Carbon stock assessment of three selected agroforestry systems in Bukidnon, Philippines

Climate change, caused by global warming, is a phenomenon partly resulting from abundance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.It is the most pressing environmental problem of the world today. It persists, and it cannot be stopped. Rather, it can be mitigated. Agroforestrysystems as land use can reduce the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide. This study therefore aimed to generate data on the carbonstocks of three selected agroforestry systems located within the Province of Bukidnon. The methodologies used include measurement of treesat diameter breast height (dbh) and sampling of herbaceous vegetation, litter, and soil for carbon content determination and farmer interview.Results showed that carbon accumulation of agroforestry systems goes along with the following order: taungya agroforestry system (174 MgCha-1) > mixed multistorey system (162 MgC ha-1) > falcata-coffee multistorey system (92 MgC ha-1). Carbon was stored in the various pools inthe following order of magnitude: soil (77-92%) > trees (7-22%) > herbaceous vegetation and litter (1%). Compared with natural forests, theseselected agroforestry systems represents 23-44% of the total carbon stock. Policy programs promoting the establishment of agroforestry systemsin idle lands in Bukidnon should be considered.