The term “agroforestry” is used to describe farming practices which seek to optimise land use and labour by combining trees, crops and livestock in a defined area of land. Many of these practices have been applied by traditional communities across the planet in both temperate and tropical conditions. However the modernization of food production and the specialization of farming has led to the gradual loss of these practices. The growing concerns regarding the sustainability of modern farming practices and the need for agriculture to reduce external inputs while at the same time capturing and storing carbon, has generated renewed interest in agroforestry.
Agroforestry systems make use of the complementary relationship between the different components of the productive system. Trees in particular have the capacity to manipulate microclimatic conditions, generating more favourable conditions for the growth and development of animals and plants. Trees can provide shade and shelter for animals and crops, reduce wind speed, improve the physical structure of soil by creating root channels and improving soil organic matter content, avoid nutrient loss by leaching, provide forage and fertilizer, produce fruit and nuts and produce timber and firewood.
The art of agroforestry is then how to combine trees in appropriate spatial arrangements and sequences with crops or animals so as to take full advantage of the positive interactions between the different elements that are combined in the system. The relationship and relative importance of these elements may vary over time with some crops , for example, being initially important to create early cash flow or build up soil organic matter. Thus, the complementary biological relationships and interactions between components can be used to capture complementary economic benefits.
Our initiative will use agroforestry systems, applying these same principles to produce a range of oilseed crops that have different growth habits and which complement each other both biologically and economically. Large scale commercial cropping will be combined with small scale outgrower farming systems to supply an industrial requirement to produce vegetable oil applying these principles.
In the short term land will be prepared and sown to annual crops and cover crops that will provide both short term cash income and ground cover. Medium term perennial oilseed crops such as Jatropha and Castor will be interplanted in association with the annual crops. Jatropha and Castor as seedlings one meter apart in rows of four meters width with Totai palms planted along the same rows four meters apart, with the Castor entering into production within a year. The yield from Castor and Jatropha is continuous and, with adequate management and fertilisation, will continue to produce for at least ten years. Totai palm will enter into production after year five, achieving maximum production after year ten.
Pomgamia will also be used in complementary planting with Totaí using the same planting arrangement and spacing. Pongamia is a nitrogen fixing, leguminous tree that produces an oil rich seed. Pongamia may also be grown in association with other species in a cropping sequence. After two years when Totaí palms have grown to above 3 meters grass-legume mixes may be sown between the rows of the palm and cattle subsequently introduced to generate medium term income. The shade from the Totaí palm creates a favourable grazing environment for the cattle. The cattle contribute to the recycling of nutrients and the maintenance of soil fertility of the system.
By employing intercropping practices in agroforestry systems it is possible to combine a range of oilseed crops in sequential cropping associations with diversified production. This approach will generate short, medium and long term income flows with a continuous and gradually increasing yield of vegetable oil.
The principal products that will be commercialized in the local and export markets will be vegetable oil feedstock for HVO and SAF biofuels, protein for animal feedstock and other value added products, starch, fibre (activated carbon), beef and honey.
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