The role of agroforestry in restoring Brazil's Atlantic Forest: Opportunities and challenges for smallholder farmers

[摘要] 1. Restoring the degraded Atlantic Forest is one of the biggest conservation challenges in Brazil. In a biome with high human presence, understanding the potential for restoration approaches, such as agroforestry, to provide benefits tosmallholder farmers and biodiversity is essential in developing equitable restoration strategies.2. Smallholder or family farmers are essential to national food security, producing most fruit and vegetables consumed in Brazil. Their farms can also provideecological stepping stones for biodiversity. To better understand their rolein Atlantic Forest restoration, this study explores the use of agroforestry bysmallholder farmers from the Movimento Sem Terra (MST), the Rural LandlessWorkers' Movement, in Pontal do Paranapanema.3. We use quantitative and qualitative data to assess farmer perceptions of themeasures which support agroforestry farming, barriers to implementation andits impact on indicators of wellbeing. We find agroforestry farmers report significant benefits in 8 of 18 tested indicators. Attitudes to agroforestry are varied,but common themes emerge including the high value of tree cover for shade andcooling effects, and the difficulties in selling agroforestry products. Our resultsshow lack of policy support and initial investment needs are the biggest constraints to agroforestry, but opportunity cost is not considered a large barrier.4. Tailored policies and financial measures are needed to integrate thousandsof smallholder farmers into the Atlantic Forest restoration agenda, helping toreach biome restoration targets while supporting rural livelihoods and nationalfood security. Further research is required into links between additional socioeconomic and biogeographical variables and agroforestry uptake in the region.

[学科分类] 护理学

[关键词] agroforestry;Atlantic Forest;forest landscape restoration (FLR);rural livelihoods;smallholder farmers