Alleycropping is an agroforestry technology of planting crops between rows of trees, preferable legumes to promote an interaction among them with positive benefits in terms of improving soil fertility and hence good crop yields. The technology has been tested with a variety of trees/shrubs species in association with crops (alleycropping) or with grasses (alleygrazing), sometimes with encouraging results and sometimes not, in a wide range of environmental conditions around the world. Research in alleycropping started in late 1970s and sinc~ then many publications have been released. However, little or nothing has been reported about this technology using black wattle and the fever tree, two nitrogen-fixing trees common in South Africa and reported as fast-growing species which produce a considerable amount of biomass within a short period of time. Due to that fact, a two-year trial was established in 2003 at the Ukulinga research farm, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa to evaluate the potential of the two tree species under alleycropping with maize and cowpeas as joint intercrops, under alleycropping with pumpkin, and under alleygrazing with Eragrostis curvula and with Panicum maximum. The trial assessed the crop yields and the biomass production from all the components, and their fodder digestibility using Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) and Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF) determinations. Additionally the changes in tree grovlth vaa."'i.ables (difu~eter, total height, total \lollhl1e and biomass) were mortitored to produce regression equations to predict those variables, one from another, using regression analysis. The diameter was taken at ground level (dgl) and at the height of 1.3 m, normally called diameter at breast height (dbh). The results showed that tree growth and biomass production were better in black wattle alleycropping than in association with the fever tree. The average dgl of black wattle after 12 months was 48mm and the average dbh was 36mlll. Over the same period the total tree height was about 406cm. A tree pruning was done to one-year old black wattle in the whole trial and the prunings produced about 5.6t/ha of fresh foliage biomass in the association with maize and cowpea and 4.5t/ha in the association with pumpkin. In alleygrazing the growth variables were similar to those obtained in alleycropping but the biomass production was considerably different. The prunings produced about 7.66t/ha of fresh foliage biomass. The dry matter biomass from the prunings was 1.96t/ha, 1.58t/ha and 2.68t/ha in the association with maize and cowpeas, pumpkin and E. curvula respectively. The dry matter was obtained from 4days- oven-dried samples and it was 35% of the fresh foliage biomass and 60% of the fresh woody biomass. The fever tree did not grow significantly during the study period and due to that fact, the species was discarded from the study. Similarly, because after several endeavours using different seed lots, P. maximum had germinated very unevenly, and this grass was excluded from the experimentation. Values ofNDF and ADF less than 35% are considered good, between 35% and 60% fair and poor if greater than 50%. Using is classification the NDF and ADF values from this study were good in pumpkin (30.5% and 29.9%) and cowpeas (36.5% and 46.9%) biomass, fair in E. curvula (41.9% and 39.9%) and maize stover (53.6% and 42.1%) and poor in black wattle (76.58% and 68.1%) foliage. If black wattle is to be used as fodder, it must be mixed with highly digestible fodder like P. maximum, Digitaria sp., and other legume plants, to increase animal intake and to avoid any risk of it becoming an animal hazard due to tannin effects. The regression equations produced linear relationships between dgl and age, and biomass and dbh. The other interactions were not linear. The best equations were obtained in the interaction between dgl and age (dgl= 4.8*Age -7.03; R2 =0.86; SE= 6.6), dgl and height (h= -0.03dg12 + 10.5dgl - 21.25; R2= 0.96, SE= 42.9, h= height), biomass and dbh (lny = 2.409*lndbh; R2=0.99, SE=O.O, Y= tree foliage biomass). During the study, monkeys, cattle, birds and bushbucks posed a threat to the success of the study due to damage they caused to the crops. It was possible to keep the damage below the critical levels, although at high cost. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

New Zealand, having large areas of hilly landscapes, is subject to the risk of soil erosion, and summer and autumn droughts that limit pasture growth, which in turn affects the livestock-based economy. The nitrogen and phosphorus input in fertilisers coupled with livestock excreta and soil disturbance impose a serious threat to downstream water quality. The planting of trees is one option used to decrease soil erosion, increase the quantity of forage and manage runoff. To date, research has mainly focused on wide spaced poplar trees for feed quality and their effects on understorey pasture growth. However, there is increasing interest in the use of densely planted willow and poplar for fodder purpose. The effects of young (< 5 yrs old) willow and poplar planted at close spacing on runoff, soil erosion, growth of understory pasture and nutrient losses have never been studied in New Zealand. Three field trials (two at Crop and Research Unit, Moginie, Manawatu and one at Riverside Farm, Masterton) were conducted between October 2004 and November 2006 that incorporated comparative establishment and growth of densely planted willow and poplar and their effects on soil moisture, runoff, sediment load and nutrient losses from grazed and fertilised farmland. It was concluded that densely planted willow and poplar (3-4 yrs) reduced total nitrogen (TN) and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) by 47 % each and sediment load by 52 %. Young trees reduced surface runoff and soil moisture more as they aged. However, due to their deciduous nature willow and poplar were not effective in reducing surface runoff in winter and early spring. Sheep preferred camping under trees, especially in late spring and summer, and this led to greater deposition of dung and urine under trees than open pasture. Sheep grazing, especially in winter, significantly increased sediment and nutrient loads in runoff water. The N and P fertiliser application increased nutrient load in runoff water well above the threshold level required to initiate algal growth to create eutrophication. Densely planted willow and poplar significantly reduced understorey pasture growth by 23 % and 9 %, respectively, in their second year at Moginie, mainly due to shade, but coupled with soil moisture deficit in summer. The pasture growth in a willow browse block was 52 % of that in open pasture as a result of shade and differences in pasture species composition. Sheep browsing reduced willow leaf area significantly. Willow and poplar survival rates were similar (P > 0.05) after two years of establishment (100 % vs 90.5 %, respectively). However, willow grew faster than poplar in height (1.90 vs 1.35 m), stem diameter (43.5 vs 32.6 mm), canopy diameter (69 vs 34 cm) and number of shoots (8.7 vs 2.3) at the age of two years, respectively. The research clearly demonstrated that densely planted young willow and poplar trees can reduce runoff, sediment load and nutrient losses from farmland to freshwater, but shade and soil moisture can limit pasture growth under trees. It is recommended that willow and poplar should be planted at wide spacing on the whole farm to minimise loss of pasture. Where blocks of trees are necessary, such as willow browse blocks, sheep browsing can be used as a tool to reduce shade to improve pasture growth. Livestock access to riparian strips should be minimal to avoid livestock camping that can have deleterious effects on water quality.

O presente trabalho aborda uma experiência local na Amazônia ocidental brasileira no estado do Acre, desde 1996, onde trata de uma ação educacional na formação de Agente Agroflorestal Indígena (AAFI) para a gestão territorial e ambiental das terras indígenas e de seu entorno. A pesquisa debate dois aspectos fundamentais na formação do AAFI: a agrofloresta e a cartografia indígena. A agrofloresta nessa pesquisa é vista pelo olhar atento dos AAFIs, através de seus registros realizados em seus diários de trabalho. Trata-se dos registros etnográficos, realizados pelos próprios índios a partir da sua realidade, por meio do uso da língua escrita e do desenho figurativo. Os diários de trabalho mostram como os AAFIs, junto às suas comunidades, têm trabalhado no uso, no manejo e na conservação dos recursos naturais e agroflorestais. Os AAFIs através das práticas agroflorestais vêm contribuindo na construção de novos modelos e novos espaços produtivos adaptados às condições ecológicas da floresta tropical, com o aporte do conhecimento tradicional, do conhecimento científico-acadêmico e do conhecimento local e de uma efetiva participação das comunidades indígenas na gestão de seus territórios. A cartografia indígena é tratada como uma disciplina direcionada para orientar o planejamento e a gestão das terras indígenas. O trabalho destaca a importância dos conhecimentos indígenas na construção individual e coletiva dos mapas mentais e georreferenciados e dos planos de gestão, como instrumentos importantes direcionados à conservação da biodiversidade, à proteção e à gestão territorial e ambiental das terras indígenas do Acre. / This work is about a local experience in western Amazon, in the Brazilian state of Acre. This experience, that started in the 1996, is an initiative action the education and training of Indigenous Agroforestry Agents (IAFAs) for and environmental management lands and their surroundings. The research discusses two key aspects in the the IAFAs: a agroforestry and indigenous mapping. In this research, related to agroforestry is seen by the watchful eye of IAFAs through there witch are diary notes. It is an ethnographic record, held by the indigenous from their reality through the use of written language, and figurative drawing and mapping. Their diaries show how the IAFAs work with their communities in the use, management and conservation of natural resources. The IAFAs through agroforestry practices, have contributed in building new models and new productive spaces adapted to the ecological conditions of the rainforest, with the contribution of traditional, scientific, academic and local knowledge with effective participation of communities in managing their lands. Indigenous cartography is treated as a discipline directed to guide planning and georeferenced management of indigenous lands. The work highlights the importance of indigenous traditional knowledge in the construction of individual and collective maps and management plans, as important tools targeted for biodiversity conservation, protection and territorial environmental management of indigenous lands in Acre.

As urbanisation increases choices in how to use green areas within cities growin importance, determining how several urban sustainability issues will play out. In urban environment the role for forest, both inside and at the city borders, is most important for the well-being of city inhabitants from several species, as well as provider of numerous ecosystem services necessary for anthropogenic development. Despite this,urban green areas are often given a lower priority in city developing processes compared to new structures, meaning them being transformed into built environments. This makes a higher awareness of what urban forests provides, and can provide, evident. Thus, this bachelor thesis presents the idea of urban agroforestry. The focus is towards agroforestry systems as they can be adapted and applied in a Swedish context. Firstly, literature review is used for investigating the concepts of urban forest, ecosystem services and agroforestry, defining and connecting them. Some of the critique towards the ecosystem services concept is lifted, as well as some specific ecosystem services directly connected to urban forest. Also, recent Swedish development in the agroforestry field is mapped and briefly described. Further, knowledge from this is adapted to the settings in Östersund, developing suggestions for construction of actual urban agroforestry systems. This part describes the local possibilities for urban agroforestry, as well as suitable urban forest areas, species and things to take into consideration in terms of risk assessment. Finally, the thesis also presents some suggestions for how to account for the change in ecosystem services in a more mathematical way. This is followed by discussion of both general findings and the local agroforestry potential, as well as some suggestions for focus points in further studies. This study shows that despite the cold climate in Sweden, urban agroforestry provides an interesting potential for preservation of ecosystem services as well as reconstruction of historical landscapes. It further suggests that urban agroforestry systems within Östersund should be focused on cultural services rather than high yields, by this aiming to connect to numerous local interests seen as defining for the region.

Food forestry has grown in its popularity in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, which it has not been traditionally practiced before, for its potential to produce healthy food, to create habitat for wildlife species, to reconnect people with nature and to provide various ecosystem services such as carbon storage. Diverse food forest projects are conceived from urban food initiatives to integrated conservation and restoration planning. Currently, the Galiano Conservancy Association is creating two food forests in the heart of a mature Coastal Douglas-fir landscape on Galiano Island, British Columbia, which is protected under a conservation covenant, in pursuit of sustainable food production, education and contribution to ecological restoration and conservation efforts. To investigate the relationships between emerging food forestry and ecological restoration and to identify key indicators to measure best practices of food forestry in the context of ecological restoration, I conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with food forestry and ecological restoration experts. In addition, I conducted a workshop with the Conservancy stakeholders to develop a comprehensive and systematic monitoring framework for their food forest projects. My studies suggest that restoration principles and resilience thinking can provide guidelines for restorative food forestry. Food forestry may serve as an innovative restoration tool to restore urban landscapes where lack significant opportunities for conventional restoration. A generic monitoring framework for food forestry could be adapted by other projects, yet this will require the process of defining goals and objectives of a given project and assessing landscape contexts and the organization’s capacity to monitor. / Graduate / soph.park@yahoo.ca

Planting trees on agricultural land either as farm woodlands or agroforestry (trees integrated with farming) is one option for reducing the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Trees store carbon as biomass, and may increase carbon storage in the ground. A review of the literature outlined uncertainty relating to changes in carbon storage after planting trees on agricultural land. The aim of this thesis is to deter¬mine the impact of tree planting on arable and pasture land in terms of above and belowground carbon storage and thereby address these uncertainties, and assess the implications for the Woodland Carbon Code: a voluntary standard for carbon storage in UK woodlands. Measurements of soil organic carbon to a depth of 1.5 m were taken at two field sites in Bedfordshire in the UK: a 19 year old silvoarable trial, and a 14 year old silvopasture and farm woodland. On average 60% and 40% of the soil carbon (rel¬ative to 1.5 m) was found beneath 0.2 and 0.4 m in depth respectively. Whilst tree planting in the arable system showed gains in soil organic carbon (12.4 t C ha−1 at 0–40 cm), tree planting in the pasture was associated with losses of soil organic carbon (6.1–13.4 t C ha−1 at 0–10 cm). Evidence from a nearby mature grazed woodland indicate that these losses may be recovered. No differences associated with tree planting were found to the full 1.5 m, though this may be due to a lack of statistical power. Measurements of above and belowground biomass, and the root distribution of 19 year old poplar (Populus spp.) trees (at the silvoarable trial) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior) trees ranging from 7 to 21 years (at several field sites across Bedfordshire) were made, involving the destructive harvest of 48 trees. These measurements suggest that Forestry Commission yield tables overestimate yield for poplar trees grown in a silvoarable system. An allometric relationship for determining ash tree biomass from diameter measurements was established. The biophysical model Yield-SAFE was updated to take into account root growth, and was parameterised using field measurements. It was successfully used to describe existing tree growth at two sites, and was then used to predict future biomass carbon storage at the silvoarable trial. Measurements indicate that losses in soil carbon at relatively shallow depths can offset a large proportion of the carbon stored in tree biomass, but assessing changes on a site by site basis may be prohibitively expensive for schemes such as the Woodland Carbon Code.

Face aux besoins croissants pour une production agricole durable, les systems de culture évoluent vers des systèmes qui accomplissent des objectifs environnementaux et agricoles multiples. La recherche en conception de systèmes de cultures (CSC) s'intéresse à l'effet des pratiques et de l'environnement sur les systèmes de culture et leur performance. L'interaction entre production et services ecosystémiques, et la quantification de ces relations, sont un aspect clé de ce domaine de recherche. Une variété d'approches ont été théorisées, tels que l'utilisation de modèles et la mobilisation de connaissances expertes. Les modèles permettent de tester rapidement et à faible coût l'effet de pratiques agricoles dans une variété de conditions, mais l'application de conclusions théoriques à la parcelle peut être limitée par des contraintes locales ainsi que des obstacles à la communication chercheur-agriculteur. Mobiliser les agriculteurs et autres acteurs pertinents pour la CSC peut aider à surmonter ces obstacles ; cependant, cela limite l'innovation au cadre des connaissances expertes.L'objectif de cette thèse est de combiner la modélisation et des méthodes participatives pour une méthode de CSC qui exploite le potentiel de la modélisation numérique tout en s'assurant que les solutions proposées prennent en compte les contraintes environnementales et socioéconomiques. Après avoir revu l'état d'avancement de la recherche en prototypage et en CSC, nous proposons un cadre méthodologique divisé en quatre parties ; a) combiner une typologie des pratiques et un modèle conceptuel pour évaluer la diversité des pratiques, contraintes et trade-offs dans une zone de production ; b) acquérir des données de terrain pour quantifier les trade-offs pertinents entre production et services écosystémiques ; c) sélectionner et préparer un modèle numérique approprié pour simuler les effets des pratiques sur la production et l'apport de services ; et d) évaluer si l'interaction d'agriculteurs avec le modèle numérique peut générer des systèmes de culture potentiels qui répondraient aux objectifs agro-environnementaux posées (apport d'un service écosystémique) ainsi qu'être acceptables pour les agriculteurs qui les adapteraient à l'expérimentation dans leurs parcelles.The systèmes agroforestiers à base de café (cafés/arbres d'ombrage) du Costa Rica central ont étés le système de culture choisi pour répondre à ces questions. Les systèmes agroforestiers offrent de nombreuses occasions d'étudier et évaluer les services écosystémiques apportés, en plus de la production principale. L'association de deux cultures pérennes place l'évaluation de la performance à long terme et de la durabilité des systèmes au centre de la question. La culture du café au Costa Rica fait vivre une part importante de la population, et est aussi basée sur la gestion intensive d'une culture à haute valeur d'exportation, vulnérable aux fluctuations des prix sur le marché mondial ainsi qu'au changements climatiques. Des pentes raides et une saison des pluies importante créent des problèmes d'érosion significatifs ; cependant, certaines pratiques de contrôle de l'érosion (utilisation d'arbres d'ombrage et d'adventices) impactent la production de café. La réconciliation de ces deux aspects nous offrent l'occasion de tester notre cadre méthodologique dans une situation où une solide argumentation technique serait nécessaire pour encourager les expérimentations dans les parcelles. Enfin, le dernier chapitre porte une réflexion d'ensemble sur l'importance de choisir et préparer correctement un modèle agronomomique adéquat, les application potentielles de cette méthodologie, ainsi que les recommandations que nous avons pu effectuer en termes de pratiques de contrôle de l'érosion dans la zone d'étude. / In the face of increasing concerns about sustainability of agricultural production, cropping systemsare evolving towards systems that fulfill multiple agronomic and environmental objectives. Researchin cropping systems design (CSD) is concerned with studying the effect of farming practices oncropping systems and their performance. The interaction between production and ecosystemservices, and quantification of trade-offs between the two, is a key aspect of this research. A varietyof approaches have been theorized, such as use of models and mobilization of expert knowledge.Models allows fast and low-cost testing of the effect of farming practices under a variety ofconditions, but the application of theoretical outcomes to on-farm changes can be limited by localconstraints and researcher-farmer communication. Mobilizing farmers and other relevantstakeholders for CSD can help overcome these obstacles; however this limits innovation to the scopeof expert knowledge.The objective of this thesis is to combine modeling and participatory methods for a CSD frameworkthat harnesses the potential of numerical modeling while ensuring the proposed solutions take intoaccount socioeconomic and environmental constraints. After an overview of current advances inprototyping and CSD, we propose an methodological framework divided into four parts; a) combininga typology of farming practices and a conceptual model to appraise the diversity of farming practices,constraints and trade-offs at the plot scale in a defined production area; b) collection of field data forquantifying relevant trade-offs between production and ecosystem services; c) selecting andpreparing an appropriate numerical model for simulating the effects of farming practices onproduction and provision of ecosystem services; and d) evaluating whether the interaction of farmerswith a numerical model can generate candidate cropping systems that fulfill our agro-environmentalobjectives (provision of ecosystem service) as well as being suitable for the farmers who will adaptthem for on-farm experimentation.The coffee-based agroforestry systems (coffee/shade trees) of central Costa Rica were the chosenproduction system for answering these questions. Agroforestry systems offer plentiful opportunitiesfor valuing ecosystem services in addition to crop production; the combination of two perennialcrops brings long-term performance assessment and sustainability of the system to the heart of thequestion. Coffee cultivation in central Costa Rica concerns a large amount of livelihoods, but is alsobased on intensive management of a highly valued cash crop vulnerable to price fluctuations on theglobal market as well as climate change. Steep slopes and heavy rainfall also cause high levels of soilerosion; yet certain indirect erosion control practices (such as the use of shade trees of weeds) alsohave an impact on coffee production. The reconciliation of these two aspects offers the opportunityto test our methodological framework in situations where precise discussions onproduction/environment trade-offs are needed.Finally, in the last chapter we reflect on the importance of correctly choosing and preparing the rightmodel for the job, potential application of this methodology, as well as the recommendations wereable to make in terms of erosion control practices in the study area.

Rural people in the Sahel derive multiple benefits from local ecosystem services on a daily basis. At the same time, a large proportion of the population lives in multidimensional poverty. The global sustainability challenge is thus manifested in its one extreme here, with a strong need to improve human well-being without degrading the landscapes that people depend on. To address this challenge, knowledge on how local people interact with their landscapes, and how this changes over time, must be improved. An ecosystem services approach, focusing on benefits to people from ecosystem processes, is useful in this context. However, methods for assessing ecosystem services that include local knowledge while addressing a scale relevant for development interventions are lacking. In this thesis, such methods are developed to study Sahelian landscapes through an ecosystem services lens. The thesis is focused on village landscapes and is based on in-depth fieldwork in six villages in northern Burkina Faso. In these villages, participatory methods were used to identify social-ecological patches (landscape units that correspond with local descriptions of landscapes, characterized by a combination of land use, land cover and topography), the provisioning ecosystem services generated in each social-ecological patch, and the benefits from ecosystem services to livelihoods (Paper I). In Paper II, change in cover of social-ecological patches mapped on aerial photographs and satellite images from the period 1952-2016 was combined with population data and focus group discussions to evaluate change in generation of ecosystem services over time. In Paper III, up-scaling of the village scale assessment to provincial scale was done through the development of a classification method to identify social-ecological patches on medium-resolution satellite images. Paper IV addresses the whole Sudano-Sahelian climate zone of West Africa, to analyze woody vegetation as a key component for ecosystem services generation in the landscape. It is based on a systematic review of which provisioning and regulating ecosystem services are documented from trees and shrubs on agricultural lands in the region. Social-ecological patches and associated sets of ecosystem services are very similar in all studied villages across the two regions. Most social-ecological patches generate multiple ecosystem services with multiple benefits, illustrating a multifunctional landscape (Paper I). The social-ecological patches and ecosystem services are confirmed at province level in both regions, and the dominant social-ecological patches can be mapped with high accuracy on medium-resolution satellite images (Paper III). The potential generation of cultivated crops has more or less kept up with population growth in the villages, while the potential for other ecosystem services, particularly firewood, has decreased per capita (Paper II). Trees and shrubs contribute with multiple ecosystem services, but their landscape effects, especially on regulating ecosystem services, must be better studied (Paper IV). The thesis provides new insights about the complex and multi-functional landscapes of rural Sahel, nuancing dominating narratives on environmental change in the region. It also provides new methods that include local knowledge in ecosystem services assessments, which can be up-scaled to scales relevant for development interventions, and used to analyze changes in ecosystem services over time. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript.</p><p> </p>

O desbaste é uma técnica silvicultural tradicional e amplamente adotada, consiste na remoção de uma porção da área basal do povoamento florestal com o principal objetivo de reduzir a competição por recursos e concentrar o crescimento nas árvores alvo da colheita final, porém em sistemas agroflorestais essa técnica também beneficia outros componentes do sistema, se bem planejada. O objetivo deste estudo foi definir uma estratégia de desbaste em sistemas silvipastoris em áreas de déficit hídrico. O experimento foi conduzido em uma área plantada em 2011 com Eucalyptus urophylla x grandis, espaçamento 9 m por 3 m, em consorcio com Brachiaria brizantha marandu (plantada em 2013), implantada em 2013, localizado no município de Correntina - BA. Em 2015, o experimento foi instalado no delineamento de blocos casualizados, com três blocos e seis tratamentos. As intensidades de desbastes foram as seguintes (representada pela porcentagem de árvore removida por renque): 0%-0%, 50%-33%, 100%-0%, 50%-50%, 50%-66%, 100%-33%. A parcela total tem formato retangular e tamanho de 100 por 54 m, abrangendo seis renques, e a parcela útil de tamanho de 75 por 18 metros e abrangendo dois renques. Foram realizadas cinco avaliações, em intervalos de três meses, do componente arbóreo, sendo mensurados o DAP, altura, altura da copa, área da copa e índice de área foliar. Foram realizadas quatro avaliações, repetidas a cada três meses, de biomassa da pastagem e umidade do solo, para a pastagem foram realizadas nove amostras sistemáticas por parcela em uma área de 0,25 m2 e cortes realizados na altura de 20 cm. Para o solo foram coletadas duas amostras nas profundidades de 20 e 40 cm do solo, na mesma localidade onde foram realizadas a coleta de amostras de pastagem. A avaliação do componente arbóreo mostrou que o DAP, comprimento da copa em relação à altura, área da copa tiveram resposta positiva com o desbaste, porém a altura mostrou uma resposta negativa com o desbaste. A área basal do sistema silvipastoril e a produção de biomassa da planta forrageira apresentaram relação inversa, pois o sombreamento do componente arbóreo tem relação positiva com a área basal e a produção de pastagem tem relação negativa com o sombreamento. A produção de matéria seca da pastagem teve uma resposta positiva ao desbaste quando comparado com o tratamento sem desbaste. As densidades de 370 arv.ha-1 e 142 arv.ha-1 resultaram em menor umidade do solo. O desbaste teve efeito positivo na conservação de água por diminuir a evapotranspiração total do componente arbóreo, porém altas intensidades de desbaste diminuíram a umidade do solo, devido ao aumento da evapotranspiração do solo e da pastagem. O desbaste mais adequado foi de intensidades moderadas, com área basal residual entre 4 m2/ha na idade de 7 anos e arranjos com um coeficiente de retangularidade menor que 2. / Thinning is a traditional and widely adopted silvicultural technique, consisting of the removal of a portion of the basal area of the forest stands with the main objective of reducing the competition for resources and concentrating the growth in the final harvest trees. The adoption of silvopastoral systems has been growing in Brazil and with this, the opportunity to produce lumber, but little information is available on the management of these types of crops. The objective of this study was to define a strategy of thinning silvopastoral systems in areas of water deficit, taking into account the production of sawn wood and pasture. The experiment was conducted in an area planted in 2011 with Eucalyptus urophylla x grandis, spaced 9 m by 3 m, in a consortium with Brachiaria brizantha marandu (planted in 2013), established in 2013, located in the municipality of Correntina - BA. In 2015, the experiment was installed in a randomized complete block design with three blocks and six treatments. The treatments and intensities of thinning were (represented as percentage of trees removed by rows): 0% -0%, 50% -33%, 100% -0%, 50% -50%, 50-66%, 100% -33%. The total plot has a rectangular shape and size of 100 by 54 meters, covering six rows, and the measurement plot size of 75 by 18 meters and comprising two rows. Five evaluations were performed, at three month intervals, of the tree component, and the DBH, height, crown height, crown area and leaf area index were measured. Four evaluations, repeated every three months, of pasture biomass and soil moisture were carried out. Nine systematic samples were taken per plot in an area of 0.25 m2 and cuts were performed at a height of 20 cm. For the soil, two samples were collected at depths of 20 and 40 cm from the soil, in the same locality where the grazing samples were collected. The evaluation of the tree component showed that the DBH, canopy length in relation to height, crown area had a positive response with thinning, but height showed a negative response to thinning. The basal area of the silvopastoral system and the biomass production of the forage plant resulted an inverse relation, since the shading of the tree component has a positive relation with the basal area and the pasture production has negative relation with the shading. The dry matter production of the pasture had a positive response to thinning when compared to the treatment without thinning. The densities of 370 arv.ha-1 and 142 arv.ha-1 resulted in lower soil moisture. Thinning had a positive effect on water conservation by reducing total evapotranspiration of the tree component, but high thinning intensities have reduced soil moisture due to increased evapotranspiration of soil and pasture. The most adequate thinning for silvopastural system is of medium intensities, with a retained basal area around 4 m2/ha and arrangements with a rectangular coefficient lower than 2.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi de analisar a viabilidade econômica de sistemas agroflorestais (SAFs) em dois ecossistemas amazônicos (terra firme e várzea) próximo a Manaus/AM. A amostra utilizada foi constituída por 21 módulos agroflorestais: 13 localizados em áreas de terra firme, no município de Manacapuru/AM; e, 08 localizados na margem direita do rio Solimões, em áreas de várzea. Os dados foram coletados via uso de questionários apropriados, visando a caracterização da amostra e para o estudo econômico proposto. Os preços dos produtos agrícolas cobrem um período de 23 anos (1980-2002) e foram fornecidos pela Secretaria Municipal de Abastecimento Mercados e Feiras (SEMAF) e Secretaria Municipal de Abastecimento e Produção Rural (SEPROR). Os padrões de variação estacional dos preços foram estimados pelo método da média geométrica móvel centralizada. A avaliação econômica das culturas perenes e semiperenes foi feita utilizando os seguintes indicadores: Valor Presente Líquido (VPL); Taxa Interna de Retorno (TIR); Relação Benefício Custo (RB/C); e, Valor Esperado da Terra (VET). Os resultados obtidos mostraram que os SAFs estudados apresentaram viabilidade econômica para a pratica nos dois ecossistemas, sendo que as áreas de terra firme são mais estáveis que as áreas de várzea. / The objective of this study was the estimation of the economic viability of Agroforestry Systems (SAFs) in two Amazon ecosystems ("terra firme" and "varzeas") near Manaus/AM. The sample used had 21 observations of farmers adopting SAFs: 13 located in areas of "Terra Firme" in the Manacapuru/AM municipality; and, 8 located on the right margin of "Solimões" River, in "varzea" area. The data was collected using a properly developed questionnaire, to determine the profile of the sample and to do the economic evaluation. Selected agricultural prices, covering a period of 23 years (1980 - 2002) were collected from the Secretaria Municipal de abastecimento Mercados e Feiras (SEMAF) and Secretaria Municipal de Abastecimento e Produção Rural (SEPROR). The patterns of seasonal price variation were estimated using the centralized geometrical moving average method. The economic evaluation of SAFs was estimated using the following indicators: Net Present Value; Internal Rate of Return; Benefit-Cost Ratio; and, Expected Land Value. The results obtained indicate that the SAFs in the sample studied were economic viable on both ecosystems, and they are more profitable in "Terra Firme" than in the "Varzeas".