FOR460/560

Agroforestry Systems: Local and Global Perspectives

T,Th 2:10-3:00 – 333 Science II / Lab: W 3:10-6:00 PM 202 Science II

Co-instructors:Dr. Heidi Asbjornsen

Tel: 4-7703, email: , office: 234 Science II

Dr. John Tyndall

Tel:4-4912, email: , office: 305 Science II

Steve Ruigu

Tel: 4-9852, email: , office: 05 Science II

Office hours:By Appointment (we welcome the opportunity to talk with you outside of class; please contact us by email, phone, or in person to set up an appointment at a mutually convenient time.)

Webpage:

Learning objectives and outcomes:

By the end of this course you should be able to:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of how agroforestry systems function with landscapes across multiple scales (plot, watershed, landscape) and how these systems contribute to achieving multiple benefits (environmental, social, economic, etc.).
  • Evaluate the ecological structure and function of a given agroforestry system, including an assessment of how the soils, vegetation, climate, geology, and land use history of a particular site contribute to the overall functioning and sustainability of the system.
  • Evaluate the economic costs and benefits of a given agroforestry system.
  • Evaluate the social context in which a given agroforestry operates, including the cultural and historical aspects influencing its development, as well as the social processes determining its structure and composition.
  • Explain how the principles of competition and complementary between agricultural and tree crops affect the functioning of agroforestry systems, and apply this knowledge to their design.
  • Describe the processes of nutrient, water and carbon cycling in agroforestry systems, and compare how these processes differ from (or are similar to) annual cropping systems and native perennial ecosystems.
  • Critically discuss how agroforestry systems can be managed for a range of different environmental services, including: water quality and availability, soil quality and nutrient cycling, air quality and microclimate, carbon storage/sequestration, and biodiversity (both plants and wildlife).
  • Describe some of the major agroforestry systems found in temperate (e.g., riparian buffers, forest farming, alley cropping, etc.) and tropical (e.g., homegardens, alley cropping, tangya, etc) regions from a social, ecological, and economic perspective.
  • Apply effective teamwork skills to achieve a common goal.
  • Effectively communicate your knowledge to a range of different audiences.

Assignments:

Readings: We will not have a text book for this course; however, we have compiled readings for each class period from a range of different sources, including books, journal articles, and research reports, in order to provide you with both breadth and depth of knowledge about agroforestry systems. Readings will be assigned for most class periods, and you will be expected to come to class prepared to discuss topics related to those readings and to participate actively in class discussions. A list of outcomes will be provided for each class period (usually on the previous class day) to help you identify the material we think is most important to focus on in the readings.

Team project: Students will work in teams of 3-4 people to design an agroforestry system for the “Biekler Farm”, a privately owned farm located about 15 minutes from the ISU campus. Each team will turn in a final report and make a class presentation on their agroforestry system. Details about this assignment are provided in a separate hand-out.

Optional field trip: An optional field trip will be arranged for interested students to VeracruzMexico during Thanksgiving break to gain hands-on experience with a range of different tropical agroforestry systems. This trip is highly recommended for all students. More specific information regarding the trip, including opportunities for obtaining financial assistance, will be provided early in the semester. Students participating in the optional field trip will meet weekly (Mondays 5-7PM) for presentations and discussions to prepare for the field trip, and will receive 1 additional course credit.

Graduate students: In order to receive graduate credit for this course, graduate students will have additional readings, often from the primary literature, and may be asked to address specific questions from those readings during class. Graduate students will also write a term paper on a topic of their choice and design and lead a 50 minute class lecture/discussion on that topic towards the end of the semester. More specific information about the expectations for this term paper and class lecture/discussion will be provided early in the semester.

Grading: The grade for the course will be determined according to the following criteria:

Exam I 20 %

Exam II 20 %

Team project report25 %

Team presentation25 %

Class participation10 %

*Graduate students: 70% of total grade will consist of the team project report and presentation, and 30% will consist of the additional graduate student term paper and class lecture/discussion assignments.

Grading will be as follows: A: 93-100%, A-: 90-92.9%, B+: 87-89.9%, B: 83-86.9%, etc.

Assignments will be handed in at the beginning of the class on the day they are due. Late work will only be accepted under exceptional circumstances, and only if specifically arranged with the instructors. Late work received without previous arrangement will not be accepted.

Cooperative learning philosophy:

Throughout the course you will frequently be asked to work with other students in the class – both in a group setting (3-4 students) and in smaller pairs. We believe that learning takes place when students actively participate in the process of interpreting, explaining, and applying new knowledge and skills—and not by merely listening to an instructor and being “passively spoon-fed” information. Working with other students in the class is an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the topic. You will be expected to participate actively in your own learning, as well as contribute to the learning of other students in the class. Our primary role as instructors is to facilitate this process by providing the necessary structure, tools and information where cooperative learning can take place and new knowledge can be built, as well as to encourage and enable each student to reach their greatest achievement possible within his or her abilities and potential. We use a variety of assessment techniques throughout the course in order to help both you as students and us as instructors to determine how well you are learning—and how well we are teaching. We also use these assessments as a basis for improving the course during the course of the semester, and we always value your feedback on how we can better enhance your learning in the course. Finally, we do not believe that grading on a curve—which creates competition among students—is an appropriate means of evaluation. Each student will be graded on their own merits and degree of advancement within the course.

Statement on learning disabilities:

If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Resources (DR) office, located on the main floor of the StudentServicesBuilding, Room 1076, 515-294-7220.

FOR460/560 – CLASS SCHEDULE (T/Th: 2:10-3 PM; Lab: W 3:10-6 PM)

Oct 4, 18, and 25 and maybe Nov 15

Date / Lecture or Lab Topic / Instructor(s)
Aug 22 / Introduction to the course
Syllabus, field trips (local and Mexico)
Introduce team project on designing an AFS / HA, JT, SR
Aug 23 / Lab: Watershed perspective exercise / JT
Aug. 24 / Definitions, history & classification / SR
Aug. 29 / Ecological principles & assessment of agroforestry systems: structure and function of woody vs. herbaceous plants / SR
Aug. 30 / Lab: Biechler Farm - Introduction to the site (w/ Dean Biechler)
Aug. 31 / Ecological principles & assessment of agroforestry systems: aboveground and belowground dynamics / SR
Sept 5 / Economic principles & assessment of agroforestry systems / JT
Sept. 6 / Economic Evaluation of AFS / JT
Sept. 7 / Economic principles & assessment of agroforestry systems / JT
Sept. 9 / Saturdayfield trip – Badgersett Research Farm, Canton, MN / Dr. Philip Rutter
Sept 12 / Social principles & assessment of AFS / Dr. Cornelia Flora
Sept 13 / Lab – Ecological Evaluation of AFS – Bear Creak(w/ EnvSci 495) / HA, JT, SR
Sept. 14 / Social principles & assessment of AFS / Dr. Cornelia Flora
Sept 19 / Ecological interactions: complementarity vs. competition / HA
Sept. 20 / Lab – team projects – Biechler Farm
Vegetation and SVAP Survey (w/EnvSci 495)
Sept. 21 / Ecological interactions: nutrient cycling / HA
Sept. 23 / Saturday field trip – Red Fern Farm, Wapello, IA / Mr. Tom Wahl
Sept 26 / Ecological interactions: water balance / HA
Sept. 27 / Lab – Teams work on projects
Sept. 28 / Ecological interactions: Carbon cycling &storage/ Productivity / HA
Oct. 3 / Managing AF for biodiversity functions and services / JT
Oct. 4 / Team Presentations on present conditions at the Biechler Farm site(w/ EnvSci 495)
Oct. 5 / Bioenergy – economic evaluation / JT
Oct. 10 / Managing AFS for livestock production: Silvopastoral systems / Dr. Jerry DeWitt
Oct. 11 / Lab – Silvopastoral systems / Dr. Jerry DeWitt
Oct. 12 / Watershed perspective – ecosystem services & economics
Take home exam / HA, JT, SR
Oct. 17 / Managing AFS for hydrological functions and services: riparian buffers, contour strips, intercropping, shade trees, etc. (HA) / HA
Oct. 18 / LAB – Team presentations on preliminary management plans(w/ EnvSci 495)
Oct. 19 / Managing AFS for soil quality and nutrient cycling functions & services / SR
Oct. 24 / Managing AFS for air quality/microclimate functions and services / JT
Oct. 25 / LAB – work in combined teams to prepare management plans(w/ EnvSci 495)
Oct. 26 / Managing AFS for carbon storage/sequestration / SR
Oct. 31 / Managing agroforestry systems for wildlife habitat / JP
Nov. 1 / LAB: Wildlife habitat – Jim Pease’s home / JP
Nov. 2 / Forest farming systems: integrating wild & cultivated plants / HA
Nov. 7 / Forest farming systems: socioeconomic considerations/analysis / JT
Nov. 8 / Tropical AFS systems / SR
Nov. 9 / Tropical AFS systems (Managing for AFS biodiversity) / Dr. Matt Liebman
Nov 14 / Tropical AFS systems / SR
Nov. 15 / LAB: team work on management plans(w/ EnvSci 495) / SR
Nov. 16 / Tropical AFS systems – socioeconomic aspects / SR
Nov 17-26 / Optional field trip to Veracruz, Mexico
Nov. 28 / Graduate Student Presentations
Nov. 29 / Graduate student presentations cont.
Nov. 30 / Final Exam
Dec. 5 / Group presentations (w/ EnvSci 495)
Dec. 6 / Lab – Group presentations (w/ EnvSci 495)
Dec. 7 / Group presentations(w/ EnvSci 495)