What is Agroforestry?
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Agroforestry is the integration of trees and plants into farming systems. This can be any combination of trees, hedges and shrubs that provide shade and shelter, capture carbon, and produce fruit, wood and nuts, among other things.
It's a win-win. A case study in Kenya found that adopting agroforestry increases carbon storage, which is key to tackling global warming, and, at the same time increases livelihoods among small-scale farmers.
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Where do they practice agroforestry?
It’s happening everywhere. From Europe to the Americas, Asia and Africa. Agroforestry is very popular in Spain, Portugal, Belize and Honduras. It is most prevalent in the tropics, especially in subsistence smallholdings areas such as sub-Saharan Africa.
In Britain, hedgerows are a visible reminder of agroforestry at work. Hedges, along with hedgerow trees and other field-edge habitats, form an extensive network that protects livestock from weather extremes, aids biosecurity, mitigates flooding, and enhances soil and water resources. All this, while helping to save the planet — and looking good. Unfortunately, only 3% of the UK’s farmed area practices agroforestry. (That’s less than half the European average.)
How does it work?
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Agroforestry works to maintain or enhance a farm’s main agricultural output while providing a range of benefits. Trees help fight climate change and clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide. They also increase shade and shelter and provide food for both humans and animals. Successful agroforestry helps to increase farmland fertility, protect against soil erosion and fix nitrogen in the soil, creating more favorable growing conditions for all crops.
It works best when it works to maintain and increase the diversity of tree species. Mixed-species tree planting aids an area’s biodiversity, providing a haven for all kinds of animals while protecting trees and plants. Agroforestry builds ecosystems that contribute to sustainable agriculture.
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*Image credit: EcoLogic
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With a massive increase in the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, local climates becoming more extreme and farmers tackling changing weather patterns, agroforestry is becoming more and more important.
It's often used successfully to replace slash-and-burn subsistence farming, which can leave exposed soil to wash away, resulting in depleted, barren soil.
JUST ONE (agroforest) Tree
At JUST ONE Tree, we are working with agroforestry partners and practitioners to turn more land into sustainable agroforests and increase global reforestation.
In Ecuador, we are partnering to develop over thirty agroforestry systems across seven communities, where native trees and shrubs are integrated into crop and animal farms to provide shelter and improve soil health and water quality.
In eastern Kenya, our agroforestry project is planting avocado, orange, macadamia, tamarillo and other fruit tree seedlings, as well as trees for timber. These efforts restore trees to areas that have been badly deforested, and, at the same time, reduce carbon emissions and provide fruit and potential income for families.
Let’s plant trees! Let’s build agroforests!
