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Understanding of soil carbon, structure and biodiversity in Coffea arabica agroforestry

Understanding of soil carbon, structure and biodiversity in Coffea arabica agroforestry systems in Mt Elgon, Uganda, for improved climate change mitigation and adaptation in combination with biodiversity conservation

Blog by Derick Kisegu, Phd student on the AfPEC project

Tree planting and retention on coffee farms (coffee agroforestry) have taken a center stage in many coffee growing countries. Nongovernmental organizations at all levels, government institutions and farmers themselves have stepped up efforts to plant trees on coffee farms. Diverse tree species are planted for diverse reasons including climate change mitigation and adaptation. Indeed, Agroforestry is a scalable and feasible approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation especially in agricultural landscapes.

Research has shown that above-ground carbon in agroforestry systems is significant and that ecosystem goods from agroforestry systems can aid adaptation to climate change.

However, the effect of tree density and diversity on soil carbon, health, water conservation potential and biodiversity are less known for coffee agroforestry systems in Uganda. Knowledge on these aspects is essential for climate change mitigation and adaptation and biodiversity conservation.

As a phd student on the AfPEC project, I will research soil carbon, health, water conservation potential, and biodiversity in agroforestry systems. The main objective is to generate knowledge of the contributions of Coffea arabica agroforestry systems to climate change mitigation and adaptation in fragile highland ecosystems of Uganda.