Programme 1: Characterization and impact
Climatic risk, fertility of the soil, government policies, marketing possibilities are all factors a farm household considers in deciding whether to adopt a particular agroforestry technology. Understanding how these factors interact is necessary to design and test appropriate technologies. Out of this understanding, ICRAF can make recommendations concerning government policy and assess the impact of key technologies.
Programme 2: Multipurpose tree improvement
Multipurpose trees and shrubs are those that can produce food, fodder, fuelwood, mulch, fruit, timber and other products. Identifying and selecting species with high performance can make them available to the farmer in the environments where they prove to be suitable. Under this programme, ICRAF has made available the Multipurpose Tree and Shrub Database through CIESIN.
Programme 3: Component interactions
The problem of how tree, crop and livestock components of agroforestry work together is investigated in this programme. The right trees can add nitrogen and provide mulch and green manure, aiding farmers to achieve sustainable crop production. Proper management of agroforestry systems ensures that trees and crops interact as harmoniously as possible as they compete for water and nutrients.
Programme 4: Systems improvement
The 'building blocks' of the previous programmes fit together to improve entire agroforestry systems. The programme monitors and evaluates the long-term impact of agroforestry technologies, considering their biophysical, ecological and socio-economic effects.
Programme 5: Training
ICRAF continues to be committed to assisting national institutions develop their own staff capacity to implement agroforestry research, diagnose their land-use problems and work toward their own solutions, suitable to local conditions and acceptable to local farmers.
Programme 6: Education
ICRAF has initiated a programme to encourage and help universities and technical colleges incorporate agroforestry subjects into their curricula. Workshops and now an African network of training institutions are two of the strategies used to accomplish this task.
Programme 7: Information
No research is complete until its results are made available to the public. The information programme has two arms: documentation and publications. The former gathers and disseminates information on agroforestry worldwide. The latter publishes ICRAF's work and encourages authors, both within and outside its staff, to publish the results of agroforestry research.