It's interesting to note that agroforestry is an ancient practice, but the 'science' as claimed by scientists has just come to age--this means that agroforestry has been, in the past, practiced without the notion of science, yet the system was responsible for feeding the world's growing population while providing fibre and environmental services. But what happened to this ancient practice at the interface of agroforestry science? what value did it add to this ancient practice?
Today, the speakers in the morning and afternoon sessions discussed some advances and promises of agroforestry science, while emphasizing on the greater need for more practice --obviously this is an acknowlegement of the gap between agroforestry science and practice--apparently, the main issue is not just producing usable agroforestry science, but communicating and linking this science to those who need it---the policy makers, resource users, and managers, etc....
Is agroforestry science communicated well enough or effectively, to make the necessary difference? how should it be communicated? and with whom? --these questions are key to the future of agroforestry as a global landuse--i hope, these questions can be addressed in this Congress.