Effects of transformation processes in 'jubraka' agroforestry systems of the Nuba Mountains, Sudan, on plant diversity and nutrient fluxes

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In the Nuba Mountains, Central Sudan, the recent end of a long-lasting civil war initiated large-scale transformation processes that, among others, affected the traditional agro-ecosystems of this formerly isolated region. Nuba farmers mainly rely on two farming plot types, the ‘far farm’ for sorghum cultivation and the ‘house farm’ or homegarden, called ‘jubraka’, for mixed cultivation of vegetables and fruit trees. Despite their importance for farmers’ livelihoods and conservation of local agrobiodiversity, jubrakas have been largely neglected by scientists. Unconfirmed recent reports indicate a rapid transformation of traditional jubrakas, often into commercial vegetable gardens that are characterized by high levels of external inputs such as mineral fertilizers. The particular structure of jubrakas as highly diverse agroforests and the actual situation in the Nuba Mountains provide a unique opportunity to use jubrakas as model systems for studying modernization dynamics of (sub)tropical agroecosystems. Main objective of the planned investigation is to determine the processes and consequences of jubraka transformation. In 60 jubrakas, including ‘traditional’ and ‘transformed’ (commercialized) ones, plant species diversity, nutrient fluxes, and management will be quantitatively assessed, combining agronomical, morphological, and molecular approaches. Multivariate statistical analysis will be used to determine the relative importance of drivers of transformation processes on plant species diversity and on food security of the local population.