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Timber yield from smallholder agroforestry systems in Nicaragua and Honduras

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Abstract

The importance of tropical timber is increasing worldwide. However, the timber supply of tropical forests has been greatly impacted by growing deforestation associated with complex and restrictive timber harvest laws. In Central America, as well as in other developing regions, reforestation programs have often fallen short of expectations. In these cases, agroforestry proves to be a useful strategy for providing tropical timber supplies for smallholder farmers, rural development and environmental services. Timber yields and their potential revenues in four types of agroforestry systems (silvopastoral, coffee, cocoa and living fences) were researched in Nicaragua and Honduras. The results suggest that smallholder timber production in agroforestry systems is a profitable activity despite lower market prices than commanded by timber from forests. The net value from timber sales represents 11–49 % of the total revenue from agroforestry systems. However, this amount could be 58 % higher if farmers were able to improve management practices. Encouraging the knowledge and adoption of silvicultural practices in agroforestry systems is important to increasing timber revenues among smallholder farmers in Central America.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the farmers and field technicians for their contributions in the establishment of the Permanent Sample Plots and data collection. This research received financial support from the Finnfor project (CATIE, Costa Rica), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and Natura Inovação e Tecnologia de Produtos (Brazil). Anonymous reviewers provided useful recommendations that helped improve the quality of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CATIE, ICRAF Costa Rica Office, 717–Agroforestry, DID, Turrialba, Cartago, 30501, Costa Rica

    Kauê F. D. de Sousa

  2. CATIE, Production and Conservation in Forests Program, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica

    Guillermo Detlefsen

  3. CATIE, Agroforestry and Sustainable Agriculture Program, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica

    Elias de Melo Virginio Filho

  4. CATIE, Livestock and Environmental Management Program, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica

    Diego Tobar

  5. CATIE, Biostatistics Unit, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica

    Fernando Casanoves

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  1. Kauê F. D. de Sousa
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  2. Guillermo Detlefsen
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  3. Elias de Melo Virginio Filho
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  4. Diego Tobar
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  5. Fernando Casanoves
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Correspondence to Kauê F. D. de Sousa.

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de Sousa, K.F.D., Detlefsen, G., de Melo Virginio Filho, E. et al. Timber yield from smallholder agroforestry systems in Nicaragua and Honduras. Agroforest Syst 90, 207–218 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-015-9846-2

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