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先生 Mike Hands

成员起始时间
组织: Inga Foundation
国家: 联合王国
专业领域：
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I am Michael Hands.  Formerly Senior Researcher in the University of Cambridge.  Directed four successive research projects in Central America for the University.  The Ecology of slash-and-burn agriculture in rain forests. 

Now Program Director in Central America for Inga Foundation (IF).  Promoting and extending four Inga-based agroforestry systems (The Inga Model) to subsistence farming families in rain forests.  IF was founded in 2007 to promote the findings of the Cambridge Projects (1988-2002).  Our efforts and resources are concentrated in the buffer zone of the Pico Bonito National Park in Honduras. 

The outcome of the Cambridge Projects was that the only agricultural system emerging from many years’ trial, with any promise of sustainability in this context was Alley-cropping with Inga species (Inga a-c); but with the caveat that the system needs supplementary minerals; especially rock-phosphate.

Inga a-c gives the families food-security in basic grains and a route out of environmental destruction and poverty.  The remaining three agroforestry systems in the model yield cash-crops and valuable timber for the family’s short, medium and long-term well-being. Please see:  www.ingafoundation.org for more details.

Tropical Rain Forest Ecologist.

Senior Researcher.  University of Cambridge (1988-2022)

Development and field testing of sustainable alternatives to slash-and-burn in the world's rain forests.

Founder/Trustee of Inga Foundation.

Program Director.  Land for Life Program.  Inga Foundation.

该成员提交的意见和建议涉及：

    • Dear FSN,

      I am Mike Hands, a Founder/Trustee of Inga Foundation in UK.  I was a Researcher in the University of Cambridge for 16 years, but based mainly in Central America (1986-2002).  We were researching the Ecology of slash-and-burn agriculture in an acid-soil rain forest environment; and particularly conducting long-term trials of different cropping systems for the production of basic grains.  

      I would like to draw the Forum's attention to Inga Foundation's Land for Life Program in Honduras which has been implementing the findings of the four Cambridge projects since 2012.

      The context here is highly-degraded soils on steep, rocky hillsides in the Cordillera Nombre de Díos.  Many of these sites have been subject to slash-and-burn episodes repeated over a period of more than a century, in most cases.  The farmers who now own these small farms describe them as "estéril" (Sterile); they are generally dominated by invasive fire-climax grasses and/or scrub vegetation.  

      By planting Inga trees in dense alley-cropping (a-c) configuration; and by adding mineral supplements (Rock-P, Dolomitic Lime and K-Mag), we have been able to restore the fertility and moisture-holding capacity of these soils within 2-3 years.  

      Around 500 families are currently, and successfully, implementing Inga a-c which is at the heart of a broader agroforestry model known there as the Guama (Inga) Model.  Inga a-c is a mulching system that generates its own Nitrogen inputs to the soil.  These families have achieved food-security in basic grains in the face of climatic extreme conditions.  In the prolonged droughts of 2016, 2019, 2023 and this year, the only farmers to take in grain crops were those using the Inga a-c system.  The key to its success is that the soil is never exposed to the full force of the sun; it is protected, firstly by the dense Inga canopy; and secondly, following annual pruning, by a deep mulch of Inga leaves.  This retains residual moisture within the soil, making it available to the crop.

      The system is being replicated in 15 other humid tropical countries.

      Once the families have achieved food-security in basic grains on permanent Inga-c plots, they can remove residual land from the slash-and-burn cycle and can plant more extensively-managed agroforest systems; the remaining three components of the Guama Model.  They produce a wide diversity of cash-crops, fruit crops and, eventually, fine tropical timber.  The model has transformed the families' economies; it is regenerating springs of fresh water and is re-greening the landscape.

      Here is the point regarding resilience:  Tree-based systems, like forests, are resilient to both drought and violent storms because the roots anchor the soil, which can receive and retain massive volumes of rainfall without erosive damage.  Soil Organic Matter (SOM) under forest acts as a sponge, releasing water slowly.  As outlined above, the canopy, litter layer and/or mulch resist violent rainstorms.

      The model is outlined in a recent publication by The Royal Society Open Science platform:

       Hands, M. R. 2021:    The search for a sustainable alternative to slash-and-burn agriculture in the World's Rain Forests:  The Guama Model and its Implementation.  

      Royal Society Open Science. Vol. 8:  Issue 2.

      The Royal Society.  London.

      https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.201204

      and is better described on:  www.ingafoundation.org

      Thank you for your kind patience if you have read this far

      Mike Hands

      Inga Foundation

    • In the context of food-security in the world's rain forest zones, I wish to draw to your attention the work of Inga Foundation(IF)'s Land for Life Program in Central America.  Since 2012, IF has been extending a model agroforestry livelihood as an alternative to slash-and-burn subsistence agriculture.  At the heart of the four-component model lies lies the agroforestry technique known as alley-cropping (a-c) (aka: hedgerow intercropping) using trees of the genus Inga.  This technique was proven scientifically during 16 years of research and development by researchers in the University of Cambridge, working in both Central America and Cambridge.

      This series of projects (1986-2002) investigated the ecology of slash-and-burn (s-b) agriculture in rain forests and, taking lessons from the functioning of the tropical rain forest itself, developed and tested a number of bare-soil and a-c techniques vis a vis their ability, or lack of ability, to sustain the production of basic grains (maize and beans grown in rotation).  The only system to emerge successfully from 7 years' rigorous trials was a-c using Inga spp.; with the caveat that it be supplemented by small additions of rock-phosphate.  IF was founded in 2007 to implement these findings with target  families in northern Honduras.  IF's present program began in 2012; aiming to recruit 40 families per year to an integrated agroforestry model enabled by Inga a-c, but including less intensively-managed agroforest systems for the production of tropical fruits and fine timber.

      Further experimentation by IF in this program led to the successful use of Inga a-c supplemented, not only, by rock-phosphate, but also, by Dolomitic lime and K-Mag.  This combination of mulch from the Inga and supplementary minerals yielding P, Ca, K, Mg, S and other micro-nutrients, has proved itself unique in restoring to fertility soils degraded by decades of repeated s-b.  We know of no other system capable of this.  

      Soils in the world's tropical rain forest zones are typically highly-weathered and leached; such Ultisol-Oxisol soil types comprise two thirds of the available soil areas in these zones.  Achieving food-security and climate-resilience on them is paramount in today's world.  Today IF has just under 500 families implementing Inga a-c and related systems.  None have reverted to s-b since adoption and all have transformed their nutrition and livelihoods with these systems. The Inga a-c system has proved itself resilient to climatic extremes, including prolonged drought and violent storms.  In the 2019 drought, the only farmers taking crops of basic grains were those using the Inga system.  The deep Inga mulch conserved soil moisture beneath it.

      A full account of the history of the Cam projects and IF's present program can be found here:

      Hands, M.R. (2021)

      "The search for a sustainable alternative to slash-and-burn in the world's rain forests:  The Guama Model and its implementation".  

      Royal Society Open Science.  Vol. 8:  Issue 2.
      The Royal Society.  London.
      https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.201204

    • Dear Julie,

      I have already submitted Inga Foundation’s Mission Statement for its Land for Life Program in Central America.

       This Program is directly relevant to this present Call for Submissions.

      In brief, IF is extending The Guama (Inga Tree) Model to hundreds of subsistence farming families in the Buffer Zone of the Pico Bonito National Park in Honduras.  The Guama Model livelihood is comprised of four related agroforestry systems using trees of the genus Inga.

      The adoption of the model by the families results in the cessation of slash-and-burn (s-b) and the soil-restoration of hillsides degraded by decades of s-b.  The program is replacing whole swathes of former invasive grassland by a mosaic of agroforest.

      We outline how the combination of mulch derived from Inga foliage, together with supplementry minerals (not fertilzer) has proven itself capable of the restoration of soil fertility and condition as a completely sustainable alternative to slash-and-burn.  With over 450 families implementing the four agroforest systems, in effect, they and we are achieving landscape restoration.  To the best of our knowledge, not one family has reverted to s-b since adopting.  Once the soil has been restored and the agroforest systems become functional we are seeing a widespread restoration of habitat and of the wildlife to whom it is a condition of survival.  This includes a huge diversity of birds; and even Big Cats.

      I was honoured to have a full-scale paper published on the whole Program by the Royal Society Open Science platform in February 2021; and it is this that I want to include in my submission.  I would be further honoured if you were to take a look at and include:

      The search for a sustainable alternative to slash-and-burn agriculture in the World's rain forests: the Guama Model and its implementation | Royal Society Open Science; royalsocietypublishing.org

       with kind regards

      Mike Hands

      Inga Foundation

       

    • I am attaching a shortened version of the Inga Foundation’s Mission Statement. This document outlines our Land for Life Program in Central America which is directly relevant to your present call.

      Since 2012, we have introduced and established four agroforestry systems with 450 families in the buffer zone of the Pico Bonito National Park.
      This has restored thousands of hectares of degraded invasive grass/scrub vegetation to a mosaic of agroforest.  Around 4 million trees have been planted and managed; mainly by the families themselves.  With Inga alley-cropping, they achieve complete food-security in basic grains and a transformation in the family economy by cash-crops.  The systems are highly successful and in huge demand.
       
      Please take a look at :  www.ingafoundation.org
       
      With kind regards
       
      Mike Hands
      Director:  Land for Life Program.  Central America
      See the attachments: