Tropentag, September 10 - 12, 2025, Bonn "Reconciling land system changes with planetary health"

Agroforestry systems in the Peruvian amazon: Exploring typologies and farmers' perceptions in San Martín

CIFOR-ICRAF/Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (HSRW), Land-use Management , Germany

Abstract

The Peruvian Amazon, covering over 73 million hectares and representing 80% of Peru’s territory, is among the world’s most biodiverse regions. Yet, it faces alarming deforestation rates, nearly 2.8 million hectares of tree cover were lost between 2001 and 2021, equivalent to 7.6 soccer fields per minute. As a nature-based solution, agroforestry has emerged as a promising land-use alternative to address both environmental degradation and rural poverty by integrating trees into productive systems. This study aims to explore the typologies of agroforestry systems implemented in the San Martín region and to analyse farmers’ perceptions regarding their ecological and socioeconomic benefits and constraints.

The research is embedded within the SMART project by CIFOR-ICRAF, which promotes evidence-based and context-specific agroforestry practices through knowledge co-creation and participatory innovation. Data collection will be conducted in May 2025 through a mixed-methods approach: field observations to document system structures and species diversity and focus group discussions applying Group Concept Mapping (GCM) to capture farmers’ experiential knowledge and priorities The observational data will be cross-referenced with the SMART platform’s ecological database and systematized according to structure, function, and dominant species. Qualitative data will be thematically analysed using MAXQDA, while quantitative insights from the GCM method will be processed using R, applying multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis.

Preliminary results, which will be available at the time of the conference, aim to uncover the dominant agroforestry typologies in the region and how local farmers perceive the benefits (e.g., income diversification, soil restoration, biodiversity conservation, resilience to climate variability) and barriers (e.g., technical gaps, policy constraints, market access). By aligning scientific and local knowledge, the study seeks to contribute to the co-design of agroforestry systems that are both ecologically resilient and socially inclusive, supporting the broader goal of reconciling land use with planetary health in tropical landscapes.

Keywords: Agroforestry Systems, Biodiversity Conservation, Farmer Perceptions, Group Concept Mapping (GCM), Participatory Research, Peruvian Amazon, SMART Project, Sustainable Land Use, Tree-Based Solutions

Contact Address: Leidy Johanna Bedoya Giraldo, CIFOR-ICRAF/Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (HSRW), Land-use Management , Hermannstraße 101, 45479 Mülheim an der ruhr, Germany, e-mail: leidy-johanna.bedoya-giraldohsrw.org