Comparing tree diversity and composition in coffee farms and sacred forests in the Western Ghats of India

Ambinakudige, Shrinidhi; Sathish, B. N.

doi:10.1007/s10531-008-9502-5

Cited by 60 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…On the other hand, studies that have examined tree biodiversity in agroforestry systems have found higher levels of tree biodiversity in the more rustic, less intensively managed agroforests (Moguel and Toledo 1999, Reynoso 2004, López-Gómez et al 2008, Asase et al 2010) and shifts in tree species community composition in agroforests as compared to forests (Ambinakudige and Sathish 2008, Anglaaere et al 2011, Valencia et al 2014. Studies have also found that pioneer trees tend to dominate agroforestry systems (Rolim and Chiarello 2004, Bandeira et al 2005, Valencia et al 2014.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of farmers' knowledge in coffee agroforestry management: implications for the conservation of tree biodiversity

et al. 2015

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Citation: Valencia, V., P. West, E. Sterling, L. García-Barrios, and S. Naeem. 2015. The use of farmers' knowledge in coffee agroforestry management: implications for the conservation of tree biodiversity. Ecosphere 6(7):122. http://dx.doi.org/10. 1890/ES14-00428.1Abstract. In agroforestry systems, the survival of shade trees is often the result of farmers' deliberate selection. Therefore, how communities generate knowledge and apply it to resource management practices influence the potential for biodiversity conservation of agroforestry systems. In this study, we investigated the use of knowledge by farmers to manage coffee (Coffea arabica) agroforests and the consequences for the conservation of tree biodiversity and composition of surrounding forests. We interviewed 50 coffee farmers to investigate their shade tree preferences and sources of knowledge of the properties of shade trees and coffee management practices; we also conducted tree inventories in 31 coffee farms and 10 forest sites in La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico. Our results showed that farmers are modifying agroforests according to their knowledge and tree preferences, and that the resulting agroforest is lower in tree diversity and dominated by pioneer and farmers' preferred tree species as compared to forests. The principal sources of knowledge of management practices are external sources, such as governmental and non-governmental organizations, whereas the primary source of tree specific knowledge is empirical knowledge. We found that the higher proportion of pioneer trees relative to forest is mostly explained by farmers' tree selection decisions (63%) rather than as a byproduct of management practices (37%) that disturb the soil and open the canopy, altering light penetration and microclimate conditions. Based on interviews and tree inventories, we found that farmers gradually replace canopy trees of neutral and disliked species by preferred species, in particular Inga spp. We found that external sources continue to promote the idea that Inga spp. trees bring significant benefits to coffee production in spite of a lack of scientific evidence to support this claim. This indicates that farmers are receptive to incorporate outside knowledge into their knowledge systems and adapt their resource management practices accordingly. Our findings highlight the importance of disseminating sound and clear scientific information to practitioners who work directly with farming communities to ensure that accurate and up-to-date information is being contributed to local knowledge systems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of farmers' knowledge in coffee agroforestry management: implications for the conservation of tree biodiversity

et al. 2015

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“…Therefore, rice was replaced with a more beneficial ginger crop in rice paddies. Finally, extension of coffee into forest and government lands has changed the tree density and composition (Ambinakudige and Sathish, 2008), a change that ultimately resulted in land degradation. Based on the results and analysis in this study, it is clear that LULC change and land degradations are not just the consequences of household-level decisions but are a complex mixture of social, political and economic forces operating at global, regional and local levels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, in the Western Ghats of India, agricultural expansion is seen as one of the major causes of deforestation (Menon and Bawa, 1998). The area under coffee cultivation in the Western Ghats has increased significantly in the last century and is considered to be one of the major causes of deforestation in the region (Menon and Bawa, 1998;Ambinakudige and Sathish, 2008). Coffee being a global commodity, the collapse of international coffee agreement in the 1989 significantly affected farmers' land-use decisions and livelihood outcomes throughout the coffee-growing areas in the world (Talbot, 2004;Ambinakudige, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global coffee market influence on land‐use and land‐cover change in the Western Ghats Of India

Ambinakudige

Choi

2009

Land Degrad Dev

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In this study, we used image-processing techniques to examine the spatial pattern of land-use and land-cover (LULC) change that occurred in the coffee growing area in the Western Ghats of India during the international coffee crisis in the 1990s. The study also ascertains the driving forces of these changes using qualitative research methods that include archival studies and interviews of knowledgeable individuals. We analyzed Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) for 1991 and Landsat ETMþ for 2002 to quantify LULC. Historical land-use changes in different land ownership regimes were also analyzed. Global coffee market fluctuations were found to be the major cause of landscape change in the study region. When the global coffee prices increased, more forested areas were cleared for coffee cultivation. Failure of global coffee market forced farmers to convert land from subsistence farming (rice) to short-period commercial crops like ginger. This also resulted in land degradation in rice paddies. For the farmers in the Western Ghats, LULC decisions are one of the methods used to cope with the vulnerability created due to the international coffee crisis.

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“…This region is considered as a biodiversity hotspot (Ambinakudige and Sathish, 2008). Forests represent almost 50% of this landscape, and coffee estates about 30%.…”

Section: Case Study Review Coffee Agroforests In the Western Ghats Imentioning

confidence: 99%

How Have Environmental Concepts Reshaped the Agroforestry Concept?

Barisaux¹

2017

Bois for. trop.

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Environmental sciences and concepts have evolved a great deal in the last three decades. This study aims to account for the way environmental concepts have changed and to describe the conse- quences for the concept of agroforestry. The study is based on a bibliometric ana- lysis carried out on the Web of Science, and summarizes the literature collected on the subject. Examples are given to support the analysis: agroforestry-based coffee-growing in the Western Ghats in India, cocoa in Ivory Coast and jungle rubber in Indonesia. Agroforestry evol- ved considerably with the emergence of the biodiversity and ecosystem concepts, and conservation science now also covers ecosystems that have been modi- fied by humans. The development of agroforestry can be compared with that of agroecology: a study on the Web of Science shows a similar pattern in the last two decades. Although the recognition of agroecology as a science has introduced new ways of managing agroforestry sys- tems, the way agroforestry has deve- loped and its broad scope of application may have disconnected it somewhat from reality on the ground and from the far- mers who actually practice it. Precautions are therefore needed in designing and managing these systems: farmers’ expec- tations, in contexts that are determined at once by social, economic and political factors, must not be ignored, and agrofo- restry systems should not be exclusively geared to productivity. Agroforestry can- not evolve as an environmental concept if it is voided of its most fundamental goal, which is to bring sustainable improve- ments to farming livelihoods.

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Comparing tree diversity and composition in coffee farms and sacred forests in the Western Ghats of India

Cited by 60 publications

References 21 publications

The use of farmers' knowledge in coffee agroforestry management: implications for the conservation of tree biodiversity

The use of farmers' knowledge in coffee agroforestry management: implications for the conservation of tree biodiversity

Global coffee market influence on land‐use and land‐cover change in the Western Ghats Of India

How Have Environmental Concepts Reshaped the Agroforestry Concept?

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