Agroforestry is land use that combines trees with crops, trees with livestock, or trees with both crops and livestock.
Conventional agriculture is very productive. But high productivity comes at a cost: soil that is depleted or eroded, watercourses that are polluted or drying up, and a food system that produces 20–40% of greenhouse gas emissions. Many experts now agree that we urgently need to transform the food system, including agriculture.
TRWRP sees agroforestry, as a nature-based approach to production and land use, that will play an important role in the transformation of Tobago’s food system. The mix of components in an agroforestry system results in beneficial interactions that improve agriculture in many ways; for example, by improving farm yields, increasing farm incomes, and contributing to soil and water conservation.
TRWRP is also a partner with the Caribbean Tree Planting Initiative led by the Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance. We, therefore, will be encouraging and engaging Tobagonians to plant trees and establish agroforestry systems and monitoring outcomes.
The Tobago Breadfruit Initiative is a high-priority project of TRWRW that falls under this theme. It is envisioned to unfold in three components/phases:
Component 1
- Promotion of the benefits and use of breadfruit as a healthy, versatile foundational food;
- Explore the potential of breadfruit for income generation;
- Encourage general planting of trees (e.g., TBI Caravan, schools, churches);
- Conduct inventory and create a database on standing stock;
- Engage key stakeholders
Component 2
- Organize production system
- Establish a supply of saplings ( to farmers)
- Extension services
Component 3
- Work with key stakeholders to explore/expand local and export markets
The revitalisation of Cocoa estates
Promotion of local fruits
