Investigating the water use of agroforestry

Abstract

Agroforestry is the intentional introduction or retention of woody species, especially nitrogen-fixing species, within crop and fodder production systems. The integration may be simultaneous or sequential, such that the different species are not grown at the same time within a given area of land. Agroforestry can provide a range of benefits, including improved diets and income generation, reduced environmental degradation, improved soil fertility and structure, and climate resilience. In many agroforestry systems there is competition that exists between the woody species and the understorey crop for water, light or nutrients. Therefore, one of the main challenges of these systems is to determine a hedgerow pruning frequency that reduces the competition and maximises the amount of biomass for feeding livestock fodder and replenishing soil fertility. Previous work investigating the influence of different agroforestry systems and species on soil water, water use efficiency and yields of the different components of the system has been funded by the Water Research Commission (WRC).

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