The Coffee Compromise: Is Agricultural Expansion into Tree Plantations a Sustainable Option?

Alice Fitch, Rebecca L. Rowe, Niall P. McNamara, Cahyo Prayogo, Rizky Maulana Ishaq, Rizki Dwi Prasetyo, Zak Mitchell, Simon Oakley and Laurence Jones
Additional contact information
Alice Fitch: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK
Rebecca L. Rowe: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster LA1 4AP, UK
Niall P. McNamara: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster LA1 4AP, UK
Cahyo Prayogo: Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia
Rizky Maulana Ishaq: Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia
Rizki Dwi Prasetyo: Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia
Zak Mitchell: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK
Simon Oakley: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster LA1 4AP, UK
Laurence Jones: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: In tropical regions, land-use pressures between natural forest, commercial tree plantations, and agricultural land for rural communities are widespread. One option is to increase the functionality of commercial plantations by allowing agroforestry within them by rural communities. Such land-sharing options could address wider societal and environmental issues and reduce pressure on natural forest. To investigate the trade-offs involved, we used InVEST to model the ecosystem services provided by growing coffee under commercial pine plantations in Indonesia against other land-use options. Pine–coffee agroforestry provided worse supporting and regulating services (carbon, sediment and nitrogen retention, catchment runoff) than natural forest; however, it provided greater provisioning services (product yield) directly to smallholders. Converting pine monoculture into pine-coffee agroforestry led to increases in all ecosystem services, although there was an increased risk to water quality. Compared with coffee and root crop monocultures, pine–coffee agroforestry provided higher levels of supporting and regulating services; however, product yields were lower. Thus, opening up pine plantations for agroforestry realises additional income-generating opportunities for rural communities, provides wider ecosystem service benefits, and reduces pressure for land-use change. Lower smallholder yields could be addressed through the management of shade levels or through Payments for Ecosystem Services schemes.

Keywords: agroforestry; InVEST; Indonesia; ecosystem services; land-use change; trade-offs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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