1In 1980, a team of tropical geographers published L’arbre en Afrique, la fonction et le signe and brought about a paradigm shift. For the first time, trees were no longer perceived as a hindrance but as a central element in African agricultural practices. This was an unexpected wake-up call for agronomists of the Global North. Up until then, trees had been best left to foresters or soil scientists who, depending on the case, were seeking to log or replant them to prevent soil erosion. In the 1990s however, researchers found that trees also play a genuine role in traditional agricultural practices. The term “agroforest” began to be used to refer to these farming systems which include trees. For example, in some agroforests of Sumatra, rubber trees and fruit trees are planted simultaneously. In the early years, they support rice crops, before producing fruit, rubber and firewood. Other agroforests on the island account for 80% to 90% of the animal biodiversity, including a rhinoceros which was thought to be extinct.

Agroforest village, Indonesia.

••• Studies point to the central role of trees in the agricultural practices of the Global South •••

Damar agroforest, Sumatra, Indonesia.

2Studies conducted later in Brazil and Cameroon confirmed the prominent role of trees. What outside eyes believed to be isolated trees or natural forests were in fact agroforests. Researchers rediscovered that trees fertilise soils, facilitate the flow of water and carbon storage, or enable biodiversity conservation. By mimicking the ecological model of the tropical rainforest, farmers of the Global South managed to use biodiversity as a way to control crop diseases. Having been overlooked by experts from the Global North, this expertise is now recognised as a model for the future, including in temperate regions. For once, innovation in the Global North takes its cue from the practices of the Global South.

“Research conducted in partnership with our IRD colleagues on community agroforest systems in Morocco directly contributed to qualifying traditional knowledge to improve the conservation of these agroforests and socio-cultural areas. Managing these agroforests as a common good (Agdal) helps develop expertise as well as a model for accessing resources, which guarantees the sustainable and sound management of forage and timber resources: valuable lessons can be learned to improve our public policies around these issues.” 
Mohamed Alifriqui, Ecology and Environment Laboratory, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco

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