Co-Design Of Agroecological Temperate Fruit Tree Systems: Approach, Tradeoffs And Outputs

Summary

Crop diversification and ecological intensification are a way to foster ecosystem services and produce in very low input systems. We analyzed the design process of three experimental sites that shared the same objective of ecological intensification and diversification in fruit tree production. Agronomic, ecological and organizational aspects were involved in the approach. Pest suppressive plant diversification, resource sharing among cultivated and associated plants, and feasibility were key elements. Identifying the expected functions of each plant species or assemblage (e.g. barrier, trap, production) was also crucial. Co-design brought experiences and expertises and was a powerful way to obtain trade-offs between targeted services in the design of innovative fruit production systems being now experimented. Further research and evaluation of the experimented prototypes are still required but the present analysis opens avenues for agroecological design in perennial crops.