Trees for life: The ecosystem service contribution of trees to food production and livelihoods in the tropics

Despite expanding interest in ecosystem service research over the past three decades, in-depth understanding of the contribution of forests and trees to food production and livelihoods remains limited. This review synthesizes the current evidence base examining the contribution of forest and trees t...

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Main Authors: Reed, J.D., Vianen, J. van, Foli, S., Clendenning, J., Yang, K., MacDonald, M., Petrokofsky, G., Padoch, Christine, Sunderland, Terry C.H.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/93929
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author Reed, J.D.
Vianen, J. van
Foli, S.
Clendenning, J.
Yang, K.
MacDonald, M.
Petrokofsky, G.
Padoch, Christine
Sunderland, Terry C.H.
author_browse Clendenning, J.
Foli, S.
MacDonald, M.
Padoch, Christine
Petrokofsky, G.
Reed, J.D.
Sunderland, Terry C.H.
Vianen, J. van
Yang, K.
author_facet Reed, J.D.
Vianen, J. van
Foli, S.
Clendenning, J.
Yang, K.
MacDonald, M.
Petrokofsky, G.
Padoch, Christine
Sunderland, Terry C.H.
author_sort Reed, J.D.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Despite expanding interest in ecosystem service research over the past three decades, in-depth understanding of the contribution of forests and trees to food production and livelihoods remains limited. This review synthesizes the current evidence base examining the contribution of forest and trees to agricultural production and livelihoods in the tropics, where production often occurs within complex land use mosaics that are increasingly subjected to concomitant climatic and anthropogenic pressures. Using systematic review methodology we found 74 studies investigating the effect of forest or tree-based ecosystem service provision on a range of outcomes such as crop yield, biomass, soil fertility, and income. Our findings suggest that when incorporating forests and trees within an appropriate and contextualized natural resource management strategy, there is potential to maintain, and in some cases, enhance yields comparable to solely monoculture systems. Furthermore, this review has illustrated the potential of achieving net livelihood gains through integrating trees on farms, providing rural farmers with additional income sources, and greater resilience strategies to adapt to market or climatic shocks. However, we also identify significant gaps in the current knowledge that demonstrate a need for larger-scale, longer term research to better understand the contribution of forest and trees within the broader landscape and their associated impacts on livelihoods and food production systems.
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spelling CGSpace939292025-06-17T08:24:05Z Trees for life: The ecosystem service contribution of trees to food production and livelihoods in the tropics Reed, J.D. Vianen, J. van Foli, S. Clendenning, J. Yang, K. MacDonald, M. Petrokofsky, G. Padoch, Christine Sunderland, Terry C.H. ecosystem services trees food security agroforestry livelihoods Despite expanding interest in ecosystem service research over the past three decades, in-depth understanding of the contribution of forests and trees to food production and livelihoods remains limited. This review synthesizes the current evidence base examining the contribution of forest and trees to agricultural production and livelihoods in the tropics, where production often occurs within complex land use mosaics that are increasingly subjected to concomitant climatic and anthropogenic pressures. Using systematic review methodology we found 74 studies investigating the effect of forest or tree-based ecosystem service provision on a range of outcomes such as crop yield, biomass, soil fertility, and income. Our findings suggest that when incorporating forests and trees within an appropriate and contextualized natural resource management strategy, there is potential to maintain, and in some cases, enhance yields comparable to solely monoculture systems. Furthermore, this review has illustrated the potential of achieving net livelihood gains through integrating trees on farms, providing rural farmers with additional income sources, and greater resilience strategies to adapt to market or climatic shocks. However, we also identify significant gaps in the current knowledge that demonstrate a need for larger-scale, longer term research to better understand the contribution of forest and trees within the broader landscape and their associated impacts on livelihoods and food production systems. 2017-11 2018-07-03T10:56:39Z 2018-07-03T10:56:39Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/93929 en Open Access Elsevier Reed, J., Van Vianen, J., Foli, S., Clendenning, J., Yang, K., MacDonald, M., Petrokofsky, G., Padoch, C., Sunderland, T.C.H.. 2017. Trees for life : The ecosystem service contribution of trees to food production and livelihoods in the tropics. Forest Policy and Economics, 84 : 62-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2017.01.012
spellingShingle ecosystem services
trees
food security
agroforestry
livelihoods
Reed, J.D.
Vianen, J. van
Foli, S.
Clendenning, J.
Yang, K.
MacDonald, M.
Petrokofsky, G.
Padoch, Christine
Sunderland, Terry C.H.
Trees for life: The ecosystem service contribution of trees to food production and livelihoods in the tropics
title Trees for life: The ecosystem service contribution of trees to food production and livelihoods in the tropics
title_full Trees for life: The ecosystem service contribution of trees to food production and livelihoods in the tropics
title_fullStr Trees for life: The ecosystem service contribution of trees to food production and livelihoods in the tropics
title_full_unstemmed Trees for life: The ecosystem service contribution of trees to food production and livelihoods in the tropics
title_short Trees for life: The ecosystem service contribution of trees to food production and livelihoods in the tropics
title_sort trees for life the ecosystem service contribution of trees to food production and livelihoods in the tropics
topic ecosystem services
trees
food security
agroforestry
livelihoods
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/93929
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