| Summary: | In a participatory framework, the
multifunctionality of agroforestry systems was assessed
by applying multicriteria and multivariate analyses to
identify ecological, agronomic and administrative proxies
and integrate these into factors, and evaluate their effects
on system performance. The assessment framework was
tested in 70 farms in the municipality of Tomé-Açú in the
Brazilian Amazon, an area well known for its long-standing
practice of agroforestry. The overall goal was to identify
management decisions that ensure sustainable production
of goods together with the provision of ecosystem services,
with special emphasis on agrobiodiversity. Three groups
of farmers were considered based on their period of
settlement, property size, technological know-how,
organization and access to the market. The results show
that the determinant factors of multifunctional farming
are the farmers’ technical qualification, good adaptability,
environmental commitment and the search for financial
profitability. However, the optimization of these factors
leads to trade-offs such as a decrease in biomass and woody
species diversity and the decline of by-product production.
By considering stakeholders’ opinions and being adaptable
to various demands, the proposed framework enhances the
legitimacy of the results, and supports both the assessment
of complex issues and decision-making.
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