Review of methods for researching multistrata systems

In the introduction to the special journal issue resulting from the First Symposium
on Multistrata Agroforestry Systems (1999), Muschler and Beer (2001) point out that
traditional approaches to studying multistrata systems with perennial crops tend to
over simplify them. They identified new questions for research focusing on complexity
and processes interacting at multiple scales, and conclude that ‘Undoubtedly these
new questions require innovative methods appropriate at different scales, including
modelling approaches to cope with complexity at several scales simultaneously’. Have
innovative methods been developed and proved useful? We review the literature from
the 7 years since that symposium to identify and describe (a) trends in methods for
researching multistrata systems (b) new research methods that have been successfully
used (c) emerging methods challenges. Results suggest that there has been little
innovation in research methods in this area in the last 7 years. Most of the questions
being addressed are not specific to multistrata systems and use methods common in
other agricultural research. There seems to be little research on complexity at several
scales, but it is not clear whether this is due to methodological limitations.