Feeding a growing population without deforestation: agroforestry system partnerships and mechanisms

Analyzing influencing factors to scale up agroforestry systems in Colombia: A comparative ex-ante assessment of cacao farming and cattle ranching in two regions

“…However, the scaling-up assessment shows that local governments and local-based organizations in the regions lack institutional capacities, while AFS supportive organizations often lack strategies to strengthen local-based organizations, especially in Cesar. Here, establishing strategic public–private partnerships could support AFS scaling-up, as highlighted in existing studies (Chavan et al 2015 ; Macke et al 2021 ).…”

“…Although specific agricultural and natural resource management laws are needed for AFS scaling-up, no established framework or specific law for AFS exists in Colombia, just as in other countries (Macke et al 2021 ). However, as Callo-Concha et al ( 2017 ) point out, given its diverse practices, AFS is affected by multiple policies.…”

“…These approaches enable co-learning among AFS actors, helping to identify the most important knowledge gaps, thus prioritizing extension services and communication strategies, while a variety of technical options could be developed with fine-scale variations that adequately integrate trees, crops, and/or livestock within the farming systems considering the local circumstances (Franzel et al 2004 ; Calle et al 2013 ; Coe et al 2014 ; Guteta and Abegaz 2016 ; Reij and Garrity 2016 ; Baig et al 2020 ). An adequate institutional context is also relevant to scale up AFS, which implies not only the building of local institutional capacities or establishment of strategic partnerships (Franzel et al 2004 ; Calle et al, 2013 ; Macke et al 2021 ) but also institutional buy-in to influence the public policy agenda (Calle et al 2013 ; Chavan et al 2015 ; Reij and Garrity 2016 ). In addition, enabling economic and market conditions are needed to effectively scale up AFS (Baig et al 2020 ), potentially including the development of certification programs or marketing strategies that help farmers to eliminate middle men or obtain premium prices (Guteta and Abegaz 2016 ; Reij and Garrity 2016 ; Pandit et al 2019 ).…”

Upscaling agroforestry in the tropics through actor-networks: a comparative case study of cacao farming systems in two regions of Colombia

“…In this sense, a better understanding of those factors affecting AFS upscaling implies carefully examining the attributes of these key actors and their relationships, as their influencing positions have a strong impact on network outcomes in terms of knowledge and governance (Bodin and Crona 2009;Bourne et al 2017;Zinngrebe et al 2020). Overall, these sets of key actors were completely different within and across regions, which may be the result of (1) decentralized agricultural policies and privatized extension services that generate differentiated support for cacao farmers (Abbott et al 2018); (2) the lack of an established regulatory framework that comprehensively supports AFS and assigns clear roles across sectors and political levels (FAO 2013;Zinngrebe et al 2020;Macke et al 2021;Rodríguez et al 2022); and (3) distinctive regional characteristics in terms of cacao production and access to resources.…”

“…For example, Dumont et al (2021) find that structured actor engagement to design AFS with the subsequent technical training that integrates local and scientific knowledge results in diverse AFS options tailored to the heterogeneity of the landscape and the needs of the farmers. Similarly, Macke et al (2021) show that partnerships and cooperation between actors increase the ecoefficiency of AFS. The findings of Andreotti et al (2020) demonstrate how a facilitated multi-actor process can enable the co-creation of transition pathways toward AFS at the landscape level, providing a platform for sharing knowledge and discussing opportunities and constraints.…”