The economic potential of fruit trees as shade in blue mountain coffee agroecosystems of the Yallahs River watershed, Jamaica W.I.

Davis, Herlitz; Rice, Robert A.; Rockwood, Larry L.; Wood, Thomas O.; Marra, Peter P.

doi:10.1007/s10457-017-0152-z

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…These efforts have highlighted that traditional shade coffee systems provide viable habitat for taxa like birds, insects and mammals, including the early studies by Greenberg, which was the basis for the SMBC's creation of a shade certification for coffee-the Bird Friendly program (si.edu/ smbc). This research has also focused on the socio-economic benefits of coffee agroforestry systems-in particular the non-coffee products like fruits and wood that farmers can use or sell [71][72][73]. More recently, the ability of a shaded system to combat a number of the challenges that coffee farmers face due to climate disruption/change has also been discussed [72].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Soil fungal communities differ between shaded and sun-intensive coffee plantations in El Salvador

et al. 2020

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Coffea arabica is a highly traded commodity worldwide, and its plantations are habitat to a wide range of organisms. Coffee farmers are shifting away from traditional shade coffee farms in favor of sun-intensive, higher yield farms, which can impact local biodiversity. Using plant-associated microorganisms in biofertilizers, particularly fungi collected from local forests, to increase crop yields has gained traction among coffee producers. However, the taxonomic and spatial distribution of many fungi in coffee soil, nearby forests and biofertilizers is unknown. We collected soil samples from a sun coffee system, shade coffee system, and nearby forest from Izalco, Sonsonate, El Salvador. At each coffee system, we collected soil from the surface (upper) and 10 cm below the surface (lower), and from the coffee plant drip line (drip line) and the walkway between two plants (walkway). Forest soils were collected from the surface only. We used ITS metabarcoding to characterize fungal communities in soil and in the biofertilizer (applied in both coffee systems), and assigned fungal taxa to functional guilds using FUNGuild. In the sun and shade coffee systems, we found that drip line soil had higher richness in pathotrophs, symbiotrophs, and saprotrophs than walkway soil, suggesting that fungi select for microhabitats closer to coffee plants. Upper and lower soil depths did not differ in fungal richness or composition, which may reflect the shallow root system of Coffea arabica. Soil from shade, sun, and forest had similar numbers of fungal taxa, but differed dramatically in community composition, indicating that local habitat differences drive fungal species sorting among systems. Yet, some fungal taxa were shared among systems, including seven fungal taxa present in the biofertilizer. Understanding the distribution of coffee soil mycobiomes can be used to inform sustainable, ecologically friendly farming practices and identify candidate plant-growth promoting fungi for future studies.

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Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Soil fungal communities differ between shaded and sun-intensive coffee plantations in El Salvador

et al. 2020

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“…Our work highlights the notion that farmers who increase the prevalence of nitrogen‐fixing leguminous trees will also support more habitat for insectivorous birds, which may increase benefits of pest control and maximize total crop yields by the farm. Although fruit trees provide additional crops to sell and thus resources for the community (Davis, Rice, Rockwood, Wood & Marra, ; Rice ), these short‐term benefits, while potentially beneficial during times of low coffee prices or destructive bouts of weather or disease, may not outweigh the loss of long‐term economic benefits of increased soil nitrogen and biological pest control provided by birds. Needed are studies that identify to what extent particular tree species, or combinations of tree species, influence pest control and subsequent coffee production, and at what scale such species must be used to supply meaningful gains for the farmer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Canopy tree preference by insectivorous birds in shade‐coffee farms: Implications for migratory bird conservation

et al. 2019

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Land converted to coffee agriculture occupies >5 million hectares of what was once prime overwintering natural habitat in the American Neotropics for migrating birds. When tree canopy is retained or restored (i.e., shade‐grown), coffee farms can serve as habitat refuge for wildlife. Yet few studies have examined whether canopy tree identity impacts habitat quality for biodiversity. Specifically, whether or not certain tree species are disproportionately important for foraging insectivorous birds remains unclear. In this study, we quantified bird foraging activity on 22 tree species in two Latin American Bird Friendly© coffee farms. Specifically, we conducted timed observations on focal trees to determine 1) tree preferences, 2) foraging bird abundance, 3) foraging time, and 4) species richness of birds using each canopy tree species. We found that birds did not forage randomly, and instead exhibited preferences for particular native tree species. Nitrogen‐fixing Fabaceae were consistently used more frequently, supported more resident and migratory birds for longer periods of time, and supported more bird species than trees in other families. We posit that the potential mechanism contributing to tree preferences is the increase in insect abundance and diversity that provide high‐quality food for insectivores but do not present pest problems for coffee. Thus, tree species that support insects may provide multiple benefits for farmers in the form of bottom‐up soil fertilization and top‐down pest control. This study provides evidence that agroforestry land can be improved for birds of conservation concern by prioritizing canopy tree species that help birds and farm productivity.

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“…Just over half (51%) of the respondents indicated that they practice agroforestry. Agroforestry is widely promoted across Jamaica as an ecosystem-based adaptation practice with sound conservation value and economic potential for small farmers (Davis et al, 2017).…”

Section: Livelihood Satisfaction and Wild Food Harvestmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In SIDS, biodiversity loss from traditional agroecosystems has been identified as one of the most serious threats to food and livelihoods security (Balzan et al, 2018). Agroecological approaches that included community planning, indigenous knowledge, attention to inequalities and a range of practices such as agroforestry, kitchen gardens, cover crops, polycultures, and forest conservation have been found to provide multiple co-benefits to food security, biodiversity conservation, improved well-being, and climate adaptation (Davis et al, 2017;Buckwell, 2019). Davis et al (2017) found that the food security challenges facing Jamaican farmers can be alleviated by improved marketing of fruit tree products-which also provide multiple benefits to watershed management.…”

Section: Livelihood Satisfaction and Wild Food Harvestmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wild Food Harvest, Food Security, and Biodiversity Conservation in Jamaica: A Case Study of the Millbank Farming Region

Campbell¹,

Moulton²,

Barker³

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Harvesting wild food is an important coping strategy to deal with food insecurity in farming households across the Caribbean. The practice is tightly connected to the region's unique agrarian history, food heritage, traditional cuisine, and local knowledge of wild or semidomesticated plants. In Jamaica, small-scale farmers are the chief stewards of agrobiodiversity, and their food security and well-being are often dependent on wild food harvest. Yet, there is a paucity of empirical research on the relationship between wild food use, food security, and biodiversity conservation. In this paper, we use the knowledge and lived experience of rural farmers in a remote community (Millbank) at the edge of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (BJMNP) to explore the relationship between wild food harvest and food insecurity within the context of protected area management. Specifically, we seek to (1) characterize different patterns of wild food harvest; (2) examine the relationship between food insecurity and wild food harvest, and (3) explore the implications of forest conservation measures for wild food harvest. Detailed interviews were conducted with 43 farmers to capture data on food insecurity, wild food collection, livelihood satisfaction, household characteristics, farming activities, livelihood strategies, and forest resource interaction. The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) was used to characterize food insecurity, while participatory techniques were used to develop indicators to assess the well-being of farmers. The results show strong evidence of a relationship between wild food harvest and food insecurity (p < 0.001). Overall, the findings support the importance of wild foods to the well-being of rural households and provide empirical evidence for its inclusion in food security, poverty, and biodiversity conservation policies.

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The economic potential of fruit trees as shade in blue mountain coffee agroecosystems of the Yallahs River watershed, Jamaica W.I.

Cited by 17 publications

References 22 publications

Soil fungal communities differ between shaded and sun-intensive coffee plantations in El Salvador

Soil fungal communities differ between shaded and sun-intensive coffee plantations in El Salvador

Canopy tree preference by insectivorous birds in shade‐coffee farms: Implications for migratory bird conservation

Wild Food Harvest, Food Security, and Biodiversity Conservation in Jamaica: A Case Study of the Millbank Farming Region

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