A type of agroforestry, known as layer farming, is helping to reverse deforestation in Peru and provide farmers with new sources of income.

The tropical rainforests of Peru, known as the cloud forests, are affected by large scale deforestation. One of major drivers of this is the clearing of land for agriculture.

New Agriculturist reports on a project by the UK charity, Practical Action, which is working with farmers to train them in layer farming, which involves growing crops beneath the forest canopy in a series of five layers.

“The first layer is a crop such as cassava, which provides food and an income for the first few years. The second layer consists of coffee plants, which take four years to fruit, but then provide good quality coffee beans, which fetch a good price at market. The coffee plants are protected from the sun by the third layer, consisting of banana plants or laurel, which offer fruit or timber. Above that, is a layer of the native Inga tree which provides additional shade and also produce edible seeds, rich in minerals. As well as providing food and shade, leaf-fall from the Inga trees enriches the soil and keeps it fertile. They take four years to reach a height of ten metres. Finally, Cedar trees are grown up to 40 metres tall. They are planted for the long-term and provide shade and protection in addition to a supply of timber for future generations.”

Layer farming produces food from the first year as well as creating a system for long term, sustainable income which also protects the forest.

Through the project, 5,000 Peruvian and Ecuadorian farmers have already received training and been provided with seedlings. Now others are adopting the system and converting their land into agroforestry plots.

Read the full story: Restoring Peru's lost cloud forests