capita of farmers in Typology 1 is lower than in other typologies. Meanwhile farmers in Typology 4 are comparatively the most affluent: revenue per capita per day of farmers in Typology 4 almost doubled compared to farmers in other typologies.