Intro to Agroforestry

By Dave Sansone
Hawaii Edible Landscaping, LLC.
HawaiiEdibleLandscaping.com

Agroforestry is the integration of agriculture and forestry species & practices for ecosystem
services and associated benefits.

Ecosystem goods and services produce the many life-sustaining benefits we receive from
nature—clean air and water, fertile soil for crop production, pollination, and flood control.

Agroforestry has been described as a “new word for an ancient practice”. Diverse home
gardens were being grown in Java over 9,000 years ago while cultures like the Coast Salish of
the Pacific Northwest who were once believed to be hunter-gatherers were actually gardeners
of a grand scale developing agroforests with the native plants they had available.

Traditional Hawaiian land management practices included what we would call agroforestry
today such as mulching with or burning kukui, hala, or hapuu to help kalo thrive. Another
example can be seen in loi kalo which are fed nutrients in the water from the forests above.

The practice of agroforestry continues with each agroforest developed according to the needs of
the land and the cultivator.

Agroforestry principles and practices can be applied in small home gardens, production farms,
conservation and restoration plantings, and across large landscapes to offer innovative
solutions to many of the problems our society faces today as well as reliable, delicious, and
nutritious food.

While agroforestry has much promise, there are challenges that come with the increased
complexity of plantings. There is a lack of time-tested agroforestry models for each of Hawaii’s
unique growing conditions. The increased complexity can make weed control more difficult if
weeds are not designed out of the system from the start. Grasses are some of the most
troublesome plants for nearly every plant we want to grow. Weed whacking and mowing tend to
lead to tree injury and decline, loss of organic matter, compaction of the soil, nutrient
competition, and more.

Too often, big dreams create big problems when people excitedly rush into clearing and planting
as much ground as possible without the background, experience, and plant stock needed to
reliably create productive low maintenance agroforestry systems.

There are ways to mimic the diversity of nature to make it so weeds can not grow while still
maintaining the easy access and harvesting needed in production agriculture. Cultivators can
mimic nature's process of ecological succession which transforms bare soil and even rock into
diverse, stable communities like forests with no one weeding or fertilizing it.
When Masanobu Fukuoka, the famous “no till” farmer of Japan was asked for advice on how to
become a no till farmer, he said “Start small, learn from your mistakes, and build on your
successes.” New agroforesters would do well to follow his sage advice.

Resources
Agroforestry.org
Based in Hawaii, one of the best sources on agroforestry with free e-books, articles, and
examples of agroforestry.

Online agroforestry classes with Dave Sansone

HFUU-Intro to Agroforestry 1: youtube.com/watch?v=n-Gt6CV76qY
HFUU-Intro to Agroforestry 2: youtube.com/watch?v=z4GevJA-8QU
Hawaii Ulu Coop–Agroforestry in Hawaii: youtube.com/watch?v=AwDhIVctoJw

Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton

youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw

Potential Deer Control for Farmers and Gardeners

Bone Sauce, a Natural Deer Repellent–this method has been successful elsewhere, backyard
trials will help determine if it works in Hawaii.
permaculturenews.org/2014/06/05/bone-sauce-a-tool-for-deterring-browsing/

Agroforestry Guide
grocycle.com/agroforestry-ultimate-guide/

Edible Forest Gardening–A Sustainable and Nutritious Way to Grow by Dave Sansone
Written for a colder climate, but much of the information applies to Hawaii.
growingempowered.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Edible-Forest-Gardening-Article.pdf

Dive Deep into Scientific Research

Hawaiian Agroforestry
environment-review.yale.edu/role-indigenous-agricultural-systems-creating-climate-resilient-
food-system-hawaii

Polyculture
Polyculture Production by Geno and Geno
A vast collection of polyculture research and results shows time-tested polycultures can be
more productive, reliable, and resilient than monocrop farming.
agrifutures.com.au/wp-content/uploads/publications/01-034.pdf