Jennifer Schulz - Jorge Aubad Jennifer.schulz@uah.es

1. Imitating Natural Ecosystems through Successional Agroforestry for the Regeneration of Degraded Lands A Case Study of Smallholder Agriculture in Northeastern Brazil Jennifer Schulz - Jorge Aubad Jennifer.schulz@uah.es

2. Overview 1. Land use and degradation worldwide 2. Objective and Strategy 3. Cultivation concept 4. Case studies in Northeastern Brazil 5. Conclusions

3. Land use and degradation globally % continental surface World population in billion people 1 Population (UNO 2004) 2 Area of agriculture (Wood et al. 2001) 3 Degradation of land ~ 5 - 6 Mio. Hektar / Year (UNEP 2002) 4 Increase in cultivated area ~ 3,8- 5 Mio Hektar / Year (FAO 2003)

4. Objective and Strategy Objective: Regeneration of degraded agricultural land and environmental functions and services on areas of land use Landscape scale: Environmental functions need to be gradually replaced on the area of agricultural land use Strategy for land use: Approximation of agricultural uses to natural ecosystems  Imitation of the functional principles of local natural ecosystems

5. Guiding image: « natural, intact ecosystems » Imitation of structure and functionof ecosystems

6. Guiding image: « natural, intact ecosystems » Imitation of structure and functionof ecosystems Perennialism and Diversity Vegetation strategies: Optimal use of locally limited ressources (solar energy, water, nutrients) Succession: 1. Maximum accumulation of biomass 2. Coupling / Association of functional different, mostly complementary species  Short cycles of water, energy and nutrients, reduction of losses

7. Concept „Successional Agroforestry“ Font: Götsch, 1997

8. Concept „Successional Agroforestry“ • Imitation of successional trajectories of the local ecosystem • Acceleration of natural processes through systematic interventions: • dense seeding of fast growing plants (first successional • step includes mainly pioneer colonizers e.g. Leguminosae) • systematic trimming production of mulch for fast • accumulation of organic material •  systematic creation of gaps through cuttings for • the plantation of use-plants of a higher successional level

9. Concept „Successional Agroforestry“ Selection of a mixture of locally endemic and culture species according to 2 criteria: Stratum + Lifetime Goals: increasing coupling of different functional types Font: adapted from Milz, 2004

10. Case studies on degraded areas in Northeastern Brazil • 1/3 of population of brazil • ~ 88% smallholder farmers • Degradation of soils: ca. 50% • Desertification ca. 181.000 km2 • strong rural- urban migration Font: EMBRAPA, 2000

11. Project A: humid coastal zone Precipitation: 1300-2000 mm/a Soil: sandy loam, low fertility Size: 1 hectar Project start: 1994

12. Initial situation

13. after 10 years

14. Leguminosa trees trimmed Fresh layer of leeves (ground)

15. Development of an organic soil horizon Successional system Neighbours´ field

16. Results Regeneration of a degraded unproductive site • Provision food, construction- and firewood • High level of subsistency for 4 persons on 1 hectar and increased income due to direct marketing of organic products including: Banana, mango, jackfruit, papaya, coffee, avocado, cocoa, orange, lime, cupuaçu, açai, corn, rice, beans, cassava

17. Project B:semiarid zone Prec.: ca. 550 mm/a pot. ETP: 2000 mm/a Dry period: 7-9 Month, in periodical dry years 18 months Size: 1500 collaborating farmers, 1000 m² experimental area Project start: 1999/2000

18. Initiation of the successional system in the rainy season 1. cultivation year 2. month of rainy season 2. cultivation year end ofrainy season Fotos: Instituto de Permacultura da Bahia

19. 3. cultivation year end of rainy season 3. cultivation year beginning of dry season Fotos: Instituto de Permacultura da Bahia

20. Productivity * At least 5 additional crops in production

21. Project results • Participation of 1500 farmer families in 5 communities • facilitated by a payment of 18 US$ per month during 4 years • from the 4th year on - complete subsistency possible • Regeneration of degraded sites and increase of • productivity without irrigation and external inputs • Decrease of risk for harvest loss through diversity of • perennial and anual plants higher resilience • Provision ofenvironmental goods as an existential basis •  Reduction of the strong rural-urban migrations

22. farmers adopt SAF rather in drier zones and conditions of stronger degradation Critical for success are: Capacity building in two directions: Local knowledge in exchange with external expert impulse - Training of multiplicators Organisation of local knowledge exchange and the creation of farmers associations Development of local market chains for organic products Comparison & Critical aspects:

23. Concept „Successional Agroforestry“ is successful Conclusions: •  Regeneration of an existential basis, local ecological • knowledge and farmers empowerment •  improvement of the local livelihood • Stabilization and regeneration of environmental regulation • functions at local scale •  Potential for regeneration of regulation functions • on critical areas within the landscape

24. Thank you for your attention!