The global demand for cacao has increased. To meet this demand, the cultivated area has been expanded in tropical forest areas and production has intensified by replacing traditional agroforestry systems with monocultures. This has led to a loss of biodiversity in cacao growing areas. The implementation of more sustainable agricultural practices for cacao production such...Read More

La región de Alto Beni en el departamento de La Paz, Bolivia es una zona que ha sido colonizada por familias del Altiplano y centros mineros desde inicios de los años 60. La vegetación natural de la región está caracterizada por bosque húmedo tropical. La actividad agrícola es una de las causas del desbosque acelerado...Read More

Slash-and-burn remains one of the most common land preparation methods in tropical agriculture, used by both smallholders and large-scale farmers for annual and perennial cropping. However, this practice causes rapid soil fertility decline, biodiversity loss, erosion, and vulnerability to weeds, pests, and diseases. Dynamic Agroforestry (DAF), provides a fire-free and input-free alternative that combines productivity...Read More

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) production systems in West Africa face increasing climate risks, declining soil fertility, and market pressures that undermine both productivity and sustainability. In response, the “Sustainable Mangos and Cashews – Made in Africa” project—co-funded by the Swiss Coop Sustainability Fund, HALBA, and gebana— introduced and scaled Dynamic Agroforestry (DAF) as a regenerative,...Read More

La coca es uno de los cultivos más antiguos en los Yungas de La Paz. Hoy en día, en su mayoría se planta en monocultivos y muchas veces en laderas inestables. El monocultivo de coca degrada los suelos, causa deslizamientos de terrenos, pérdida de biodiversidad y se desarrolla con el uso de agroquímicos potencialmente dañinos...Read More

Soil moisture has high spatial and temporal variability, depending on topography, soil texture, vegetation and meteorological conditions. It influences many processes in the soil and supplies water to the vegetation. This is often a limiting factor in agricultural production. Over an 18-month period, we measured soil moisture dynamics down to a depth of 70 cm...Read More

Agroforestry systems (AFS) can serve to decrease ecosystem carbon (C) losses caused by deforestation and inadequate soil management. Because of their shade tolerance, cacao plants are suitable to be grown in AFS, since they can be combined with other kinds of trees and shrubs. The potential for C sequestration in cacao farming systems depends on...Read More