"Agroforestry refers to any of a broad range of land use practices where pasture or crops are integrated with trees and shrubs."
A land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland, used to enhance productivity, protect the environment, diversify produce, and increase profits.
Agroforestry Systems: Different types of agroforestry systems and their characteristics.
Tree and Crop Selection: Suitable tree species and crop varieties for different agroforestry systems.
Agriculture and Forestry Integration: Integrating agriculture and forestry to maximize productivity and ecosystem services.
Soil Management: Managing soil for maximum productivity and conservation.
Water Management: Managing water resources to maximize agricultural productivity and minimize environmental impact.
Agroforestry Planning and Design: Designing and implementing agroforestry systems for maximum benefit.
Agroforestry Economics: The economics of agroforestry and potential for profitability.
Land Tenure and Management: Managing land tenure and access for agroforestry systems.
Organizational and Institutional Support: The role of organizations and institutions in supporting agroforestry systems.
Interdisciplinary Approaches: Integrating multiple disciplines to create effective agroforestry systems.
Agroforestry and Climate Change: The potential for agroforestry to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: The contribution of agroforestry to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services.
Agroforestry and Rural Development: The potential of agroforestry to support rural development.
Gender and Social Inclusion: The role of gender and social inclusion in agroforestry systems.
Sustainable Agriculture: The role of agroforestry in sustainable agriculture.
Alley cropping: Trees are planted in rows with crops grown in between the rows. It provides timber and firewood while conserving soil and water and enhancing soil fertility.
Silvopasture: A combination of trees, forage crops, and livestock on the same land. Trees provide shade for the livestock and add to the overall productivity of the system.
Forest farming: It involves cultivating non-timber forest products like medicinal herbs, fruits, and nuts under a forest canopy. It conserves biodiversity and promotes sustainable harvesting of the forest resources.
Forest garden: It is a system of intercropping fruit and nut trees with vegetables, herbs, and other crops to create a sustainable and diverse ecosystem.
Taungya system: It is a traditional agroforestry system in which farmers plant crops in forest clearings and tend them during the early stages of tree growth. Predominantly practiced in Africa.
Multistory cropping: It involves planting short-term crops under the canopy of long-term trees. This system maximizes space utilization and enhances biodiversity.
Home gardens: It is an agroforestry system practiced in homes where fruit trees, vegetables, medicinal plants, and herbs are intercropped. It increases food security and improves household nutrition.
Riparian buffer strip: Trees are planted alongside rivers, streams, and other water resources to reduce soil erosion, filter pollutants, and provide habitat for wildlife.
Windbreaks: Trees are planted to protect crops and other resources from the effects of wind. They also help to reduce soil erosion and increase carbon sequestration.
"This intentional combination of agriculture and forestry has multiple benefits, such as greatly enhanced yields from staple food crops, enhanced farmer livelihoods from income generation, increased biodiversity, improved soil structure and health, reduced erosion, and carbon sequestration."
"Trees in agroforestry systems can also produce wood, fruits, nuts, and other useful products with economic and practical value."
"Agroforestry practices are especially prevalent in the tropics, especially in subsistence smallholdings areas with particular importance in sub-Saharan Africa."
"However, due to its multiple benefits, for instance in nutrient cycle benefits and the potential for mitigating droughts, it has been adopted in the USA and Europe."
"Agroforestry shares principles with intercropping but can also involve much more complex multi-strata agroforests containing hundreds of species."
"Agroforestry can also utilize nitrogen-fixing plants such as legumes to restore soil nitrogen fertility."
"Enhanced farmer livelihoods from income generation"
"Increased biodiversity"
"Reduced erosion and carbon sequestration"
"Improved soil structure and health"
"Particular importance in sub-Saharan Africa"
"Enhanced farmer livelihoods from income generation"
"Greatly enhanced yields from staple food crops"
"Trees in agroforestry systems can also produce wood, fruits, nuts, and other useful products with economic and practical value."
"The potential for mitigating droughts"
"Reduced erosion"
"Reduced erosion and carbon sequestration"
"Particular importance in subsistence smallholdings areas"
"Agroforestry shares principles with intercropping but can also involve much more complex multi-strata agroforests containing hundreds of species."