Benefits of Agroforestry

• Agroforestry


  A collective name for land-use systems and technologies where woody perennials (trees, shrubs, palms, bamboos, etc.) are deliberately used on the same land-management units as agricultural crops and/or animals, in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence
• Agroforestry system

  • Involves two or more species, at least one of which is a tree
  • Yields two or more outputs
  • Has a production cycle of longer than one year
  • Has significant interaction (economic and environmental) between trees and the other components
• Benefits of Agroforestry - Climate Change


  • Helps prevent soil erosion
  • Aids water retention
  • Promotes soil fertility
  • Absorbs CO2
  • Regulates local temperature
• Agroforestry's ability to help prevent soil erosion while simultaneously aiding water retention and promoting soil fertility could help provide a solution for areas where rainfall is irregular or might become irregular due to climate change
• Dense plantations of trees would also help absorb CO2 and regulate local temperature
• Disadvantages of Agroforestry

  Long waiting time for payback
• There are very few downsides to agroforestry
• Main disadvantage for those trying to grow trees and shrubs for profit

  Time - trees, unlike crops, take a long time to grow and mature to really fulfill their purpose in the system
• Disadvantages of Agroforestry

  Knowledge and technology intensive method
• Successful agroforestry systems require proper knowledge of technology (methods of combining different plants, their compatibility and effects on each other, etc.)
• Agroforestry technologies may fail miserably when applied to the wrong situation
• Components of an Agroforestry System - Land

  • Agroforestry is a system by which land is managed for the benefit of the landowner, environment and long-term welfare of society
  • Especially important in the case of hillside farming where agriculture may lead to rapid loss of soil
  • If the farmer owns the land, s/he has a vested interest in thinking conservatively, how the land can be maintained over long periods of time
  • Farmers who rent land may have less interest in the long-term benefits of agroforestry and may even fear that making improvements will raise the rent or result in the lease being terminated
• Components of an Agroforestry System - Trees


  • Particular attention is placed on multiple purpose trees or perennial shrubs
  • The most important of these trees are the legumes because of their ability to fix nitrogen and thus make it available to other plants
• Roles of trees on the small farm

  • Sources of fruits, nuts, edible leaves, and other food
  • Sources of construction material, posts, lumber, branches for use as wattle and thatching
  • Sources of non-edible materials including sap, resins, tannins, insecticides, and medicinal compounds
  • Sources of fuel
  • Beautification
  • Shade
  • Soil conservation, especially on hillsides
  • Improvement of soil fertility
• In order to plan for the use of trees in agroforestry systems, considerable knowledge of their properties is necessary
• Desirable information for each tree species

  • Benefits
  • Adaptability to local conditions (climate, soil, and stresses)
  • Size and form of the canopy and root system
  • Suitability for various agroforestry practices
• Common uses of trees in agroforestry systems

  • Individual trees in home gardens, around houses, paths, and public places
  • Dispersed trees in cropland and pastures
  • Rows of trees with crops between (alley cropping)
  • Strips of vegetation along contours or waterways
  • Living fences and borderlines, boundaries
  • Windbreaks
  • Improved fallows
  • Terraces on hills
  • Small earthworks
  • Erosion control on hillsides, gullies, channels
  • Woodlots for the production of fuel and timber
• Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs)


  • Significant contributor to agroforestry systems
  • Provide products for local, national and international markets, and these markets are growing rapidly
  • Represent income opportunities from forest and forestry that do not involve cutting down trees for wood products
• Certain factors must be considered when selecting NTFPs to include in the agroforestry system as well as its associated tree species
• Factors to consider for NTFPs

  • Public Opinion – widespread negative view linked to traditional rural ways
  • Market Changes – NTFP market sector growth and demand
  • Intellectual Property Rights – has emerged as an important mechanism for ensuring that the benefits from forest activities are shared fairly. E.g. traditional medicine
  • Resource Productivity and Supply – When harvest rates outstrip natural regeneration rates to satisfy growing market demand, the resource in the natural forest is jeopardised
  • Policies and Management Control – policies may be scattered over many sectors – forestry, agriculture, health, industry etc.
• Steps in the decision-making process for getting started with agroforestry systems

  1. Decide whether agroforestry systems are appropriate

  2. Design a system

  3. If the system is temporary

  4. If the system is permanent

  5. With both temporary and permanent systems
• Keys to a Successful Agroforestry System


  • Gather information about practices in your area and then to tailor your work to meet local needs
  • Local people must be willing to cooperate and participate
  • The program must be sensitive to cultural practices, especially traditional patterns of land tenure, land use, and vegetation use
  • The agroforestry program must be technically sound and climactically appropriate
  • It must provide useful products and be economically viable, building self-reliance rather than dependence on expensive materials