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Agriculture
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Agroforestry Systems: Strategies for Mitigating Climate Change
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Agroforestry Systems: Strategies for Mitigating Climate Change

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Systems and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 December 2024 | Viewed by 2187

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bhim Bahadur Ghaley

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2630 Taastrup, Denmark
Interests: agronomy; ecosystem service proxy indicators; quantification and valuation; energy synthesis; carbon sequestration and its role in climate change; crop modelling and terrestrial ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global concerns about land use effects on climate change are reshaping agricultural production strategies. In addition, the constant demand for high-quality food with low environmental impacts presents an even greater challenge.

Agroforestry emerges as a climate-smart agricultural approach, combining the production of diverse products and environmental benefits through sustainable intensification. Agroforestry systems contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity preservation, and enhanced ecosystem services’ provision, contributing to Sustainable Development Goals for environmental, agronomic, and social benefits. Positioned as a compromise between ecosystem protection and food production, agroforestry contributes to environmentally friendly production and provides wider social benefits for long-term regional development.

This Special Issue intends to provide insights into the diversity of agroforestry systems and their role in global climate change adaptation and mitigation and the provision of ecosystem services. All types of original papers, such as original research articles and reviews, are welcome.

Dr. Bhim Bahadur Ghaley
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agroforestry
  • agronomic yields
  • ecosystem services
  • environmental benefits
  • land equivalent ratio

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 5011 KiB  
Article
The Phenology of Coffea arabica var. Esperanza L4A5 Under Different Agroforestry Associations and Fertilization Conditions in the Caribbean Region of Costa Rica
by Victor Hugo Morales Peña, Argenis Mora Garcés, Elias de Melo Virginio Filho, Mario Villatoro Sánchez, Willy William Pazmiño Pachay and Esteban Chanto Ares
Agriculture 2024, 14(11), 1988; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14111988 - 6 Nov 2024
Viewed by 516
Abstract
This study focused on the phenology of Coffea arabica var. Esperanza L4A5, an F1 interspecific hybrid obtained by crossing commercial varieties with wild genotypes from Ethiopia and Sudan. Most phenological studies on C. arabica have been conducted in traditional high-altitude regions, leaving a [...] Read more.
This study focused on the phenology of Coffea arabica var. Esperanza L4A5, an F1 interspecific hybrid obtained by crossing commercial varieties with wild genotypes from Ethiopia and Sudan. Most phenological studies on C. arabica have been conducted in traditional high-altitude regions, leaving a gap in the understanding of its behavior in non-traditional areas such as the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. To establish a baseline on the phenological behavior of the Esperanza L4A5 hybrid in this region, we conducted a four-year study examining the effects of different agroforestry associations: (1) Albizia saman; (2) Hymenaea courbaril and Erythrina poeppigiana; (3) Anacardium excelsum and Erythrina poeppigiana; and coffee plots under full sun. Additionally, the phenology of the coffee plants was evaluated under differentiated fertilizations (physical, chemical, and without fertilization), considering meteorological factors such as temperature, humidity, and rainfall. The observed variables included the development of floral nodes, pre-anthesis, anthesis, and fruiting stages. To analyze the relationships between environmental factors, tree cover, fertilization, and the phenological stages, we employed multiple linear regression (MLR), which revealed that both tree cover and physical and chemical fertilizations had significant effects on the presence of developed floral nodes and, consequently, on fruit production. Furthermore, the random forest (RF) model was applied to capture complex interactions between variables and to rank the importance of meteorological factors, tree cover, and fertilization practices. These analyses demonstrated that the Esperanza L4A5 hybrid exhibited viable phenological development under the atypical conditions of the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, suggesting its potential to adapt and thrive in non-traditional coffee-growing areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agroforestry Systems: Strategies for Mitigating Climate Change)
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27 pages, 15349 KiB  
Article
Growth and Productivity of Coffea arabica var. Esperanza L4A5 in Different Agroforestry Systems in the Caribbean Region of Costa Rica
by Victor Hugo Morales Peña, Argenis Mora Garcés, Elias De Melo Virginio Filho and Mario Villatoro Sánchez
Agriculture 2024, 14(10), 1723; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14101723 - 1 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1032
Abstract
This study focused on evaluating the growth and productivity of Coffea arabica var. Esperanza L4A5 in different agroforestry systems in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, a non-traditional area for coffee cultivation due to its low altitude and challenging climatic conditions. Three tree [...] Read more.
This study focused on evaluating the growth and productivity of Coffea arabica var. Esperanza L4A5 in different agroforestry systems in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, a non-traditional area for coffee cultivation due to its low altitude and challenging climatic conditions. Three tree coverages were investigated, in combination with two types of differentiated fertilization (physical and chemical), comparing the results with full sun coffee plots as a control: (1) Albizia saman, (2) Hymenaea courbaril + Erythrina poeppigiana, and (3) Anacardium excelsum + Erythrina poeppigiana. The results showed that tree associations significantly reduced the mortality of coffee plants and increased both the height and mature cherry production compared to full sun treatments. In particular, the tree coverages associated with chemical and physical fertilization achieved the highest growth and production rates, with A. excelsum + E. poeppigiana and H. courbaril + E. poeppigiana standing out with maximum mature cherry productions of 3.35 t/ha and 3.28 t/ha, respectively. Growth analysis revealed that rapid initial growth, especially under chemical fertilization, is crucial for maximizing productivity, although a rapid slowdown in growth was also observed after reaching the peak. These findings underscore the importance of combining tree coverages with appropriate fertilization strategies to optimize coffee production in agroforestry systems, particularly in low-altitude areas like the Costa Rican Caribbean. This study concludes that agroforestry systems not only improve the resilience of coffee crops to adverse environmental conditions but can also be a viable strategy for increasing productivity in non-conventional regions. This suggests the need for further research to assess the long-term impacts on soil health, biodiversity, and the economic viability of these systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agroforestry Systems: Strategies for Mitigating Climate Change)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: An innovative framework to study the carbon sequestration practices in tea based hill agroforestry systems using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM)
Authors: C. Cinthia Fernandaz; Shanmuga Surya K; C. Karthikeyan; K. Boomiraj; S.P.Thamaraiselvi; S. Manivasakan; Bindu Rajashekar
Affiliation: Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) -Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tanmil Nadu Agricultural University, Ooty, The Nilgiris, India
Abstract: Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils is a crucial step in mitigating the adverse effects of global climate change and enhancing soil fertility. Among various crops, tea plantations show significant promise in adopting carbon sequestration practices. Consequently, the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu was purposefully selected for the study, involving 120 tea growers chosen using the snowball sampling method. A theoretical framework was developed to assess the factors influencing tea grower’s adoption of carbon sequestration practices. Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the gathered data. The results demonstrated that factors such as ‘Knowledge’, ‘Attitude’, ‘Innovativeness’, ‘Perceived benefits’ and ‘Perceived need’ had a significant and positive influence on tea grower’s adoption of carbon sequestration practices. In contrast, ‘Social influence’ had no significant effect, underscoring the importance of increasing awareness, providing financial incentives, establishing pricing structures, and implementing government policies related to soil carbon sequestration.

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