Towards a comprehensive education and training program in agroforestry

Abstract

As a field of study, agroforestry is directly relevant to a wide variety of individuals and offers the opportunity to bring together the broad fields of forestry and agriculture to offer the scientific underpinnings for the development of a new, comprehensive and integrative land-use strategy. There are a number of constraints that must be considered as this new field develops further. One constraint is that science tends to operate as a reduction process where subjects are divided and then subdivided as more is learned about their nature and properties. However, agroforestry programs will only be successful at solving real-world problems if an integrative and comprehensive approach is adopted and maintained. Also, there can be no single education or training model that is universally applicable, because approaches to education and training in agroforestry must be country-specific depending on ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural needs. These were some of the issues addressed by the working groups at the Workshop. A summary of their recommendations highlights some key issues and possible approaches to meeting specific future needs in the areas of agroforestry education, training, and support.