Environmentalists often don’t not see smallholder farming landscapes as valuable because they are not pristine and contain many introduced species. But it is these alien plants that are generally the chief sources of food, fibre and construction wood for subsistence and cash income.

An article in the Environment Magazine details how mixed tropical landscapes managed by smallholder farmers contain numerous alien plans that “contribute to people's adaptation to social and environmental changes, to a diversification of livelihoods and habitats, to avoided deforestation, to biodiversity conservation, and finally to sustainability”.

The authors argue that more resources should be dedicated toward understanding, protecting, and enhancing tropical smallholder farming systems, and that introduced plants should not be an obstacle to this. They propose a simple framework to evaluate the value of tropical smallholder farming landscapes; looking at their productivity, community contribution and environmental value.

In the article, case studies are elaborated on, using the framework. For example, the rubber agroforests of Kalimantan and Sumatra produce not only latex but also food, construction material and game. They also harbor a considerable number of plant species and play an important role in biodiversity conservation.

The cocoa agroforests of Cameroon are also a productive smallholder landscape that provides numerous additional resources. This farming system has enabled communities to stake a legal claim to land and given them guaranteed incomes. Biodiversity in these landscapes is higher than in other farming systems and cocoa agroforests provide important environmental services such as pollination, seed dispersal, cabon storage and soil conservation.

Read the full story: Melting Pots of Biodiversity: Tropical Smallholder Farm Landscapes as Guarantors of Sustainability