In most farms, agrosilvopastoral systems (ASPS) are adopted to diversify income streams and support subsistence farming. The ASPS involves the deliberate combination of woody components (tree or shrub) with livestock keeping and/or crops in the same land.
The agrosilvopastoral system is a model of production and conservation that combines silvicultural practices that complement pre-existing agricultural activities.
The system facilitates ecological, economic, and/or biological interactions that promote sustainable and profitable application of agricultural practices in a wide range of ecological and productive conditions.
Components of Agrosilvopastoral
Woody Perennials
Woody perennials play an important role in providing a conducive microclimate for crops, pastures and animals in the system. They also act as windbreakers and soil erosion prevention measures. Examples of woody perennials include Calliandra calothyrs and Acacia mangiu.
Crops
Crops refers to plants grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. Crops grown in this system offer a source of food and animal feed. Examples of crops grown in agrosilvopastoral systems include maize, sorghum and millet.
Livestock
Livestock is a component of the Agrosilvopastoral production system and is kept for animal products. Livestock plays a role in supplying the soil with nutrients from droppings and acts as a key role in the control method of vegetative cover in the system. Examples include goats, sheep, and cattle.
The Benefits and Challenges of Agrosilvopastoral Production Systems
Agrosilvopastoral systems offer different challenges and benefits as explored in different aspects highlighted next.
Inputs of Production
Benefit
The system offers an all-around reduction of input costs between its components.
The animal waste/manure offers crop and woody perennials important nutrients for development which is costly to purchase. The animals also act as an important vegetative control method reducing costs in clearing the farm.
Draught animals also reduce input costs in agricultural practices like ploughing or drawing loads.
Animal feed costs are reduced since feeds are derived from the crops and vegetative covers. The tree leaves of edible plants such as legume trees are used as a nutritional feed for the animals.
Challenges
The diversified components in the agrosilvopastoral system imply an increase in types of input. This translates to the need for the allocation of input costs to different components which impacts on the development of each component.
The farm has to expertly balance input costs to cater for the different components. When one component requires a large amount of investment, the rest are affected resulting in a partially slowed growth.
Proper planning and budget allocation require expert input to ensure the whole system develops uniformly and sustainability increases the input costs in the form of professional consultations.
Agronomic Practices
Benefit
In agrosilvopastoral systems, human resources, machinery, and equipment are used in different agronomic practices. This promotes the proper utilisation of resources as livestock, crops and woody perennial management practices may share similar agronomic practices.
The systems promote an all-year-round utilisation of resources, unlike other systems where they are periodically used. For example, equipment used in crop farming can be used in management of the woody perennials and pasture management.
Challenges
In agrosilvopastoral systems, the agronomic practices are challenging considering the multiple number of enterprises involved.
Since it involves diverse practices in the management of the three components, the farming issues are complex compared to monoculture farms.
The farm has to consider the implications on all the components and plan appropriately to ensure its wholly beneficial to all the components.
In addition, farm machinery may be difficult to use in confined spaces where there is poor planning considering livestock, woody components and crops are integrated.
It is important to involve experts in the proper planning of agrosilvopastoral systems to ensure agronomic practices can be carried out safely and efficiently.
Soil Management
Benefit
The agrosilvopastoral system promotes land-use system practices that promotes the use of different plants that reduce erosion and better utilisation of different soil nutrients.
The soil fertility is further improved by animal waste resulting in richer soils providing improved yields.
The agroforestry aspect within the system also promotes the reclamation of polluted soils such as salinized and acidified soils.
The system actively reduces costs in soil management operational costs as crops, trees, and animals are actively balanced/rotated to promote soil fertility.
Challenges
The incorporation of livestock in crop production systems and woody perennial systems is set to disturb the soil composition and compactness due to the livestock load.
Frequent disturbance of the soil may lead to soil erosion although this impact is minimised by the availability of trees and crops that compact the soil together.
Outputs of the Production System
Benefit
The combination of long-term yields with short-term returns from crops, livestock and other forest products reduces periodic cash flows.
The agrosilvopastoral systems offers both short and long-term cash flow over time more effectively from its different components.
This makes the entire system more profitable and sustainable compared to systems where its components are separated.
Challenges
The diverse range of products from the system components implies limited specialisation in the production of one product. This generally affects production efficiency in terms of quality and quantity as input is spread over different components.
Production systems that focus on production of one type of product can channel their resources to the improvement of their limited products thus generally offering better products.
Promotion of Biodiversity
Benefit
Agrosilvopastoral systems promote the development of biodiversity by offering a wide range of crops, livestock, tress and shrubs.
The system promotes the proper utilisation of resources such as soil water, and land to promote the conservation of the different components in one piece of land.
Challenges
Successful agrosilvopastoral systems demand expert knowledge of biodiversity. When integrating different plants, trees, shrubs and animals, you will need to understand the compatibility and effects on each other.
Lack of skills in managing biodiversity may lead to the system failing which results to huge losses considering multiple number of enterprises involved.
The range of biodiversity will require accompanying skills and technologies to be profitable and sustainable