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Journals

Agroforestry Today is a global journal, published quarterly by ICRAF, that presents articles on research and issues related to agroforestry. The ‘News and Notes’ section reports on recent events, including meetings, courses and projects from around the world.

The journal also contains book reviews and an agenda of coming conferences. A Chinese edition is co-published with the Institute of Soil Science in China, and there is a French language version called L’Agroforesterie Aujourd’hui. The editors welcome questions and letters from readers. A journal focusing on agroforestry research in Latin America, Agroforestería en las Américas, is co-published by ICRAF and the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE).

For information on any of these publications, contact: Ms. Debra Lodoen, Editor, Agroforestry Today, ICRAF (see page 6 of this Handbook);
E-mail aftoday@cgnet.com.

Training

The Directory of International Training and Educational Opportunities in Agroforestry, edited by Per Rudebjer and published by ICRAF in 1996, contains information on 140 colleges, universities and other institutions that offer agroforestry training in Africa, Asia and Australia, Europe, North America, and Central and South America. Both formal education and short courses in agroforestry feature in this third revised and expanded edition, which updates directories published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1991 and 1993. Each institution is featured on a single page, and there are sections in French and Spanish.

Contact: Prof. August B. Temu, Leader, Capacity and Institutional Strengthening, ICRAF (see page 6 of this Handbook);
E-mail a.temu@cgiar.org

Newsletters

Agroforestry Forum is a biannual newsletter that facilitates exchange of information between agroforestry researchers. Its price and format are designed to allow individual researchers to subscribe and contribute their viewpoints. It contains concise articles on process-based research from key natural and social scientists around the world, and reports on progress on long-term agroforestry system trials. In addition, it features notes on research techniques, review articles and an increasingly popular news and views section in which topical issues are debated. Special issues on key aspects of agroforestry allow scientists to give their views on current and new research directions.

Contact: Dr. Fergus L. Sinclair, Editor, Agroforestry Forum, School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK; Tel. +44.1248.382459,
Fax +44.1248.382832, E-mail f.l.sinclair@bangor.ac.uk,
Website http://safswww.bangor.ac.uk/publications/agroforum.html.

Databases

The Agroforestree database, released on CD-ROM by ICRAF in 1998, contains detailed species information compiled in a standardized, comparable and easily accessible way on more than 300 agroforestry trees. The database is a species reference and selection guide, containing information on species identity, propagation methods, geographic distribution, uses and pests and diseases. It also incorporates bibliographic references, research contacts, seed suppliers and tree images. The database is designed to help field workers and researchers make rational decisions regarding the choice of candidate species for specific sites and defined purposes. In particular, Agroforestree: (1) enables easy access to a consolidated pool of information on tree species with useful production or service functions; (2) provides a tool that assists with the selection of species for use in agroforestry and related research using factors that are relevant to the chosen agroforestry technologies; and (3) helps researchers assess potential agroforestry trees for uses other than those commonly known, such as timber. Another database, the Tree Seed Suppliers Directory (TSSD), was released on CD-ROM by ICRAF in 1999. It provides users with contacts of potential seed or microsymbiont suppliers for agroforestry tree species. In addition, it provides a basis for selecting among those suppliers. Further aims of TSSD are to: (1) contribute to the informed use of tree germplasm, which is an essential component of sustainable forestry and agroforestry practices; and (2) promote wider use of quality germplasm. The directory also highlights the importance of biosafety issues, presenting information that suppliers have provided. Production of the directory was one of the goals of the Domestication of Agroforestry Trees Programme of ICRAF, which is concerned with diversifying and intensifying land-use systems through the domestication of agroforestry trees.

Contact: Josina Kimotho, ICRAF (see page 6 of this Handbook); E-mail j.kimotho@cgiar.org.

Woods of the World, launched in 1994, is a multimedia database of wood and wood products. The database, designed for people who work on wood research or trade, contains information on over 900 tropical and temperate timber species. Data recorded include scientific and common names, geography, environmental status, uses, physical and woodworking properties, product information and references. Woods of the World has been developed by Tree Talk, a non-profit organization that seeks to assist the forest products industry in managing the world’s forests on a sustainable basis.

Contact: Ms. Berne Broudy, Tree Talk, Inc., P.O. Box 426, 431 Pine Street, Burlington, Vermont 05402, USA; Tel. +1.802.8636789,
Fax +1.802.8634344, E-mail wow@together.net,
Website http://www2.epix.net/~treetalk/TTHome.html.

Videos

Field of Trees is a 30-minute video on agroforestry jointly produced by Television Trust for the Environment (TVE) and ICRAF. It highlights the lives of four families in Zambia, Uganda, Peru and Indonesia who are farming with trees to help resolve some of the problems which they are facing, including poverty, food security, deforestation and land degradation.

Contact: Ms. Elizabeth Mwamunga, Distribution Officer, ICRAF (see page 6 of this Handbook); E-mail e.mwamunga@cgiar.org or Television Trust for the Environment, Prince Albert Road, London NW1 4RZ, UK; Tel. +44.171.5865526,
Fax +44.171.5864866,
E-mail tve-dist@tve.org.uk,
Website http://carryon.oneworld.org/tve/.

Teaching Materials

FRR Ltd.has produced an illustrated discussion pack entitled ‘Agroforestry Research. Approaches to the design of agroforestry systems with emphasis on buffer zone development in the rain forests of West Africa’. FRR has been active in agroforestry research and development for many years, and the material for this pack is drawn from its activities in Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria. The pack consists of a 24-page booklet with illustrations in both printed form and as a set of slides. It is designed for use by scientists and project personnel, in particular members of NGOs and teaching establishments, as a tool for stimulating the exchange of ideas on key issues in agroforestry research. The pack is divided into 20 sections, each focusing on a particular topic, for example, buffer zones, indigenous tree crops, tree propagation and sustainable land use. For each section, background information and definitions are given, and a number of questions are presented that can be used to stimulate discussion. The pack is free of charge for organizations from developing countries (except for a £3 charge for postage), and for others costs £12.50.

Contact: Ms. Jaquelien Chapman, Projects Administrator, FRR Ltd., Brockley Combe, Backwell, Bristol BS19 3DF, UK; Tel.+44.1934.862861, Fax +44.1934.863298 or 863666,
E-mail frr@frr.co.uk.

People and Plants Bookshelf

Buck, L.E., J.P. Lassoie and E.C.M. Fernandes, editors. 1998. Agroforestry in Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Boca Raton, CRC Press. Bridging temperate and tropical agroforestry systems, this volume of contributed papers examines the environmental and social conditions that affect the performance of trees in field and forest-based agricultural production systems. Among other parameters, the authors discuss the roles of soil, water, light, nutrient and pest management in mixed, annual, woody perennial and livestock systems.

Contact: CRC Press Incorporated, 2000 Corporate Boulevard North West, Boca Raton, Florida 33431, USA, Tel. +1.407.9940555, Website http://www.crcpress.com/.

Clarke, W.C. and R.R. Thaman. 1993. Agroforestry in the Pacific Islands: Systems for Sustainability. Tokyo, United Nations University Press. Based on extensive field observations and a wide range of published sources, Bill Clarke and Randy Thaman describe the diverse traditional agroforestry systems that have evolved over thousands of years in the Pacific Islands, and provide detailed data on one hundred of the most useful trees in the Pacific.

Contact: United Nations University Press, The United Nations University, 53-70, Jingumae 5-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150, Japan; Tel. +81.3.34992811,
Fax +81.3.34067345,
E-mail benger@hq.unu.edu.

Gordon, A.M. and S.M. Newman, editors. 1997. Temperate Agroforestry Systems. Wallingford, CAB International. This book, available in paperback, explores the development of temperate agroforestry and agroforestry systems. With a focus on geographical areas where the greatest advances have taken place, it provides information on historical background, research priorities and policies.

Contact: CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 8DE, UK;
Tel. +44.1491.826090, Fax +44.1491.833508,
E-mail cabi@cabi.org.

Huxley, P. 1999. Tropical Agroforestry. Oxford, Blackwell Science. Peter Huxley, a former director of research and development at ICRAF, provides an insightful account of the principles and practices of agroforestry in the tropics. By addressing the underlying biological and ecological functions of agroforestry systems, he presents a balanced assessment of the potential contribution of agroforestry to sustainable agricultural production and a healthy environment.

Contact: Ms. Vivienne Harvey, Blackwell Science Limited, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0NE, UK;
Tel. +44.1865.206206, Fax +44.1865.721205,
E-mail vivienne.harvey@blacksci.co.uk,
Website http://www.blacksci.co.uk/.

Websites

http:/www.unifem.undp.org brings you to the website of The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Among other initiatives, UNIFEM is conducting a project – funded in part by the Luxembourg Government and UNFIP (United Nations Fund for International Partnerships) – to assist women in Burkina Faso who produce shea butter. The primary goal is to enable women to control production and facilitate access to international markets.

Contact: Ms. Aster Zaoude, UNIFEM Regional Office, B.P. 154, Dakar, Senegal; Tel. +221.8235207, Fax +221.8235002,
E-mail unifsen@telecomplus.sn.

http://www.ffp.csiro.au/ is the place to go for information on the Forestry and Forest Products initiatives of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). Among other projects, CSIRO has joined forces with the Queensland Forest Research Institute to conducting breeding and improvement trials on two species that yield valuable essential oils: the tea tree, Melaleuca alternifolia, and lemon myrtle, Bakhousia citriodora. The goal is to boost production of the essential oils and provide good quality planting stock for Australian farmers who cultivate the trees in plantations.

Contact: Dr. John Doran, CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products, P.O. Box E4008, Kingston, ACT 2604, Australia; Fax +61.2.62818312,
E-mail enquiries@ffp.csiro.au.

http://www.covol.org is the site of the Cooperative Office for Voluntary Organizations (COVOL), a US-based non-profit voluntary organization that has been working in Uganda since 1988, and has recently begun collaborative partnerships with projects in Tanzania and southern Sudan. COVOL develops and implements effective, low-cost innovations that enhance the food and economic security of rural households in Sub-Saharan Africa through conservation and utilization of indigenous biodiversity. The Shea Project for Local Conservation and Development is an integrated rural-based project that engenders conservation of indigenous woodland through access to improved technologies, small-scale credit, and the development of new, high-value markets for Ugandan shea butter. The Shea Project works primarily with women’s farming groups across northern Uganda, and will soon expand into southern Sudan. The project is currently funded by USAID, the McKnight Foundation, and the European Union through an INCO project based at Bangor, as well as marketing of shea products produced by the women’s groups of northern Uganda.

Contact: Eliot Masters, Coordinator, The Shea Project, COVOL, 4680 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz CA 95062, USA; +1.831.462.2182,
E-mail shea@covol.org.