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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Autores principales: Do, V.H., La, N., Mulia, R., Bergkvist, Goran, Dahlin, A.S., Nguyen, V.T., Pham, H.T., Öborn, I.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: MDPI 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113339
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author Do, V.H.
La, N.
Mulia, R.
Bergkvist, Goran
Dahlin, A.S.
Nguyen, V.T.
Pham, H.T.
Öborn, I.
author_browse Bergkvist, Goran
Dahlin, A.S.
Do, V.H.
La, N.
Mulia, R.
Nguyen, V.T.
Pham, H.T.
Öborn, I.
author_facet Do, V.H.
La, N.
Mulia, R.
Bergkvist, Goran
Dahlin, A.S.
Nguyen, V.T.
Pham, H.T.
Öborn, I.
author_sort Do, V.H.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
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 (Dimocarpus longan Lour.)-maize-forage grass and son tra (Docynia indica (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.
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spelling CGSpace1133392024-06-26T10:09:14Z Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment Do, V.H. La, N. Mulia, R. Bergkvist, Goran Dahlin, A.S. Nguyen, V.T. Pham, H.T. Öborn, I. agroforestry systems small scale farming ecology 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 (Dimocarpus longan Lour.)-maize-forage grass and son tra (Docynia indica (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. 2020-11-17 2021-04-14T04:17:11Z 2021-04-14T04:17:11Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113339 en Open Access MDPI Do, V.H., La, N., Mulia, R., Bergkvist, G., Dahlin, A.S., Nguyen, V.T., Pham, H.T. and Öborn, I., 2020. Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment. Land, 9(11), 451. https://doi.org/10.3390/land9110451
spellingShingle agroforestry systems
small scale farming
ecology
Do, V.H.
La, N.
Mulia, R.
Bergkvist, Goran
Dahlin, A.S.
Nguyen, V.T.
Pham, H.T.
Öborn, I.
Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment
title 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_short 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
topic agroforestry systems
small scale farming
ecology
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113339
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