STATE-OF-THE-ART OF AGROFORESTRY RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

Organized research in agroforestry is just about 15 years old. The main categories of research during this period have been methodological, system- and component descriptions, experimental and quantitative, economic, and on-farm. The diagnosis and design (D & D) methodology, and procedures for design and analysis of agroforestry field experiments have been the major areas of methodological research. The system- and component descriptions have resulted in several databases, books, and other publications. The main aspects of experimental research have been screening and selection of multipurpose trees, component- and system management trials, component interaction studies, and prototype evaluation of trials. Significant accomplishments have also been made in socioeconomic and on-farm research. Although international attention in agroforestry has been focused primarily on the tropics and developing countries, significant expansion in agroforestry activities has also occurred in the temperate zone. However. the pace of these developments has been slower than that in the developing world. In the area of agroforestry education and training, the major accomplishment has been in short-term and non-degree training. Several such training courses are offered on general, as well as specific, aspects of agroforestry at different institutions around the world. The focus on agroforestry education (i.e., degree programs) has been, and will probably continue to be, at the postgraduate rather than undergraduate level. In the future, agroforestry research will move rapidly from descriptive to quantitative and experimental, with increasing levels of multidisciplinary involvement. Applications of biotechnology, geographic information systems, and computer-based predictive and integrated models are likely to become important aspects. Social and economic research is also likely to see an upsurge. Agroforestry research and education are still in their formative stages, but have gathered considerable momentum. Research development seems poised to accelerate, and when - rather than if - that happens, education will follow suit.