Living With the Trees of Life (eBook)

Prof Roger Leakey D.Sc., Ph.D., B.Sc., FRGS., FIBiol., NDA was born and brought up in Kenya and is an agricultural botanist by training, with over 400 publications. He was a former Director of Research at the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (1993-1997); Head of Tropical Ecology at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Edinburgh, UK (1997-2001) and Professor of Agroecology and Sustainable Development of James Cook University, in Cairns, Australia (2001-2006). In 2006-2008 he was a Coordinating Lead Author in the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development. He is Vice President the International Tree Foundation.

On the face of it, Roger Leakey's contention - that, through the careful integra­tion of trees on farms, there is more than enough capacity to produce food to meet the needs of a growing world population - is a bold one. But in this very readable volume, which dovetails Roger's accumulated wisdom from a distin­guished research career with his barely disguised passion to improve the lot of poor smallholders worldwide, he demonstrates convincingly that it actually can be done. Read it, believe it and pass the news on.

Leakey's writing is both scientific and lyrical, weaving together complex ideas into an accessible narrative. He covers a wide range of topics, from the biological and ecological to the social and economic dynamics of agroforestry. His arguments are backed by real-world examples and personal experiences, making the book not just informative but also deeply engaging.

Throughout the book, Leakey's personal reflections add a welcome human touch. His passion for the subject is evident, as is his deep respect for the knowledge and capabilities of the farmers he works with. So too is the sorrow he feels at the heedless destructive war brought to many of the original communities that pioneered these approaches in western Cameroon.

Roger Leakey's work is a testament to the power of integrating traditional knowledge with scientific innovation. He presents a compelling vision of agriculture that is not only productive, but also harmonious. The blend of scientific rigor and passionate advocacy he offers makes this book a must-read for anyone interested in sustainable development, agroforestry, and environmental conservation.

"Living with the Trees of Life" is a groundbreaking and enlightening read that offers a hopeful and practical approach to transforming tropical agriculture through agroforestry

Roger Leakey has given a great gift to the tropical forests he loves and which he has dedicated his life to protecting and nurturing.This is a story about people and the potential for making sustainable livelihoods in the tropics while at the same time stewarding this priceless resource on which the whole world depends for its services.

Rarely does a book come along that you want to thrust into people's hands shouting "read this". This book should be compulsory reading not just for the NGOs, governments and individuals championing initiatives to protect the rainforest, it should be read by all those who want to wake up in the morning feeling that here is a challenge worth championing, a cause which can show that Homo sapiens is indeed a wise hominid and that it's time has come to prove it. A triumph.

Roger Leakey is a pioneer in the emerging field of participatory tree crops domestication. This book lays out his extraordinary journey to develop this field, and its enormous implications for the future. But the story goes far beyond these accomplishments. It provides a compelling vision for the whole future of agriculture. He reveals the ways that farming with trees provides a holistic approach to resolving the big issues of farming, by creating a sustainable, multifunctional agriculture worldwide. He describes a 'whole of farm' approach to rural development.

The first edition of Living with the Trees of Life ended with proof of concept of multifunctional agriculture. More than a decade later, the second edition has four new chapters covering significant developments in tree domestication, the important concept of land maxing, messages for decision makers, and 'eight convenient truths' - eight important areas where our knowledge and understanding of tropical agriculture have significantly improved.


These can be summarised by the one 'big convenient truth' that we do have the knowledge to transform agriculture so that it not only feeds our growing population and provides improved livelihoods for farmers, but it also helps to address multiple global issues such as deforestation, land degradation, hunger, poverty, malnutrition, social injustice, illegal migration, climate change, loss of wildlife habitat, and zoonotic diseases. Unfortunately, there is also a 'big inconvenient truth' in that we lack the political will to stop looking at each of these problems in isolation.


The take home message for decision makers is therefore to address the disconnects between disciplines, approaches and lifestyles. We have the knowledge to simultaneously solve multiple global problems, but we need the political will to do so successfully. The vision has therefore grown from 'transforming tropical agriculture' to 'rebooting the planet', as reflected in the subtitles of the two editions. It may sound too good to be true, but Professor Leakey provides a very convincing and inspiring case. For the sake of the millions of vulnerable and marginalised smallholder farming families in the tropics and subtropics, let us hope that the transformational changes perceived and described in this book can be promoted, adopted and scaled up in time to have real global impacts.

In this excellent book, Roger Leakey argues that to transform the food system we must include many of the tree crops that have largely been ignored by researchers and decision makers as potential sources of food security. He also proposes agroforestry, i.e. the growing of trees and crops in close association, as a basis for the diversification of cropping systems.

The author uses his personal experiences as a guiding narrative for this timely book in which he describes his research journey through Africa, South-east Asia, Oceania and Latin America and during which he develops a more holistic vision of agriculture than a conventional training in agricultural sciences.

In this highly readable book, written in a style that will be accessible to researchers, students and the concerned public, Roger Leakey demonstrates that agroforestry is not just a series of agronomic practices but is actually fundamental to applied agroecology in which management practices can maintain or restore ecological functions and services, as well as produce marketable goods.