The chakra system is a traditional agroforestry system. It yields (no pun intended) the possibility to tackle climate change by adaptation and through the conservation of biodiversity.
The Carbon sequestration (the “fixation” of Carbon) is higher and more stable than the counter method of conventional mono culture. In contrast to the repetitive planting of e.g. Cacao, a diversity of trees is cultivated. Consequently the biodiversity of above-ground and below ground organisms is restored and maintained. Especially the below ground ecosystem is normally destroyed by tillage or pesti-/fungicides.
This system is a traditional achievement of Ecuador´s Amazonian communities.
Because of my studies in the rural areas of Mexico ( with my Etnobotanic class), I see the importance of traditional knowledge and it´s conservation. The process of cultivating plants is the heritage of our fathers and mothers. Carefully selected and often orally passed on through generations. It is our duty to maintain the ideas, because we are this diversity. Especially in regard to climate change, we need adapted plants, and our knowledge of genetics (and genetic engineering) is still too far away.
So by combination of cacao production, controlled timber extraction, staple food production and conservation of medical plants we, not only, preserve what we learned from our parents, but also take care of us and our children.
We give an alternative to deforestation through brand/fire clearing and sustain local communities livelihood. In addition, we should be combating desertification by planting trees around the world, as the FAO is advising us to do.
The lectures of Dr. Will Hooker, which I´m studying in these corona times, has thought me, that there are systems everywhere and everything is connected.
We need forests to not only fixate CO2, but also to buffer against temperature fluctuations and extreme weather events like droughts, floods and strong winds. It is exactly our mono culture, which is the most vulnerable and short sighted idea.
As much as we shouldn´t forget previous knowledge, we should expand our research and get more data. Especially in the tropics we lack information, which we need to get a holistic image of our problems and create multifactorial solutions.
I know this blog is more of a rant, that a scientific project, but I will try to better myself and start now, by giving a few reading suggestions for those of you, who also want there mind to be more holistic.
http://www.fao.org/forestry/4616-05d12ba6ee66e1aad657e23f440d6376b.pdf
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