Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment
Rapid expansion of unsustainable farming practices in upland areas of Southeast Asia threatens food security and the environment. This study assessed alternative agroforestry systems for sustainable land management and livelihood improvement in northwest Vietnam. The performance of fruit tree-based...
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doaj-4a12c2e9f9604cc5b404f1062a5bebb12020-11-25T04:02:59ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2020-11-01945145110.3390/land9110451Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative AssessmentVan Hung Do0Nguyen La1Rachmat Mulia2Göran Bergkvist3A. Sigrun Dahlin4Van Thach Nguyen5Huu Thuong Pham6Ingrid Öborn7World Agroforestry (ICRAF) Vietnam, 249A Thuy Khue Street, Thuy Khue Ward, Tay Ho District, Hanoi, VietnamWorld Agroforestry (ICRAF) Vietnam, 249A Thuy Khue Street, Thuy Khue Ward, Tay Ho District, Hanoi, VietnamWorld Agroforestry (ICRAF) Vietnam, 249A Thuy Khue Street, Thuy Khue Ward, Tay Ho District, Hanoi, VietnamDepartment of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7043, 750 07 Uppsala, SwedenDepartment of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7014, 750 07 Uppsala, SwedenWorld Agroforestry (ICRAF) Vietnam, 249A Thuy Khue Street, Thuy Khue Ward, Tay Ho District, Hanoi, VietnamWorld Agroforestry (ICRAF) Vietnam, 249A Thuy Khue Street, Thuy Khue Ward, Tay Ho District, Hanoi, VietnamDepartment of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7043, 750 07 Uppsala, SwedenRapid expansion of unsustainable farming practices in upland areas of Southeast Asia threatens food security and the environment. This study assessed alternative agroforestry systems for sustainable land management and livelihood improvement in northwest Vietnam. The performance of fruit tree-based agroforestry was compared with that of sole cropping, and farmers’ perspectives on agroforestry were documented. After seven years, longan (<i>Dimocarpus longan</i> Lour.)-maize-forage grass and son tra (<i>Docynia indica</i> (Wall.) Decne)-forage grass systems had generated 2.4- and 3.5-fold higher average annual income than sole maize and sole son tra, respectively. Sole longan gave no net profit, due to high investment costs. After some years, competition developed between the crop, grass, and tree components, e.g., for nitrogen, and the farmers interviewed reported a need to adapt management practices to optimise spacing and pruning. They also reported that agroforestry enhanced ecosystem services by controlling surface runoff and erosion, increasing soil fertility and improving resilience to extreme weather. Thus, agroforestry practices with fruit trees can be more profitable than sole-crop cultivation within a few years. Integration of seasonal and fast-growing perennial plants (e.g., grass) is essential to ensure quick returns. Wider adoption needs initial incentives or loans, knowledge exchange, and market links.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/11/451fruit tree-based agroforestryeconomic benefitsecosystem servicesfarmer perspectivesresource competitionsystems improvement |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Van Hung Do Nguyen La Rachmat Mulia Göran Bergkvist A. Sigrun Dahlin Van Thach Nguyen Huu Thuong Pham Ingrid Öborn |
spellingShingle |
Van Hung Do Nguyen La Rachmat Mulia Göran Bergkvist A. Sigrun Dahlin Van Thach Nguyen Huu Thuong Pham Ingrid Öborn Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment Land fruit tree-based agroforestry economic benefits ecosystem services farmer perspectives resource competition systems improvement |
author_facet |
Van Hung Do Nguyen La Rachmat Mulia Göran Bergkvist A. Sigrun Dahlin Van Thach Nguyen Huu Thuong Pham Ingrid Öborn |
author_sort |
Van Hung Do |
title |
Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment |
title_short |
Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment |
title_full |
Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment |
title_fullStr |
Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment |
title_full_unstemmed |
Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment |
title_sort |
fruit tree-based agroforestry systems for smallholder farmers in northwest vietnam—a quantitative and qualitative assessment |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Land |
issn |
2073-445X |
publishDate |
2020-11-01 |
description |
Rapid expansion of unsustainable farming practices in upland areas of Southeast Asia threatens food security and the environment. This study assessed alternative agroforestry systems for sustainable land management and livelihood improvement in northwest Vietnam. The performance of fruit tree-based agroforestry was compared with that of sole cropping, and farmers’ perspectives on agroforestry were documented. After seven years, longan (<i>Dimocarpus longan</i> Lour.)-maize-forage grass and son tra (<i>Docynia indica</i> (Wall.) Decne)-forage grass systems had generated 2.4- and 3.5-fold higher average annual income than sole maize and sole son tra, respectively. Sole longan gave no net profit, due to high investment costs. After some years, competition developed between the crop, grass, and tree components, e.g., for nitrogen, and the farmers interviewed reported a need to adapt management practices to optimise spacing and pruning. They also reported that agroforestry enhanced ecosystem services by controlling surface runoff and erosion, increasing soil fertility and improving resilience to extreme weather. Thus, agroforestry practices with fruit trees can be more profitable than sole-crop cultivation within a few years. Integration of seasonal and fast-growing perennial plants (e.g., grass) is essential to ensure quick returns. Wider adoption needs initial incentives or loans, knowledge exchange, and market links. |
topic |
fruit tree-based agroforestry economic benefits ecosystem services farmer perspectives resource competition systems improvement |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/11/451 |
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