Can rainforest trees buffer the effects of climate change on cocoa production?

Theme: Biodiversity and conservation science, Environmental management

Description: 

Agroforestry – growing crops together with forest trees – maybe a practical solution to reconciling the competing demands of feeding a growing global population, conserving threatened biodiversity, and for mitigating and adapting to climate change. One of the key arguments for implementing agroforests is that non-crop canopy trees will allow crops to maintain yield by buffering extreme temperatures. However, this idea has rarely been tested. In this project you will combine a computer model relating crop yield to temperature, with data on the temperature-buffering capacity of canopy trees to quantify the benefits of agroforestry for maintaining yields in the face of temperature extremes. The project will focus on cocoa production in West Africa, a region responsible for 60% of the global supply of cocoa, and supporting 2 million small-holder farmers.

Additional Information: 

This is desktop-based research that would be ideal for a student with some coding experience. However, please don’t let this requirement intimidate you if you might otherwise be interested. Please talk to us instead. This project is part of a much larger research program on the costs and benefits of agroforestry for meeting agricultural, conservation, and climate goals. This program includes a team of professors (Dr Wilma Hart, Dr Simon Hart, Professor Richard Fuller, Dr Matt Luskin), together with current PhD and Honours students.

For information about who we are and what we do in the HartLab please see: hartlab-ecology.com
Please contact Simon Hart for more information.

Contact: Dr Simon Hart