Indigenous Agroforestry

Indigenous communities across the planet are becoming culturally and environmentally eroded at an alarming rate as a combined result of globalization and the convergence of climate, economic, health, and spiritual crises. Indigenous knowledge about land stewardship has been neglected, alienated, and minimized due to supposed lack of scientific methods and different worldviews. Paradoxically, scientists and environmental leaders concur that the predominant global food system and the prevailing modern landscape management and production techniques must be re-aligned with the very principles that happen to characterize most indigenous agricultural communities, namely: land management intelligence, resource conservation and nutrient cycling, deep connection to and understanding of the soil and all living beings, experimentation and ultimate respect of ancient knowledge, among others. Modern human civilization cannot afford to continue losing indigenous agricultural knowledge. The world is at a crossroads and faces a path of no return, yet we also have the opportunity to shift the global agricultural paradigm and re-design our food systems collaboratively taking into consideration scientific and indigenous knowledge alike. This Collection aims to empower global society with state-of-the-art knowledge in Agroforestry applications, modern and ancient, derived from indigenous communities. We urge the agroforestry community to report case studies, reviews and new research articles that shed light on Indigenous Agroforestry Systems. All papers must adhere to the Nagoya protocol to secure and guarantee fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from indigenous knowledge published on this Collection.