Agroforestry and the environment

• DOI: 10.1007/s10457-021-00640-8
• Publication Date: 2021-06-16T15:02:35Z
• Authors: Α. Pantera; M. R. Mosquera-Lo...; F. Herzog; M. den Herder
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 13. Climate action; 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences; 15. Life on land; 12. Responsible consumption

Agroforestry is a traditional land use system that may contribute to the solution of environmental problems in agriculture. Agroforestry is the practice of deliberately integrating woody vegetation (trees or shrubs) with crops and/or animal systems to benefit from the resulting ecological and economic interactions. Recent research indicates that a wider adoption of agroforestry principles and practices is a key means by which the global agri-food sector might achieve more sustainable methods of food and fiber production by producing both economic benefits for farmers and environmental benefits for society. Agroforestry provides numerous provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting ecosystem services and environmental benefits while promoting eco-intensification based on a more efficient use of the resources. Nevertheless, there is only little published recent information on the contribution of agroforestry to the environment in general and on climate change, carbon sequestration and forest fires in particular. In this special issue a number of articles are included that provide a kaleidoscope of the environmental benefits that agroforestry provides to the environment.