Agroforestry as innovation in tropical bioresource use

¹ Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), Bogor 16001, Indonesia
² Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
³ Agroforestry Research group, Faculty of Agriculture, Brawijaya University, Malang, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: m.vannoordwijk@cifor-icraf.org

Abstract

Indonesia not only has a rich biodiversity, it also has a rich tradition of local ecological knowledge and know-how of agroforests that blend the use of well-established crops, useful trees and understory plants of the local flora and the ecosystem engineers that maintain soil fertility and provide ecosystem services. Innovations need to match changing technical, social, environmental and economic expectations, norms and rules in societies – which may connect through global trade. Agroforestry involves the partial domestication of forest and agricultural resources. The agricultural-forest interface can be understood at plot/farm, landscape and policy levels. Tropical bioresources can be understood as nature living in, from, with and as people, as complement to the life value frames of people living in, from, with and as nature. This overview provides a number of frames that may help understand, appreciate and further enhance the processes supporting innovation.