From the Atlantic forest to the Mediterranean shrub land: a Farm Performance Assessment and a Functional Design Framework for Large-Scale Successional Agroforestry Systems (SAFS)

Summary

In the context of human-induced climate change and the growing global population, agriculture and the food system are in the spotlight. A radical shift towards diversified and regenerative farming systems, imitating the functioning of natural ecosystems, is urgently needed at all scales. This study aims to: 1. assess the environmental and economic performance of a large-scale Successional Agroforestry System (SAFS) for Tahiti lime (Citrus x latifolia) in Brazil; 2. compare the economic performance with the case study SAFS with an organic and a conventional citrus farm performance; 2. design a Functional Design Framework for SAFS in different biophysical contexts, based on a function analysis of the case study farm. The FarmDESIGN modelling tool was used to assess the farms’ performance with environmental and economic indicators. Methods from Reflexive Interactive Design (RIO) for bio-systems design were used for the function analysis and the framework design.