Rubber

Climate zone: Tropical – Dry – Temperate – Continental – Polar 

Natural rubber is a commodity that is used in various products, such as tires, shoe soles, water bottles or rubber boots. While it’s synthetic counterpart is fossil-fuel based, natural rubber is won by cutting the bark of the so-called rubber tree. The tree then releases the latex milk which serves as the raw material for natural rubber.

In the past, the production of natural rubber has often been linked with socio-economic problems, for example, due to local market prices and poor working conditions. Agroforestry can be utilized to alleviate these challenges through income diversification and stabilized productivity.