What is the model of agroforestry system?

Agroforestry system has developed into a complex system. Not only crops and trees are components of the system, but also various components including animal production interact with each other. Because these systems are diverse and rich in species, and their growth characteristics are quite different from each other, they are more complementary and can give full play to their respective advantages. The construction of rubber-tea-chicken compound agroforestry system, which originated in xinqiao town, Wenchang County, Hainan Province, is a typical example.

The two traditional industries in this town are rubber forest and Wenchang chicken, which is famous far and near. Traditionally, chickens are raised by farmers and fed with concentrated feed in cages one month before sale to achieve yellow skin, tender meat and delicious taste. However, the stocking scale of traditional farmers can not be expanded, and the feed reward is also low. There are many kinds of agricultural and forestry systems. At present, the common models are fruit-grain intercropping, forest-grass intercropping, jujube-grain intercropping, tung-grain intercropping, forest-medicine intercropping and so on.

For example, intercropping crisp pear with wheat is a good agricultural and forestry system in mild saline-alkali land in Beihe depression of Henan Province, which not only increases the income of crisp pear, but also plays a role in alleviating the drought disaster of wheat caused by dry and hot wind in spring. Another example is persimmon intercropping in Beijing, which has a history of more than 200 years. Another example is intercropping a variety of grasses in woodland, especially young woodland, which is not only beneficial to soil and water conservation and improving the ecological environment of soil-vegetation-atmosphere system, but also provides green feed for animal husbandry and bait for aquaculture.

The combination of agriculture and animal husbandry and the combination of cultivated land and cultivated land are the essence of the traditional comprehensive agricultural farming system in China. Plant production and animal production complement each other in ecology, and their supply to soil bank constitutes the basic structure of a virtuous cycle of agricultural production. Agriculture and aquaculture are also economically complementary.