the contribution of forests and trees to food production in the tropics: a systematic review
TRANSCRIPT
The contribution of forests and trees to food production in the tropics: A systematic reviewJames Reed, Samson Foli, Josh van Vianen, Jessica Clendenning, Gillian Petrokofsky, Kevin Yang, Margaret MacDonald, Christine Paddoch, Terry Sunderland
WFC 2015, Durban. Friday 11th September, 2015
Rationale for this review
• Ecosystem services (ES) are regarded as the structure and functions of terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems that result in both goods and services being produced that contribute to support human wellbeing.
• The last three decades has seen an exponential rise in ecosystem service related publications.
• This study was designed to assess the literature base for both the positive (ES) and negative (EDS) functions of forests, trees and agroforestry in relation to food production.
Objectives Review and synthesize the currently fragmented
evidence base Identify in which scenarios forests and trees are
impacting food production Identify where evidence gaps exist Provide evidence that will help guide future
research efforts and policy making decisions
MethodsDevelop search terms… ..and apply to
literature sources
Main terms:Forest, ecosystem service, Farm system, food production
Methods
Exclusion Criteria:• Non-English studies.• Non-empirical evidence. Literature reviews, conceptualizations, and
opinion pieces may be used to cross-reference comprehensiveness of the search strategy but are excluded from the final review, as are projections and scenario models.
• Studies of ecosystem servicing provision at a global scale.• Studies which fall outside the geographic scope of the review (humid
and dry tropics).
Review statistics
63,253 scoping results in WoK using expanded search terms
7,576 Publications captured with refined search termsAll TITLES screened
321 results from initial main search terms trialed in WoK
1,314 Relevant studies All ABSTRACTS screened
240 Relevant studiesAll FULL TEXTS screened
85 Final studies of relevance
Results
Results
Results
Results
Conclusions• The temporal and spatial scales of the studies identified in this review
point to clear gaps in the current understanding of the contribution of forest and trees to agriculture
• The majority of studies were conducted in AFS < 4Ha. and over < 3 year study periods
• The majority of studies showed an overall net positive effect of tree presence on one or more of the following parameters: yield, resource maintenance, biodiversity and income
• Findings reveal that the provisioning of forest ecosystem services to food production do not act in isolation and a range of potential outcomes and trade-offs should be considered in management strategies
Implications for future research investigate the effect of off-farm trees and forest patches
on proximate food production systems. examine the role of forest ecosystem service provision
over greater spatial and temporal scales. assess how these services interact with other system
functions.
Implications for policy and practice
• Decision-makers and practitioners need to recognize the value of incorporating trees on and off-farm (both economic and ecological)
• Decision-making and management needs to be contextualized
• Policy should consider how best to acknowledge and reward practitioners of integrated farming
