Agroforestry enhance soil moisture and fertility in rain-fed farmlands

Abstract

Since draught and fertility of farmland can be considered as main constraint for food productions, mitigation of these constraints has to be continuously performed. The important of this mitigation mainly due to various data reported which show that rainforest has been continuously decreased for other uses. This decrease could then inhibited the potential of local water cycles and enhance draught. In order to minimize the overwhelming draught during dry seasons and flooding during rain seasons, agroforestry system might become an option that has to be improved, as well as inhibiting the reduction of rain forest. This agroforestry system do not only varied income for smallholder farmer, but also increased the capability of rain forest to maintain fresh water supply. This system could therefore also increase soil moisture and fertility of farmland. Mechanism by which this system could mitigate agricultural constraint is relied on the ability of deep root system of trees to absorb mineral and water. Whereas water taken up by this root system then evaporated to enhance local water cycles, mineral taken up from deep soil will enrich top soil of farmland. Thus, agroforestry could become a promising method to sustain food productions.