Advocating eco-forestry

Indigenous farmers offer an alternative to deforestation -- 'managed deforestation'. Forests meet farmers' needs for a variety of goods and services, and ecological farmers use agroforestry strategies to insure that the forest is not destroyed. Seven characteristics of indigenous agroforestry strategies include: taking advantage of native trees, native tree communities, and native successional processes; placing trees in places where they will provide ecological services; spreading risks by retaining diversity; and maintaining a reliable back-up to meet needs should other sources fail. Specific examples from the sequential agroforestry and forest grove systems of Mexican Huastec and Peruvian Bora farmers demonstrate how indigenous strategies are used by farmers. By understanding the needs, the knowledge, and the successful strategies of traditional farmers, agronomists and agroforesters can develop new, imaginative alternatives for managing deforestation.