Overview

This book consolidates the descriptive results of a pantropical project called Agroforestry Systems Inventory (AFSI), undertaken by the International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) from 1982 to 1987. Since agroforestry was a relatively new term when the project was initiated, the main objective was to increase the understanding of and provide a state-of- the-art information base on existing agroforestry systems. Therefore, the project was designed to systematically collect, collate, synthesize, and dissem- inate information on existing agroforestry systems in developing countries. One of the major results of the project, descriptions of existing agroforestry systems, was published as a series of articles in Agroforestry Systems. These system descriptions form the bulk of this book. Other products of the project include a microcomputer database on agroforestry systems, practices and components, and voluminous unpublished reports and records. Perhaps the title of the book is misleading in that the book does not include or cover all existing agroforestry systems in the tropics and geographical regions in the tropics. Additionally, some of the systems described are outside the tropical boul;ldaries of 23. 5" Nand S latitudes. For the purpose of this book, the word tropics is used in a general sense to also include subtropical developing countries that have agro-ecological and socio-economic character- istics and land-use problems similar to those of the countries within the geographical limits of the tropical belt.