Intercropping Bananas with Coffee and Trees: Prototyping Agroecological Intensification
by Farmers and Scientists
ProMusa – Octobre 2011
banana in coffee fields
(has)
Mexico 75000
Guatemala 43000
El Salvador 30000
Honduras 84000
Nicaragua 35000
Costa Rica 7000
TOTAL 255,000
Bananas in shaded coffee: Mesoamerica
banana in coffee fields (has)
Mexico 75000
Guatemala 43000
El Salvador 30000
Honduras 84000
Nicaragua 35000
Costa Rica 7000
TOTAL 255,000
Bananas in shaded coffee: Mesoamerica
Other countries LAC: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Haiti
Other countries Africa: Cameroon, Tanzania, Guinea Conakry, Uganda
develop innovative knowledge and tools to improve grower management of bananas grown in shaded coffee based on strengthened grower observation and decision making (targeted to expanding high value and specialty markets)
Research objective:
Banana in coffee fields with trees: Farmer technology
Low cost food for humans and animals
Rapid shade which is easy to manage:
Banana in coffee fields with trees: Farmer technology
Crop residues and leaf litter to protect the soil:
Banana in coffee fields with trees: Farmer technology
Sale for income during the year especially when coffee income runs out
Banana in coffee fields with trees: Farmer technology
What can we contribute as scientists to this technology?
Intensification through use of external inputs
What can we contribute as scientists to this technology?
Intensification through use of external inputs
What can we contribute as scientists to this technology?
Intensification through agroecology
Multi-strata coffee with banana is an agroecosystem
Multi-strata coffee with banana is an agroecosystem
Multi-strata coffee with banana is an agroecosystem
Multi-strata coffee with banana is an agroecosystem
Nutrient Inputs
Nutrients outputs
How to capture more sunlight, water and nutrients in biomass?
Are the coffee plants, banana and trees alone in the field?
Volunteer plants
Herbivores
Are the coffee plants, banana and trees alone in the field?
decomposers
branches
pruned leaves
fallen leaves
Dried weeds
Banana residue
What happens with biomass not consumed by herbivores?
Who eats the herbivores?
Multi-strata coffee with banana is an agroecosystem
Multi-strata coffee with banana is an agroecosystem
Red alimenticia
plantas herbivoros consumidores
descomponedores
Living plant
material
Dead plant material Soil
surface Living roots
Dead roots
Root exudates
Other dead organisms
Labile OM
Slow OM
Passive OM
Detritus
Consumers of bacteria and fungi: Nematodes Collembolan Mites Protozoa
Macrofauna Earthworms
Bacteria Fungi
Nematodes Root pests
Root diseases Predators: Nematodes
Mites Protozoa
Fungi
Endophytic fungi
Mycorrhiza
Microbial transformers
Vigor planta:
Ciclos Nutrientes
Infiltratcion agua
Penetracion raiz
Control
plagas por
generalistas
control by
generalist
Capacidad
Antagonica
plantas
Resistencia
Planta
Ambiente
favorable para
beneficos
beneficials
Also including the soil?
Plants: Herbivores: Consumers:
Descomposers :
sunlight:
Water:
environment: Temp, rain, RH
(www.agroforestbanana.simasni.org)
Pilot zone Altitude (masl)
Total annual rainfall (mm)
Length of dry season (months)
Turrialba, CR 700-1200 2700 2
Monterrey, NIC 1000-1300 1500-2000 3
Yasica, NIC 1000-1300 1500-2000 2
Laureles, HON 1100-1200 3000 2
Tutule, HON 1000-1500 1300-1500 3
Central Selva, PERU
1000-1300 2000 4
Alto Piura, PERU 1000-1400 1100 7
7 pilot sites in 4 countries
Pilot sites:
Land use of interest
Rural households
Their organizations
Field organizations
Scientists:
National
Bioversity
ARIs
Inventory:
methods
technologies
Starting point
Starting point
Pilot sites:
Land use of interest
Rural households
Their organizations
Field organizations
Scientists:
National
Bioversity
ARIs
Inventory:
methods
technologies
Formal survey
Interviews
Field data
Preliminary
model
Formation
farmer
experimentation
group
Diagnostic:
Farms,
fields,
costs,
markets
Priorities
Experiments
Prototypes
Learning efforts
Field
studies
Field
studies
Models:
Component
integrated
Models:
Component
integrated
Lines of action/interaction
Farm household Experience Daily Observation Curiosity motivation
scientist Agroecosystem frame Other studies Concepts Process
Diagnostic: Coffee Trees Bananas Markets
??? Priorities
Cycle of Meetings Test plots
Test Plots
Take data
Experiments Farm studies Models
??? Learning
Farm household Experience Daily Observation Curiosity motivation
scientist Agroecosystem frame Other studies Concepts Process
Diagnostic: Coffee Trees Bananas Markets
??? Priorities
Cycle of Meetings Test plots
Test Plots
Take data
Experiments Farm studies Models
??? Learning
Farm household Experience Daily Observation Curiosity motivation
scientist Agroecosystem frame Other studies Concepts Process
Diagnostic: Coffee Trees Bananas Markets
??? Priorities
Cycle of Meetings Test plots
Test Plots
Take data
Experiments Farm studies Models
??? Learning
Cycle of meetings Test plots
Broader testing
Broader testing
Experiments Studies on farm Models
formal baseline study: - coffee, trees and bananas, - light partitioning, - banana cultivars 30 farms – interview, 25 x 25 m plots in coffee – banana - trees
Examples of results
farmer experimentation and learning: - 25 farm households - diagnostic phase, priority, testing and observation - test plots, learning exercises, data analysis, proposals
Prototypes for improved complex systems action research hypotheses for farmers/scientists: - Light partitioning in multi-strata - nutrient flows – tree contribution - of bananas in shaded coffee
Costa
Rica Honduras Nicaragua Perú
Turrialba Laureles Tutule Yasica Monterrey
Selva
Central
Productive coffee (%)
31
(4) 57±8 21±3 55±8 46±6
52
±5
Coffee Density
(plants ha-1) 4244 ±242
5165± 233
3555± 266
4562± 245
5127± 248
5098 ±256
Banana Density
(plants ha-1)
553
±55 288 ±28
338 ±55
307 ±28
401 ±31
386
±32
Tree Density
(Number ha-1)
553
±57 161±
14 169±
27 189±
21 180±
27
197
±15
Basal area trees (m2 ha-1)
16.4
±1.9 11.7 ±1.2
6.9 ±1.5
7.7 ±0.8
8.6 ±1
9.1
±0.8
Tree species richness 4.4 6.6 6.8 7.1 6.5 3.8
Results: diagnostic shaded coffee with bananas
Costa Rica Honduras Nicaragua Perú
Turrialba Laureles Tutule Yasica Monterrey Alto Piura
Selva Central
Percent Light to coffee (%)
46 (3)
36 (4)
34 (3)
49 (6)
41 (5)
27 (3)
39 (2)
Percent Light to Banana (%)
68 (2)
68 (3)
84 (2)
79 (4)
52 (7)
47% (11)
50 (2)
Banana present above coffee (%)
61 (5)
47 (5)
64 (8)
61 (6)
60 (3)
46 (25)
56 (4)
Tree present above banana (%)
38 (5)
66 (4)
54 (8)
38 (6)
55 (4)
100 73 (7)
Light in different strata – shaded coffee with banana
Cultivar Costa Rica Honduras Nicaragua Perú
Turrialba Laureles Tutule Yasica Monterrey Alto Piura Selva Central
Gros Michel 651 557 307 494 709 234 1098
Congo 969 Ilholena (Isla,Habanero) 21 280
Coco 270 1 2
Plantain AAB 76 117 1 3 30
Sucrier Baby 44 102 2 6 16
Red Morado 9 3 94 23 5 16
Red Green 4 47 2 3 5
FHIA-25 36 1
Bluggoe 13 6 9 8 6
Gran Enano 4 1 2 2
Valery 2 5 98
FHIA-23 1 5
Silk 2 1
Guineo Negro 2
Pelipita 1
Dwarf Cavendish 138
Cultivars banana
Zone # mats/ha
Age of banana # tall stems/mat
# intermediate stems/mat 1-2 3-5 >5
Turrialba, CR 553 210 176 165 1.15 1.1
Laureles, HON 288 43 159 101 2.9 1.1
Tutule, HON 338 68 169 100 2.3 2
Yasica, NIC 307 107 92 98 2 1
Monterrey, NIC 401 80 140 180 1.7 1.2
Selva Central, PERU 386 77 135 174 1.9 1
How banana mats are managed
Priorities – Farmer proposed after 3 meetings on the state of coffee, trees, bananas,
costs - coffee pruning
- banana/coffee nutrition and fertilization
- banana/tree spacing and mgmt
- Panama disease
- more value for bananas
Formation of group With representatives of local government
3 diagnostic meetings Each meeting methods for data collection: Coffee plants, trees, banana, nutrients, Markets for banana
Meeting on priorities
7 meetings – Small plots to test alternatives
7 meetings – more experimentation Expansion Areas for preferred management
Beginning 2010
Beginning 2010
Mid 2010
2010- mid 2012
2012-2013
Final review March 2013
Test activities to redesign banana – tree layout in 25x25m plot
Pilot zone Thinning banana mats
Replanting banana
Pruning shade trees
Planting leguminous
shrubs Laureles 8 5 4 4
Tutule 4 3 2 3
Monterrey 4 6 10 3
Yasica 3 6 5 6
Alto Piura 4 5 7 3
Central Selva
5 7 11 8
¿How much light for banana?
PAR (mol m-2
s-1
)
0 500 1000 1500 2000
An (
mol m
-2 s
-1)
0
10
20
30
40
75% Light
50% Light
25% Light
100% Light
Fo
tosín
tesis
ne
ta (
mo
l m
-2s
-
1)
RAFA (mol m-2s-1)
¿How much light for banana?
Cultivars
planting
date
Fecha de cosecha
May
2010
Shade level
Full sun 25% 50% 75%
Dátil July June Augost Septembre
Guineo
cuadrado
Augost July Septembre Octubre
Gros michel July Augost Octubre Novembre
Plátano
Curare
June Junio July
Manzano Augost July July Septembre
Williams Septembre Augost Octubre Decembre
¿How much light for banana?
¿how much banana to not affect coffee production?
Tree shade: 25-35%
Light to coffee: 50%
Shade from banana: ??
¿how much banana to not affect coffee production?
Tree shade: 25-35%
Light to coffee: 50%
Shade from banana: 25
NO MORE THAN 4 STEMS 2 o FEWER TALL STEMS/mat 2 o fewer intermediate stems/mat
Minimum overlap of leaves LESS than 25%
250-350 mats/ha
no yes
Gabriela Jimenez, Pablo Siles, Eduardo Somarriba, Bruno Rapidel, Oscar Bustamante, Charles Staver
Optimizing production timber in coffee of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) and cedar (Cedrela odorata) in Honduras
Field phase
Medición de arboles -Diámetro a la altura del
pecho(DAP) y altura en 244 fincas
Selección de fincas - Base del IHCAFE
- Cedro y caoba en los campos de
café
Medición de sombra y características de copas
- 46 parcelas de 625 m2
- DBH, H, diámetro de copas,
altura de copas y posición del
árbol (coordenadas X, Y).
Data analysis and models
Modelo de crecimiento - Modelo de crecimiento de
DAP
- Relaciones alométricas de
otras variables con respecto
a DAP
Modelo de intercepción de la luz
-Porosidad de copas
-Validación del modelo
SExI-FS para la intercepción
de luz
Escenarios de manejo de arboles - Cinco escenarios de manejo de arboles (3 × 3, 6 × 6, 8 × 8,
10 × 10 and 12 × 12m)
-Manteniendo cobertura de arboles por abajo de 50%
- Estimación de potencial madera
Timber in multistrata to improve profits Preferred trees Cordia alliodora,Cedrela odorata y Switenia macrophylla. 50% shade reduces coffee production., 25% reduces banana production What densities, thinning and pruning of trees?
Edad (años)
0 5 10 15 20 25
DA
P (
m)
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
Edad (años)
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
(a) (b)DBH=0.95(1-e
-0.03117*years)1.1665
R2=0.80
DBH=0.60(1-e-0.03159*years
)1.1698
R2=0.81
xkjalfj
Apertura del dosel medido (Fracción)
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
Apert
ura
del dosel m
odela
do (
Fra
cció
n)
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
Regresions tree growth - age y density/age – canopy opening
feed models of growth and light interception
Ejemplo de Caoba, con menor crecimiento
Escenario
de
manejo
Volumen
potencial
(m3ha
-1)
Actividades recomendadas
6x6 29.30 Dos raleos a los años 12
y 18
8x8 26.56 Un raleo a lo 12 años
10x10 24.43 No es necesario raleos
12x12 22.5 No es necesario raleos
Models to explore possible tree management in multistrata coffee. Parámeters of other species y simulaciones de plantaciones mixtas o puras
Resultados de escenarios
de manejo
NOW BEFORE
ZonE Laureles Tutule Laureles Tutule
Number of bunches sold 1,292 345 1,292 345
Sale price [Lps] 40 35 27 24
Gross return [Lps] 51,680.0 12,075 34,884.0 8,280.0
Extra marketing costs [Lps] 6,460.0 2,070 3,876.0 1,035.0
Net return [Lps] 45,220.0 10,005.0 31,008 7,245.0
Increase in income 1.4 times 1.3 times
Testing group marketing of bananas in Honduras
• The group Los Laureles supplies an exporter to El Salvador
• The group Tutule joined a farmer trader to sell in a local city La Paz.
Results: Comparing incomes