Agroforestry systems as a profitable alternative to slash and burn practices in small-scale agriculture of the Brazilian Amazon Ste ´phane Tremblay • Marc Lucotte • Jean-Pierre Reve ´ret • Robert Davidson • Fre ´de ´ric Mertens • Carlos Jose ´ Sousas Passos • Christina A. Roman ˜a Received: 11 April 2014 / Accepted: 9 October 2014 / Published online: 16 October 2014 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014 Abstract Agroforestry systems are widely recog- nized as an important way to address numerous environmental challenges in tropical areas. They repre- sent a sustainable alternative form of land-use for small- scale agriculture, responding to the economic develop- ment needs of communities and offering a number of ecosystem services. This article presents an evaluation of the short- and medium-term profitability of two experimental agroforestry systems where fruit trees are predominant, which were established in 2009 in the Tapajo ´s region of the Brazilian Amazon, state of Para ´. An analysis of net present value (NPV) confirms that the two experimental systems studied recover their total implementation and operating costs within a 20 years time horizon. These results underlie that prices of inputs are stable and farmers have access to markets, credit, and agricultural knowledge. The two experimental systems are compared to plots under traditional slash- and-burn cultivation, and Bragantino system. The results support changes to public policies in order to facilitate alternatives to slash-and-burn cultivation by supporting access to credit, knowledge of alternative agricultural practices, transportation systems, and industries that transform agricultural products. The consideration of ecosystem services should add a supplementary argument in favour of policies that promote agroforestry systems and thus limit the practice of slash-and-burn subsistence agriculture. S. Tremblay (&) Á M. Lucotte GEOTOP, Universite ´ du Que ´bec A ` Montre ´al, Succ. Centre-Ville, CP 8888, Montre ´al, QUE ´ BEC H3C 3P8, Canada e-mail: tremblaystef83@gmail.com M. Lucotte e-mail: lucotte.marc_michel@uqam.ca J.-P. Reve ´ret Department Strate ´gie, Responsabilite ´ Sociale Et Environnementale, Universite ´ Du Que ´bec A ` Montre ´al, Succ. Centre-Ville, CP 8888, Montre ´al, QUE ´ BEC H3C 3P8, Canada e-mail: reveret.jean-pierre@uqam.ca R. Davidson Biodo ˆme de Montre ´al, 4777 Pierre-de-Coubertin, Montre ´al, QUE ´ BEC H1V 1B3, Canada e-mail: rdavidson@ville.montreal.qc.ca F. Mertens Centro de Desenvolvimento Sustenta ´vel (CDS), Universidade de Brası ´lia, Modulo C, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Gleba A, Asa Norte, Brası ´lia, DF, Brazil e-mail: fmertens@unb.br C. J. S. Passos Faculty UnB at Planaltina, Universidade de Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil e-mail: cjpassos@unb.br C. A. Roman ˜a IRD (CAR)/Laboratoire de Ge ´ographie Physique (CNRS), 92195 Meudon, France e-mail: cromana.necker@invivo.edu 123 Agroforest Syst (2015) 89:193–204 DOI 10.1007/s10457-014-9753-y