Community Agroforestry

agriculture rehabilitation + community forestry

Incorporate fruit tree stands adjacent to private and community garden spaces to add vegetative complexity to the site and provide additional resources to complement garden activities and crop production.

Phase I [0 - 6 months] : Container planting

Germination and planting of fruit trees in containers to allow mobility and flexibility.

Phase II [6 months – 3 years] : Transplanting into permanent communities

Transplanting container plants into the garden once permanent living spaces have been established. Maintenance of young fruit tree stands and respective garden spaces:

Phase III [3 - 5 years] : First Harvests

Phase IV and beyond [5+ years] : Full Garden Production: fruit trees, softwoods, and crop yields.

Practice sustainable management methods by balancing fruit tree harvesting periods with garden harvesting and processing activities. Plant a variety of tree species to harvest for a larger variety of fruits, and support year-round management and harvesting activities.

Techniques

Soil
Short Term: A simple and low cost technique to soil desalinalization at the garden scale is labor-oriented tillage of clean, coarse materials into the soil in order to promote saline drainage. Fast growing legumes should be planted to provide organic matter, fix soil nitrate level, and provide a cheap and easy source of protein to the community.

Long Term: Intercropping and crop rotation should be implemented to maintain soil nutrients. Green mulch helps to build healthier soil and control invasives while enhancing garden productivity.

Water
Short Term: Supply of irrigation water might not be sufficient before any clean water well or storage plant is restored / established. Rain barrels or other collection devices can be used to collect irrigation water if there is a lack of clean water available.

Long Term: Effective mulching techniques should be considered to maintain long-term soil moisture. On slopes, more drought tolerant species should be planted uphill and more water-dependent species such as rice should be planted in depressions, valleys, or foothills.

Planting List

Plant low maintenance fruit trees that can be cultivated in low and medium elevations.

Mangifera indica (mangoes)

The mango tree is erect, 30 to 100 ft (roughly 10-30 m) high, with a broad, rounded canopy which may, with age, attain 100 to 125 ft (30-38 m) in width, or a more upright, oval, relatively slender crown. In deep soil, the taproot descends to a depth of 20 ft (6 in), the profuse, wide-spreading, feeder root system also sends down many anchor roots which penetrate for several feet. The tree is long-lived, some specimens being known to be 300 years old and still fruiting. Will bear fruit in 3 years.

Small tree that grows in low to medium elevations, if soil is not rich in nutrients, the fruit is not edible.

Low maintenance tree, grows rapidly, attractive tree with white, red, or pink flowers.

Or other native, low maintenance fruit trees that accommodate the needs of individuals or a community. As well as intersperse common native softwoods such as Pinus merkusii as a minor source of wood products for local use.