Agroforestry Extension Resources

Observations on scope of resources

The search  revealed a wide variety of resources of potential use. As you browse and consider the utility of each resource, bear in mind the following observations and/or justifications for their inclusion.

• National development
  Developing - Transitional - Developed
  As the main aim of this site is to support food security, the most relevant resources are related to developing country situations. However, food security is becoming a global issue, and experience of agroforestry extension in many developed countries is worth studying, and there are several examples of these (e.g. see those from the USA and Australia).
• Geographic focus
  America - Africa - Asia
  The resources fall into four distinctive groups. Those produced in North America and which are of most interest to relatively sophisticated, temperate farmers. Those produced in Central (and South) America, mostly aimed at poor farmers - there are some very good examples. A third group focused on eastern Africa, in particular Kenya (as a result of ICRAF's activities). And a fourth group is concerned with the Pacific islands, where there is a lot of excellent material
• Climate
  Temperate - Subtropical - Tropical
  Because the issue of food security is one of developing countries, most of the resources are concerned with the tropics or sub-tropics. However, there are many examples of principles and practice from temperate climates which can be valuable, even though the species may not be appropriate.
• Location
  Rural - Peri-urban - Urban
  Almost all the resources have been produced in the context of rural livelihoods. However, some resources approach the issue from an urban viewpoint, often concentrating on private gardens and allotments in towns of developed countries.
• Sector viewpoint
  Agriculture - forestry - infrastructure - aquatic...
  Although the majority of resources were described as "agroforestry", many relevant and good resources have been produced at the initiative of other "sectors" (e.g. agriculture, road engineering) or cross-cutting issues (e.g. conservation, participatory approaches).
• Topic
  Technical - Managerial - Administrative - Social
  The large majority of the resources focus on technical aspects of agroforestry. Some also include managerial, administrative and social aspects. Others are devoted solely to the socio-economic aspects, such as participative approaches and scaling-up.
• Technical stage
  Research - Development - Application
  Since these resources are aimed at agroforestry extension, the majority are concerned with direct application. Depending on the level of user, the degree of technical detail can be very basic, or very comprehensive.  However, some are concerned with promoting research and development. Of particular interest and relevance are those using farmer-participative approaches.
• Agroforestry system
  Trees - crops - animals - aquatic
  Most of the resources focus on tree and crop combinations. Many include a livestock/animal (e.g. bee) component and a few cover an aquatic component. Some resources were written primarily about agricultural crops or forest trees separately, but are included because they provide useful information for agroforestry.
• Technical focus
  Species-specific - general techniques
  Many of the resources cover general techniques, and may have a separate section on species-specific requirements. Others focus simply on one particular species. In this respect, there does appear to be a large amount of unnecessary duplication of effort.
• Socioeconomic approach
  Conventional - Ethical / organic
  Agroforestry is only one element of a sustainable approach to development. Several resources have been produced in the context of broader approaches, including organic farming, and permaculture, often initiated by developed countries which have recognised the need to make their own agricultural and home gardening practices more sustainable.
• User level
  Uneducated illiterate - Computer literate - Academic
  The focus of this study was to find resources suitable for poor, developing country farmers, with limited education. Only a limited number of resources specifically aimed at such users were found, possibly because many such resources remain "grey" and unpublished. There is one notable example of a resource aimed at producing documents for illiterate women, using illustrations only. However, the greater part of the resources are aimed at the educated extension worker or farmer (e.g.in developed countries). A few of the resources included are at a more academic, reference level, and have been included as they serve as useful background documentation.
• User groups
  Household - Farmers - Forest dwellers
  The majority of the resources are aimed at providing information for farmers. However, some are directed more towards, on the one hand, people living in the forest, and on the other hand, households and their private gardens.
• Resource ownership
  Private - Communal - Government - Project
  A large part of the resources has been produced by projects run by NGOs and development agencies. Some are generated by government agencies, and a few resources have been initiated by private individuals.
• Media channel
  Printed page/picture - electronic
  Emphasis has been placed on resources that are available in electronic form. However, some important resources have been included that are only available in hardcopy, but can be relatively easily obtained. There are several examples of videos that have been included, and one DVD. A growing number of resources can be obtained on CDs.
• Information sophistication and format
  Picture/comic - manual - searchable database
  Most of the resources are mainly text based, with some illustrations. The level of text varies considerably. There are some examples of very simple text, placed as short paragraphs per line, to more text-book like treatment (some, unfortunately, with rather indigestible paragraphs). Some text aims at less literate or "reading-averse" readers, and makes excellent use of illustrations, and/or comic/cartoon styles (there is one example of an animated cartoon). Some resources have used a "question and answer" approach, which can be very effective and concise. At the higher level user end, there are a few examples of resources based on quite advanced database and software to facilitate searching and classification of information. Some examples of graphic software have been mentioned that could help produce illustrations.

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