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

Maintaining soil quality for agricultural production is a critical challenge, especially in the tropics. Due to the focus on environmental performance and the provision of soil ecosystem services, organic farming and agroforestry systems are proposed as alternative options to conventional monoculture farming. Soil processes underlying ecosystem services are strongly mediated by microbes; thus, increased understanding...Read More

Agroforestry systems are perceived as an effective approach to store carbon in agroecosystems by building tree biomass and raising soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. This is especially evident in the tropics, where the cultivation of cash crops such as cacao in agroforestry systems is increasingly used. Among agroforestry systems, organic management, which avoids synthetic inputs...Read More

Cacao production is facing challenges of low productivity due to low soil fertility and climate change. Agroforestry and organic farming are potential sustainable and climate-resilient alternatives, but they are often associated with lower yields compared to monocultures and conventional farming. Despite their potential, empirical data on the long-term productivity of cacao cultivated in complex agroforestry...Read More