Agroforesty
Agroforestry is a land management approach that combines agriculture and forestry practices to enhance biodiversity, improve soil health, and increase overall ecosystem resilience.
What is agroforestry?
Agroforestry is the intentional planting of trees and shrubs into agriculture. It is a synergistic approach that aims to create more sustainable and productive land-use systems.
By integrating trees with crops and livestock, agroforestry enhances carbon sequestration, supports biodiversity, and improves soil health. The increased carbon sequestration also improves resilience to climate extremes, such as droughts and floods.
Agroforestry thus aligns agricultural productivity with carbon removal, helping mitigate climate change.
Types of agroforestry
There are two primary types of agroforestry:
- Silvopastoralism: This involves planting trees in pastures or forage for livestock. The animals enrich the soil, and the trees provide shade, shelter, and fodder for the animals while also producing timber, fruit, or nuts.
- Agroforestry: Growing crops beneath trees – often in rows large enough for a tractor to tend to the crops without damaging the trees.
Other techniques of agroforestry include:
- Alley cropping: Growing crops in the spaces between rows of trees or shrubs, providing shade, wind protection, and organic material from the tree litter.
- Windbreaks and shelterbelts: Planting rows of trees or shrubs to protect fields and livestock from wind. This reduces soil erosion and creates a more favourable microclimate for crops.
- Forest farming: Cultivating high-value crops like mushrooms and nuts under a forest canopy, making use of the shade and natural ecosystem of the forest.
- Riparian buffers: Planting trees along waterways to prevent erosion, improve water quality, and enhance habitat for wildlife.
Agroforestry is beneficial not only for enhancing agricultural productivity: it also sequesters carbon, improves soil fertility, and supports wildlife. This makes it an important practice in promoting sustainable agriculture and mitigating climate change.
Different types of forestation
There are three main types of forestation approaches: agroforestry, reforestation, and afforestation. Each approach involves planting new trees, but they differ slightly in their implementation. We explain these differences below.
Agroforestry
Agroforestry is the intentional incorporation of trees and shrubs into agriculture. The two most common approaches to this are growing crops (silvo-arable) or pasture for consumption by animals (silvo-pastoral) beneath and in between trees.
Reforestation
Reforestation involves replanting or naturally regenerating trees in areas that have been affected by natural disasters such as wildfires or droughts, as well as man-made disturbances like logging, mining, and agricultural clearing.
Afforestation
Afforestation is the practice of creating new forests by introducing trees to previously non-forested areas. Land lost to desertification, disused agricultural and industrial areas, and land degraded from overgrazing is all suitable for afforestation projects.
How it works
Photosynthesis
In agroforestry systems, trees absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere and water from the soil. Through photosynthesis, chlorophyll and sunlight convert these into oxygen and glucose. The oxygen is released, and the glucose nourishes the trees and supports their growth.
How forests store carbon
The glucose produced in photosynthesis is used to build the tree's biomass, including wood, branches, roots, and leaves. This biomass, approximately 50% carbon by dry weight, effectively stores carbon until the tree decomposes or burns.
Factors influencing carbon storage in trees
Carbon storage in agroforestry systems varies with tree species, age, climatic conditions, wood density, and soil quality. Agroforestry typically stores less carbon per unit area compared to forests but provides significant benefits through its integration with agricultural practices.
Agroforestry is a multifaceted approach that enhances carbon sequestration while boosting agricultural productivity and resilience. It offers a unique blend of environmental, economic, and social benefits, making it a valuable tool for sustainable land management.
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Agroforestry sequesters CO₂ effectively while allowing farmers to continue earning a livelihood from the land. There is huge potential to scale this method—it’s estimated that there are 1.5 billion hectares worldwide that would benefit from “mosaic restoration”, where forestry is combined with other land uses.
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Agroforestry supports biodiversity, improves soil health, increases agricultural productivity, and enhances resilience to climate change, offering significant co-benefits to both the environment and local communities.
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Agroforestry: co-benefits and challenges
Alongside the primary benefit of helping to mitigate climate change, agroforestry offers a wide range of environmental and social co-benefits. However, it also comes with certain economic, technical, and social challenges that are important to consider.
Co-benefits of agroforestry
Key environmental, economic, and social advantages of agroforestry include:
- Increased resilience: Agroforestry enhances resilience by diversifying land use. The integration of multiple species of trees, crops, and livestock reduces vulnerability to pests, diseases, and climate extremes, such as droughts or floods, which might devastate monocultures. In addition, because it balances environmental goals with immediate economic incentives for farmers, agroforestry also has a lower risk of reversal than conventional forestation.
- Improved soil heath: Trees and shrubs in agroforestry systems help prevent soil erosion, increase organic matter, and improve nutrient cycling. Their roots stabilise the soil, reduce runoff, and increase water infiltration, which keeps the soil healthier and more productive for longer periods.
- Enhanced biodiversity: Agroforestry creates a diverse ecosystem by providing a variety of habitats for different species, including pollinators, birds, and beneficial insects. This diversity can lead to natural pest control and reduce the need for pesticides.
- Economic resilience: By diversifying crops and income sources, agroforestry reduces the risk associated with relying on a single crop or product. Farmers can earn from both short-term crops and long-term tree products, such as timber, fruits, and nuts, increasing income stability.
- Improved water quality and conservation: Trees in agroforestry systems help filter water by trapping sediment and absorbing excess nutrients before they reach water bodies. This is particularly beneficial near rivers and streams, as it helps prevent contamination and protects aquatic ecosystems.
- Increased productivity: With careful planning, agroforestry systems can increase total productivity by making use of different layers of vegetation – such as root crops, bushes, and trees – on the same land. This multi-layered approach allows farmers to harvest different crops at different times, maximising land use efficiency.
- Livelihood and community benefits: Agroforestry can improve food security by providing a more diverse food supply, supporting smallholder farmers, and fostering community resilience. It also helps preserve traditional knowledge and promotes sustainable land management practices.
Overall, agroforestry is a versatile and sustainable way to enhance both agricultural and environmental outcomes, making it a valuable practice for sustainable development and climate adaptation efforts across the globe.
Challenges of agroforestry
Despite its many benefits, agroforestry is not as widely adopted as it could be. This is due to the challenges it poses, including:
- High initial investment: Establishing an agroforestry system can require a substantial investment in terms of time, labour, and resources. This can be a barrier for farmers who need quicker returns to maintain their livelihoods.
- Lack of awareness and knowledge: Many farmers and land managers are unfamiliar with agroforestry practices or aren’t aware of the potential long-term benefits, and knowledge about agroforestry is often not widely accessible.
- Complexity and management challenges: Agroforestry systems are more complex to design and manage than traditional monocultures, especially for farmers who lack technical support.
- Resistance to change: Traditional farming practices are often deeply rooted in local communities, thus transition can be challenging without support from local networks.
Increasing awareness, providing financial incentives, and offering technical support could help address these barriers and increase the appeal and accessibility of agroforestry to farmers around the world.
By enhancing biodiversity, improving soil health, and maximising land use efficiency, agroforestry is a valuable resource on the road towards net zero.
When it comes to achieving net zero, there is a growing consensus that emission reduction is no longer enough to stay within the goals set forward in The Paris Agreement. This makes carbon removal strategies like agroforestry crucial for achieving our climate goals.
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