Introduction to the special issue “scaling up of agroforestry innovations: enhancing food, nutrition and income security”

Abstract

It is more and more acknowledged that agroecological innovations, such as agroforestry practices, should be co-created through a combination of research and traditional knowledge, be context adaptable, and meet the needs of producers and consumers. The word ''innovation'' recognises that agroforestry practices do exist everywhere in the world. However, to be able to effectively respond to global challenges and changes (demography and social changes, climate, local to international markets), speaking about ''innovations'' implies that these practices could be improved or transformed or reintroduced everywhere they had disappeared or are in decline. This reality is still current despite the significant number of research and innovation programmes, the volume of mobilized funds and the number of participating organizations. Increasing adoption of agroforestry practices also requires long term planning and coordination because trees' life cycles are often longer than human life. This special issue includes papers on some agroforestry innovations that merit consideration for scaling up, on successful experiences that answer priorities expressed by stakeholders while taking into account their constraints, and on systemic approaches and frameworks to the development of more comprehensive perspectives on scaling up.

Farmer’s Perceptions of Agroforestry Practices, Contributions to Rural Household Farm Income, and Their Determinants in Sodo Zuria District, Southern Ethiopia

“…Te growth of trees in agricultural landscapes, known as agroforestry, has the potential to achieve sustainable agriculture in smallholder agriculture [11][12][13][14]. Over extended periods of time, agroforestry methods have evolved in response to interactions between agroecological conditions, plant diversity, and farmer resources and demand [11,[15][16][17][18]. Te various multipurpose trees and shrubs planted in agroforestry systems can provide the community with a variety of services and goods critical to rural livelihoods [19][20][21][22].…”