Search

Through the loss of structurally complex habitats, biodiversity is drastically reduced in oil palm-dominated landscapes and deforestation impairs key ecosystem services. Despite its commercial success, intensive oil palm monoculture must cope with constraints imposed by climate change and labour shortages. Deep changes are needed to adapt the traditional plantation model and to innovate on more resilient cultivation systems. Oil palm-based agroforestry is expected to regenerate biodiversity in monocultural landscapes while providing sustainable income to farmers. The TRAILS Project has established an international consortium linking a research organization (CIRAD), a community-based environmental NGO (HUTAN), a Malaysian University (Universiti Putra Malaysia), and a commercial oil palm plantation (Melangking Oil Palm Plantations). The consortium has set up experimental oil palm-based agroforestry plots in a commercial plantation located in Sabah, Malaysia, a global hotspot of biodiversity. Our agroforestry trials seek to assess the ability of a forest species (either as an individual or mixed planting) to be successfully associated with oil palm and to create more viable complex diversified agrosystemswhich will be able to support wildlife in a sustainable way. The Sabah Biodiversity Centre (SaBC) is currently preparing the nomination of the Kinabatangan landscape as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve, and Hutan has been appointed as the consultant to assist in this initiative. Partners are organising a workshop on the draft management plan for the Kinabatangan Biosphere Reserve (KBR) that will include key stakeholders from state government agencies, community leaders, oil palm companies, and tourism operators. We would be honoured if you could present a brief introductory talk about "the TRAILS project: Innovative agroforestry designs in oil palm plantations" as a key project conducted in the Kinabatangan.

Risk probability is the determination of the likelihood of a risk occurring. (high or low). This likelihood can be based on historical project information. Risks in sustainable agriculture include, among many others: socioeconomic risks, financial risks, climatic risks, agricultural risks. Climate risk is the potential for climate change to create adverse consequences for human or ecological systems. This includes impacts on lives, livelihoods, health and wellbeing, economic, social and cultural assets and investments, infrastructure, services provision, ecosystems and species. Agricultural risk affects production such as changes in the weather and the incidence of pests and diseases. Equipment breakdown can be a risk, as can market price fluctuations. Borrowing money can also be risky with sudden changes in interest rates. Risk also occurs as a result of changes in government policies. In Ecology, sustainability is the capacity to endure ; it is how biological systems remain diverse and productive indefinitely. Sustainable agricultural development can be described as a development which does not compromise the capacity of coming generations to develop themselves following agroecological principles. Indeed, a cultivated area is considered as an ecosystem in which inputs and outputs are balanced. All living organisms inside the system are taken into account, namely the crop (oil palm, rubber, coffee), its enemies (fungi, bacteria, insects, herbivores). The farmer's choices and practices are also of paramount importance. On September 25th 2015 in New York, the United Nations adopted a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years. For the goals to be reached, everyone needs to do their part: governments, the private sector, civil society and people. These 17 SDGS are now governing immediate ac

Agricultural activities are a major contributor to prosperity and a key player in the maintenance of productive and resilient landscapes. However, ageing farmers, yields gaps and climate change are hampering the development of agriculture, and Southeast Asia is no exception to this trend. In this worrying context, the revitalisation of the sector through agricultural education is a key issue: academic curricula in Agriculture and Environmental Sciences must regain their attractiveness among students and their capacity to meet the present and future needs of agricultural chains. Gathering a group of universities in the region, we explored several ways of diversifying the existing academic curricula through the design of original tools aimed at reconnecting scholars with field-based approaches to agricultural challenges and concepts. The aim of the TALENT programme (TrAining on LandscapE maNagemenT) is to raise awareness among the present and future sustainability managers in charge of making informed decisions concerning tree-crop plantations, and of developing relevant policies on sustainable development issues. Here, we propose a renovated approach to analyse the landscape, assess ongoing agricultural practices, generate a simplified agrarian diagnostic tool and finally assess the sustainability of current agricultural practices.

The future of most tropical sectors is clouded by growing constraints linked to, among many other parameters, climate change, price volatility and labour scarcity. Perpetuating agricultural systems inherited from the colonial era (a time of abundant arable land, protected markets, and cheap and disciplined labour) will not be enough to prepare these sectors in facing immediate crucial challenges unless substantial structural transformations are made. Implementing a successful agroecological transition in a 70-billion USD sector, covering 25 million ha worldwide, calls for drastic changes in mind-sets and practices. The key issue is no longer simply to increase productivity, but to foster innovations designed to support endangered tropical biodiversity, while providing a decent living for shrinking agricultural communities in the Global South. Agroforestry practices have a role to play in providing substantial climate change mitigation with an impact comparable to other climate-focused solutions, such as reforestation. The expected contribution of oil palm-based agroforestry relies on agro-environmental services, as basic agricultural functions such as soil preservation, pollination, or pest control can be ensured by living organisms inside and around the plantation. Diversified systems are able to achieve both economic and environmental gains, as they use land more efficiently than monocultures. Building on regenerative agriculture, new plantation designs are emerging and deserve to be thoroughly assessed to establish evidence-based advocacy for change.

Southeast Asia is home to 20% of the remaining tropical forests, yet it suffers from the highest rates of deforestation globally due to the expansion of agroindustrial and smallholder tree crop plantations, particularly oil palm plantations. This development has led to the decline of emblematic species such as orangutans, but also of critical functional groups, including soil fauna and fungi. Through the loss of structurally complex habitats, biodiversity is drastically reduced in oil palm-dominated landscapes and deforestation impairs key ecosystem services. Despite its commercial success, intensive oil palm monoculture has now reached its social and environmental limits. The TRAILS Project has established an international consortium linking a research organization (CIRAD), a community-based environmental NGO (HUTAN), a Malaysian University (Universiti Putra Malaysia), and a commercial oil palm plantation (Melangking Oil Palm Plantations). The consortium has set up experimental oil palm-based agroforestry plots in a commercial plantation located in Sabah, Malaysia, a global hotspot of biodiversity. TRAILS has planted a series of field experiments aimed at: i) evaluating the feasibility of intercropping, associating oil palms and forest trees, ii) assessing the potential for agroforestry of 17 native forest species and, iii) characterizing biological interactions between oil palm plants and some of these tree species. Our overarching goal is to ascertain synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity, ecosystem services, and sustainable palm oil production. This article describes three original planting designs, paving the way for a new generation of climate-smart and resilient plantations.

The TALENT program (TrAining on LandscapE maNagemenT) aims to raise awareness among the managers (present and future) of large tree crop plantations. The main objective of the partnership is to develop specific training activities contributing to the dissemination of best agro-environmental practices. To achieve this aim, the project targets four countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand), and four major commodities (oil palm, rubber, timber and pulp). A group of six partner universities was selected, with the common aim of addressing four different audiences (Masters Students, managers from large plantations, managers of smallholder cooperatives and bank executives). The TALENT Programme will install a network of decision-makers able to understand and apply the key principles of sustainability, supported by their experience in the field. TALENT will also develop specific training activities for the banking sector, in order to link the current challenges in plantation agriculture to the financing of sustainable plantations, thus stimulating their development. In addition to renovating the existing Masters or UG programs, the TALENT initiative also organizes various types of thematic regional seminars and thematic visits to sites of interest, thus directly reaching production operators (companies or cooperatives), financial actors (banks, credit organizations) and academic partners (academics, researchers, extension staff). In addition to face-to-face teaching activities, the e-TALENT subproject provides online resources to all learners interested in the sustainability of plantations in South-East Asia.

The TALENT program (TrAining on LandscapE maNagemenT) aims to raise awareness among the managers (present and future) who are in charge of informed decision-making in tree-crop plantations, and of the development of relevant policies on sustainable development issues.The main objective of the partnership is to develop targeted training that can contribute to the dissemination, over time, of good practices in terms of sustainable plantation management. To achieve this aim, the project targets four countries (namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand), and four major commodity chains: Oil palm, rubber, timber and pulp. A group of six partner universities was selected and their common aim is to educate four different audiences (Masters Students, managers from large plantations, managers of smallholder cooperatives and bank executives). The TALENT Programme will install a network of decision-makers trained to the principles of sustainability and supported by R&D experience in the field. It will also develop specific training activities for the banking sector, link issues in plantation agriculture to the financing of sustainable plantations, thus aiming at stimulating their development.In addition to improving the existing Masters or UG programs, the TALENT initiative also provides for the organization of thematic regional seminars and visits to sites of interest, making it possible to directly reach production operators (companies or cooperatives), financial actors (banks, credit organizations) and academic partners (academics, researchers, extension staff). In addition to face-to-face teaching activities, the e-TALENT programme provides online resources to all learners connected with the sustainability of plantations in South-East Asia.

Background. TRAILS stands for “climaTe Resilient lAndscapes for wIldLife conServation”. TRAILS is a multidisciplinary research project aimed at identifying innovative solutions for wildlife and people in multiple-use landscapes. Methods. Mixed-tree forests provide habitat in the context of industrial agriculture: Pioneer tree species are efficient in restoring healthy riparian forests and providing shelter for wildlife. THen small mammals, primates or disseminate seeds originating from nearby patches of natural forests and contribute to the natural cycle of forest regeneration. Biodiversity corridors contribute to climatic resilience as agroforestry systems can mitigate climate change through the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide in plants and soil. Changes in GHG emissions and soil organic carbon stocks are monitored after land conversion into agroforest. Mixed plantations can also improve livelihoods: It is key to understand changes in the structure and stability of oil palm planters' income induced by the transition from monoculture plantations towards mixed-planted systems. Objectives • To install oil-palm-based agroforestry systems: mixed planting are installed using selected oil palm seedlings and native forest tree species grown in locally-run nurseries in the study area (Sabah, Borneo Island, Malaysia). • To monitor wildlife recolonization dynamics (abundance, diversity, and mobility) in areas covered with mixed-planting, riparian corridors, and oil palms. • To study the agronomic performance of oil palms: growth, development, and nutrition of palms together with fruit yields and bunch characteristics are measured. • To understand key characters of climate resilience through the monitoring of bioclimatic condition of the parcels and their ability to provide environmental services. • To analyze the socioeconomic impact of the transition from oil palm monospecific plantation to agroforestry systems. Conclusion TRAILS builds on a complementary partner

Objectives: The present study aimed to explore the eliciting effects of increasing concentrations (50, 100, and 200 µM) of methyl jasmonate (MeJA). We cultivated actively proliferating buds of Phoenix dactylifera L. cv. Barhee in a temporary immersion system and we monitored the bioactive compound accumulation after 7 days of culture. Methods: Total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) contents were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and radical scavenging activity using DPPH and ABTS assays. We also explored the activity of phenylpropanoid pathway enzymes, namely phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), tyrosine ammonia-lyase (TAL) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO). Results: Our results revealed that MeJA treatment induced oxidative stress, and at the same time increased the activity of related defense enzymes in a dose-dependent manner. Exogenous application of MeJA at 200 µM increased ROS (two fold), hydrogen peroxide (3.7 fold), nitric oxide (14 fold), MDA (6.3 fold), superoxide dismutase (5.9 fold), catalase (4.4 fold) and guaiacol peroxidase (3.87 fold). Furthermore, the results demonstrated that 200 µM MeJA treatment enhanced the activities of PAL (3.65 fold), TAL (4.35 fold), PPO (threefold) and increased TPC (twofold) and TFC (1.75 fold) contents in buds cultures higher than the control. HPLC analysis showed that buds cultures exposed to 200 µM MeJA accumulated maximum amount of catechin (11 fold), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (1.48 fold), caffeic acid (2.5 fold) and p-coumaric acid (1.76 fold) and demonstrate antioxidant capacity with the lowest DPPH (114.5 µg ml−1) and ABTS (90.2 µg ml−1) IC50 values on day 7 of culture as compared to the control. The MeJA in the culture medium directly reduced cell viability in a dose dependent manner up to 35% with the highest concentration. Conclusion: The results of this study has revealed, for the first time, that MeJA offers a promising potential for the production of phenoli

TRAILS stands for “climaTe Resilient lAndscapes for wIldLife conServation”; it is a multidisciplinary research project aimed at assessing innovative solutions for wildlife and people in oil palm-dominated landscapes in Sabah, Borneo Island, Malaysia. Mixed-tree forests can provide habitat in a context of industrial agriculture, as pioneer tree species are efficient in restoring healthy riparian forests and providing shelter for wildlife. Biodiversity corridors also contribute to climatic resilience, as agroforestry systems can mitigate climate change through the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide in plants and soil. Mixed plantations also improve livelihoods: it is key to understand ecosystems services and wellbeing values attributed by local communities to the reforestation of riparian areas and the transition from monoculture plantations toward mixed-planted systems. TRAILS objective is to install oil-palm-based agroforestry systems, using selected oil palm seedlings and native forest tree species grown in locally run village nurseries. The project also aims at monitoring the dynamics of recolonization by wildlife in areas covered with mixed-planting, riparian corridors, and oil palm plantations. The project monitors the agronomic performance of oil palms planted under agroforestry designs. TRAILS also aims at understanding key characters of climate resilience through the monitoring of bioclimatic condition of the parcels and their ability to provide environmental services. TRAILS builds on a complementary partnership, linking academic, NGOs, private and public stakeholders, thus enabling integrated approaches arising from various science fields, from agronomy and forestry to veterinary sciences, including a detailed socioeconomic approach.

This work was conducted from January 2020 to February 2022 with the participation of several researchers from Forests and Societies, Eco&Sols, Tetis and Innovation units, 4 students from the National University of Timor Lorosa'e (UNTL) and 1 student from the Montpellier SupAgro national school of agronomy and AgroParisTech. The agronomist sent by CIRAD to coordinate the work on site presented the methodological tools used and the typology of the 5 main agroforestry systems integrated in the landscapes of the study area. These systems were analysed in terms of their ecological and socio-economic resilience. The conclusions of this first study show that Timorese agroforestry systems have a strong potential to store carbon in soils and above-ground biomass as well as to contribute to a balance of household food and economic resources through their diversity of functions. In order to improve the resilience of these systems, various challenges need to be addressed, including the improvement of national and international value chains to secure markets and consequently increase the productivity of the systems. Technical constraints in the fight against diseases (animal and plant) and pests were also noted during the field studies. The presentation concludes with the need to enhance the value of these Timorese agroforestry systems, through the support of consumers and institutions in order to preserve their heritage value.