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Agroforest Syst (2012) 86:105111 DOI 10.1007/s10457-012-9573-x
Agroforestry for biomass production and carbon sequestration: an overview
Shibu Jose Sougata Bardhan
Received: 10 September 2012 / Accepted: 26 September 2012 / Published online: 4 October 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2012
Abstract Ever since the Kyoto Protocol, agroforestry has gained increased attention as a strategy to sequester carbon (C) and mitigate global climate change. Agroforestry has been recognized as having the greatest potential for C sequestration of all the land uses analyzed in the Land-Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry report of the IPCC; however, our understanding of C sequestration in specic agroforestry practices from around the world is rudimentary at best. Similarly, while agroforestry is well recognized as a land use practice capable of producing biomass for biopower and biofuels, very little information is available on this topic. This thematic issue is an attempt to bring together a collection of articles on C sequestration and biomass for energy, two topics that are inextricably interlinked and of great importance to the agroforestry community the world over. These papers not only address the aboveground C sequestration, but also the belowground C and the role of decomposition and nutrient cycling in determining the size of soil C pool using specic case studies. In addition to providing allometric methods for quantifying biomass production, the biological and economic realities of producing biomass in agroforestry practices are also discussed.
Keywords Soil carbon Coffee agroforestry
Cacao agroforestry Bioenergy Biofuels
Allometric equations Biomass crops
Introduction
Global climate change and energy security are two key issues that are at the forefront of environmental discussions the world over. Although they bring up unique challenges, global warming and energy security are inextricably interlinked. Increasing concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is
considered the predominant cause of global climatic change. It is believed that agricultural and forestry practices can partially mitigate increasing CO2 concentration by sequestering carbon (C). Similarly, alternative agricultural practices where biomass crops are cultivated can impact CO2 levels not only by sequestering C, but also by replacing fossil fuel with the biomass produced. Agroforestry, like many other land use systems, offers great potential for sequestering C and producing biomass for biofuels.
Ever since the Kyoto Protocol, agroforestry has gained increased attention as a strategy to sequester...