Living with the trees of life : towards the transformation of tropical agriculture

This book analyses and presents case studies on how agroforestry offers innovative and compelling pathways towards food security, human well-being and environmental sustainability. The book underlines how modern science and improved varieties of trees allied to centuries-old knowledge can provide a new set of marketable products of special importance to poor and marginalized people in the tropics and sub-tropics, while simultaneously rehabilitating degraded land and restoring soil fertility. Available In Print Chapter: 1 (Page no: 1) Revelations in Kumba. Author(s): Leakey, R. Chapter: 2 (Page no: 13) The big global issues. Author(s): Leakey, R. Chapter: 3 (Page no: 24) Journeys of discovery in agroforestry. Author(s): Leakey, R. Chapter: 4 (Page no: 51) Diversity and function in farming systems. Author(s): Leakey, R. Chapter: 5 (Page no: 65) Finding the trees of life. Author(s): Leakey, R. Chapter: 6 (Page no: 83) Selecting the best trees. Author(s): Leakey, R. Chapter: 7 (Page no: 95) Vegetative propagation. Author(s): Leakey, R. Chapter: 8 (Page no: 112) Case studies from the Pacific. Author(s): Leakey, R. Chapter: 9 (Page no: 125) Marketing tree products. Author(s): Leakey, R. Chapter: 10 (Page no: 141) Redirecting agriculture - going multifunctional. Author(s): Leakey, R. Chapter: 11 (Page no: 156) Multifunctional agriculture - proof of concept. Author(s): Leakey, R. Chapter: 12 (Page no: 170) The convenient truths. Author(s): Leakey, R. Based on the career of Roger Leakey, the former Director of Research at the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, this book presents the experiences of real life situations in rural villages of remote and distant places. Living with the Trees of Life demonstrates how the multi-disciplinary science of agroforestry, which embraces biology, genetics, ecology, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, soil science, food science, and the social sciences, can offer hope from the doom and gloom often emanating from the tropics. Written in an accessible and engaging style that will appeal to both a professional and general readership, this book takes a more positive approach to the issues facing agriculture and highlights an innovative approach to resolving the big issues of poverty, malnutrition, hunger and environmental degradation including climate change. Contents 8 About the Author 10 Foreword 12 Preface 14 Acknowledgements 20 Frequently Used Acronyms 22 1 Revelations in Kumba 24 2 The Big Global Issues 36 3 Journeys of Discovery in Agroforestry 47 4 Diversity and Function in Farming Systems 74 5 Finding the Trees of Life 88 6 Selecting the Best Trees 106 7 Vegetative Propagation 118 8 Case Studies from the Pacific 135 9 Marketing Tree Products 148 10 Redirecting Agriculture – Going Multifunctional 164 11 Multifunctional Agriculture – Proof of Concept 179 12 The Convenient Truths 193 Postscript 203 Appendix: Author’s Experience Prior to the Events of this Book 204 Index 208 A 208 B 210 C 211 D 212 E 213 F 213 G 215 H 215 I 215 J 216 K 216 L 216 M 217 N 218 O 218 P 218 R 219 S 219 T 221 U 222 V 222 W 223 Y 223 Z 223 Based on the career of Roger Leakey, the former Director of Research at the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, this book presents the experiences of real life situations in rural villages of remote and distant places. It shows how the science of agroforestry can offer hope from the doom and gloom often emanating from the tropics Based on the career of Roger Leakey, former Director of Research at the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, this accessible and engaging book presents real life situations in rural villages that demonstrate how agroforestry can offer hope from the doom and gloom often emanating from the tropics.