Impacts of Shade Trees on the Adjacent Cacao Rhizosphere in a Young Diversified Agroforestry System

Cacao agroforestry systems offer the potential to diversify farmer income sources, enhance biodiversity, sequester carbon, and deliver other important ecosystem services. To date, however, studies have emphasized field- and system-scale outcomes of shade tree integration, and potential impacts on the rhizosphere of adjacent cacao trees have not been fully characterized. Interactions at the root–soil interface are closely linked to plant health and productivity, making it important to understand how diverse shade tree species may affect soil fertility and microbial communities in the cacao rhizosphere. We assessed the impacts of neighboring shade tree presence and identity on cacao yields and physical, chemical, and biological components of the cacao rhizosphere in a recently established diversified agroforestry system in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Stepwise regression revealed surprising and strong impacts of microbial diversity and community composition on cacao yields and pod infection rates. The presence of neighboring shade trees increased nitrogen, phosphorus, and pH in the rhizosphere of nearby cacao trees without yield losses. Over a longer time horizon, these increases in rhizosphere soil fertility will likely increase cacao productivity and shape microbial communities, as regression models showed nitrogen and phosphorus in particular to be important predictors of cacao yields and microbiome diversity and composition. However, neither presence nor identity of shade trees directly affected microbial diversity, community composition, or field-scale distance-decay relationships at this early stage of establishment. These results highlight locally specific benefits of shade trees in this agroecological context and emphasize the rhizosphere as a key link in indirect impacts of shade trees on cacao health and productivity in diversified systems.

Pengetahuan dan Adaptasi Petani Kopi terhadap Perubahan Iklim di Kecamatan Air Hitam Kabupaten Lampung

Climate change has caused production declines and crop failures in some agricultural commodities. This study aims to identify the level of knowledge, adaptation practices, and types of protective trees used by coffee farmers in dealing with climate change. The research was carried out in Rigis Jaya Village, West Lampung District from May to July 2021. The number of respondents was 80 coffee farming households. Respondents were determined through a simple random sampling approach. The data collected consists of qualitative and quantitative data. Data collection was carried out through the survey method. The results of the study illustrate that coffee farmers have realized that climate change has occurred. 60% of coffee farmers are aware of climate change in the last 1-5 years and 20% of coffee farmers are more than 5 years old. From mitigation practices, 25% of coffee farmers mitigate climate change. Climate change mitigation practices carried out by farmers are through the use of superior coffee varieties, planting shade trees, setting coffee spacing, making vents, and utilizing the remaining coffee husks to increase soil fertility and moisture. There are 14 types of shade trees planted by farmers consisting of legumes and non-legume trees. Petai (Parkia speciosa) is the most widely planted shade tree in coffee plantations with 45% of the total respondents.

Assessment of Coffea Shade Value through Comparison of Mountainous Area with Farm Land Coverage, in Arsi Gololcha District, Oromia, Ethiopia

Coffea cultivation with shade tree is used for improving soil health, increasing coffea production, sustaining agro ecology. The study was attended in two kebele, on 36 farmers’ fields, at Gololcha district of East Arsi zone. The study was intended to assess the influence of coffea shade trees on farm lands versus mountainous area. Household interviews were used to get imperative separately, i.e. from old farmers, middle age farmers and young farmers. Significant difference value was observed between farm land and mountainous area coverage. Based on this respondents’ idea, before 25-30 years; the ‘condition of tree coverage at mountainous’ area in Arsi Gololcha district was ‘medium condition’ but not normal that means as deforestation of mountainous area have been starting before 30 years’ time; while the condition of tree coverage at farmland area also has been starting before 30 years’ time. The third respondents’ idea was interpreted with the real situation of the district, that it gave us a constructive inspiration on the role of coffea shade tree to enable the farm land to be taken as regular natural forest. The existing coffea shade trees are Cordia africana followed by Erythrina abyssinica and Acacia senegal. Farmers accounted 95% of coffea shade users and 4.6% without shade users. The respondents said that even if the rainfall intensity is increasing at farmland rather than mountainous area occasionally due to shade tree effect. On the contrary side, mountainous area exposed to deforestation since the farmers have been shifting to hilly side for their livelihood dependency.

PENERAPAN PRINSIP NATURE IN THE SPACE DAN NATURE OF THE SPACE PADA HEALTHY PLAZA AVENUE DI KOTA BARU PARAHYANGAN

Humans are essential can not be separated from nature because humans rely heavily on nature for their survival. Currently including natural elements in the design of a building has become a lifestyle and trend, as seen in some commercial buildings, such as Hotels, Shopping Malls that take the theme of nature. Healthy Plaza Avenue is a planned shopping center to fulfill facilities in Kota Baru Parahyangan, a new residential neighborhood that has a vision of an independent green city. Healthy Plaza Avenue design method starts from problem formulation, data collection, design process, and design products. Nature in the space and Nature of the space are two of the three categories of biophilic design principles that are considered to be appropriately applied to the design of Healthy Plaza Avenue. The application of the principles of Nature in the space and nature of the space is seen in the Atrium by placing ornamental plants and shade trees equipped with waterways that boil in the Event Plaza. While in the outside area is a planned Rain Garden that serves in addition to adding beauty also as a catchment and recycling area for the needs of the building. In addition, hanging plants are also placed on the façade of the building to reflect the green elements so that Healthy Plaza Avenue can be harmonious with the environment. It is hoped that the concept of Nature in the Space and Nature of the Space can be in line with the vision of Kota Baru Parahyangan as an independent city that maintains its environmental beauty.

Does the Presence of Shade Trees and Distance to the Forest Affect Detection Rates of Terrestrial Vertebrates in Coffee Home Gardens?

Complex agroforestry systems can host similar biodiversity levels to adjacent continuous forests and can offer important ecosystem services for wildlife. Species inhabiting adjacent forests, as well as species that prefer agroforestry systems, can benefit from this habitat matrix. It is necessary, however, to understand the species-specific adaptability to such a complex matrix. Indonesia is a biodiversity hotspot and hosts many endemic species that are threatened with extinction. Its human population relies heavily on agriculture, meaning that finding a balance between crop productivity and biodiversity is key for the long-term sustainability of local communities and wildlife. We aim to determine the influence of the presence of shade trees and distance to the forest on the detection rates of wildlife in coffee home gardens. In West Java, Indonesia, we monitored 23 gardens between April 2018 and March 2021 via camera traps, totalling 3856 days of monitoring in shade-grown and 3338 days in sun-exposed gardens. We also collected data in the nearby montane rainforest, totalling 1183 days of monitoring. We used Generalized Additive Models to estimate the influence of shade cover and distance to the forest on the detection rates of wildlife. The Sunda leopard cat Prionailurus javanensis was found more frequently in shade-grown gardens and used both the forest and agroforest matrix. Wild boars Sus scrofa mostly occurred in gardens adjacent to the forest, while barred buttonquails Turnix suscitator were associated with gardens far (>1 km) from the forest. Several species (civets Viverricula indica and Paradoxus musangus javanicus, Horsfield’s treeshrew Tupaia javanica, Javan ferret badger Melogale orientalis, Javan mongoose Herpestes javanicus) were not influenced by shade cover and distance to the forest, suggesting they are well adapted to the agroforestry system. Still, species of high conservation importance, such as Javan leopard Panthera pardus melas, Sunda porcupine Hystrix javanica, and grizzled langur Presbytis comata, were present in the forest but not in the agroforest, suggesting that the replacement of the forest by the agroforestry matrix is still detrimental. Nevertheless, it is important to maintain the complexity of the agroforestry system and connectivity with the neighbouring continuous forest to favour the long-term sustainability of this environment and the conservation of endemic species.

Wildlife Bio-Geography on Mangrove Communities in Saparua Island, Maluku

On the island of Nusalaut, an orange crested white cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) was found. The interviews with several community leaders from the island of Nusalaut, including Raja Negeri Sila, reveal that there have been no Cacatua moluccensis birds in recent years worldwide Nusalaut. it is predicted that the Cacatua moluccensis bird has moved to Saparua island as the closest island. This bird is no longer found because of changes in the forest's structure and composition into agricultural land for cloves (Eugenia aromatica) because it does not need shade trees. The mangrove community along the coast of the island of Saparua for the last few years has experienced various pressures of development dynamics that have disrupted their lives. Therefore, at the same time, they impact the activities of wildlife that use them as habitat. This research was conducted by applying direct and indirect survey methods to determine the types and distribution of the mangrove community's wildlife inhabitants, both permanently and temporally. Seven species of mammals use the mangrove communities in Saparua Bay, Haria Bay and Tuhaha Bay, nine reptile species, and 18 species of birds.

Beyond feasibility—the role of motivation to implement measures to enhance resilience

Many regions around the world are experiencing an increase in climate-related shocks, such as drought. This poses serious threats to farming activities and has major implications for sustaining rural livelihoods and food security. Farmers’ ability to respond to and withstand the increasing incidence of drought events needs to be strengthened and their resilience enhanced. Implementation of measures to enhance resilience is determined by decisions of farmers and it is important to understand the reasons behind their behavior. We assessed the viability of measures to enhance resilience of farmers to drought, by developing a general framework that covers economic-technical and psychological-cognitive aspects, here summarized under the terms (1) motivation and (2) feasibility. The conceptual framework was applied to cocoa farmers in Ghana and tef farmers in Ethiopia by using questionnaire-based surveys. A portfolio of five specific measures to build resilience (i.e., irrigation, shade trees, fire belts, bookkeeping, mulching, early mature varieties, weather forecast, reduced tillage, improved harvesting) in each country was evaluated with a closed-ended questionnaire that covered the various aspects of motivation and feasibility whereby farmers were asked to (dis)agree on a 5-point Likert scale. The results show that if the motivation mean score is increased by 0.1 units, the probability of implementation increases by 16.9% in Ghana and by 7.7% in Ethiopia. If the feasibility mean score is increased by 0.1 units, the probability of implementation increases by 24.9% in Ghana and by 11.9% in Ethiopia. We can conclude that motivation and feasibility matter, and we improve our understanding of measure implementation if we include both feasibility and motivation into viability assessments.