ECOTOP Foundation has supported over 5,000 farming families across eight countries. These include Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Bolivia, Ecuador, Central America, and Samoa. All implement Dynamic Agroforestry (DAF), a system modeled on forest succession.
DAF groups plants by life cycle and vertical layer. This design reduces competition for light, water, and nutrients. The system relies entirely on pruning and mulching. It uses no external inputs.
Carbon storage results stand out. By 2022, DAF plots held 66.2 t C/ha in biomass carbon. Monocultures held only about 26 t C/ha. Combined biomass and soil carbon reached 135 t C/ha in DAF, versus 83 t C/ha in monocultures. Topsoil carbon rose significantly in DAF between 2010 and 2020. Monocultures showed no change over the same period. Farmer-managed DAF plots in Alto Beni held even higher levels, reaching 143.7 t C/ha against 86.3 t C/ha in monocultures.
Productivity results favor DAF too. During the establishment phase from 2009 to 2013, total system yields in DAF exceeded monocultures by 105%. Cocoa yields started lower under shade. By-crops like banana and plantain made up the difference. Labor returns in DAF reached roughly double those of monoculture.
Recent cacao data confirm strong performance. From 2022 to 2024, DAF cocoa yields averaged 732.6 kg/ha. This came without any external inputs. Yields rose each year across that period.
Water and biodiversity outcomes reinforce these findings. DAF systems buffered soil moisture fluctuations better than monocultures. Root water use appeared complementary across plant layers. Bird communities in DAF matched those found in secondary forest fallows.
