Introduction
Welcome to the Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) learning module on agroforestry!
Although agroforestry systems are not a novelty, they are currently attracting (renewed) attention.
It is hoped that they will bring benefits in the fight against climate change, as they have social, economic and especially environmental advantages. Agroforestry systems can make an important contribution to sustainable agricultural development for food security.
Find out why in this module!
By the end of this module, you will not only know what agroforestry is, have an overview of the different forms and know its benefits, but you will also have the opportunity to test your knowledge in a quiz and apply it in other activities.
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcome 1
- Knowledge: Knows basic facts about agroforestry and its historical context.
- Skills: Can explain the characteristics that constitute an agroforestry system.
- Competencies: Is able to understand the importance of agroforestry systems for climate-smart agriculture.
- Link to Content: What is agroforestry?
Learning Outcome 2
- Knowledge: Knows the social, environmental and economic benefits of agroforestry systems.
- Skills: Can understand the added value of the positive effects on the environment and one’s economic efficiency.
- Competencies: Is able to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of agroforestry systems.
- Link to Content: What are the benefits of
agroforestry systems?
Learning Outcome 3
- Knowledge: Knows the different types of agroforestry systems.
- Skills: Can identify suitable agroforestry systems.
- Competencies: Is able to choose a suitable agroforestry type for a specific agricultural operation.
- Link to Content: Types of agroforestry
Agroforestry
Brainstorming
What does agroforestry mean to you?
Create a quick mind map by placing the different points. You can add to it later and correct it if necessary.
You can also use a whiteboard and collect the points together in class or in a group.
What is agroforestry?
In general
Agroforestry is the intentional use of trees and shrubs in agricultural systems.
The area under and around the trees and shrubs can be used for gardening, farming or for raising livestock.
It provides environmental, economic and social value through its multifunctionality.
While agroforestry may look different in each climate and environment, it is relevant all over the world to deal with the problems we face today.
Agroforestry systems are flexible and can be designed to meet farmers’ objectives.
Historical Context
Agroforestry systems may sound fairly modern, but they are actually a very ancient form of land use.
In Germany, for instance, they were already widespread in the Middle Ages, for example in the form of meadow orchards, snow-cut tree management (pruning of fodder trees to produce animal feed) or woodland pasture (e.g., acorn fattening with pigs).
With increasing industrialization, these forms of cultivation became less and less common in Europe. With the intensification and rationalization of agriculture, the trees and shrubs in the fields were increasingly seen as a nuisance and were removed.
Only in a few niche areas have agroforestry elements survived to the present day, for example in the form of meadow orchards.
Modern Agroforestry
Recently, there has been renewed interest in agroforestry as people look for more climate-friendly farming methods with less impact on biodiversity.
Modern agroforestry systems differ from the old ones in that they are adapted to current agricultural production technology.
The aim is to minimize the impact of trees on agricultural production, so that economically competitive production of livestock, crops and forest products is possible.
Which trees to choose
There are several options for selecting trees:
- Short rotation: rotation period max. 20 years, mostly used for energy production as wood chips, after harvest, stumps are cut off (Coppicing)
- Log production: rotation period > 10 years, used as construction timber or for fence posts
- High-grade timber production: rotation period > 50 years, use as veneer and furniture wood
- Fruit production: e.g., apple or cherry trees, walnut trees
In principle, there are no requirements as to how the trees are planted on the site. They can be scattered individually over the area (e.g., in orchards). However, they are usually planted in strips because they are easier to manage (with machinery). In agroforestry systems, the proportion of land used for agricultural purposes is generally greater than that used for trees.
What are the benefits of agroforestry systems?
Agroforestry systems reduce the effects of the following climate change impacts:
- Heavy rainfall
- Drought
- Heat/Radiation
Among other things, agroforestry helps farmers and landowners to:
- reduce the impact of extreme weather events
- reduce soil erosion caused by wind and water
- increase soil fertility through more closed nutrient cycles and humus enrichment
- reduce agricultural runoff to ground and surface water
- reduce acreage of fertilizer and pesticide use
- facilitate water infiltration
Other social and economic benefits of agroforestry include the following:
- diversifying income sources and expanding the
range of products - positive yield effects and greater yield stability for
annual crops due to improved microclimate - better seasonal distribution of work peaks (forest management mainly in winter)
- providing energy and often fodder for livestock (e.g., Willow, Oak)
- improving landscape aesthetics with a positive impact on tourism and quality of life
- creating regional markets for agroforestry products and processing
- Sustainable supply of energy
Agroforestry allows the creation of new sources of
income. The product range may include:
- Various crops
- e.g., vegetables, grains, oilseeds
- Animal products
- e.g., meat, sausage, dairy products, eggs,
honey, wool
- e.g., meat, sausage, dairy products, eggs,
- Products from wood
- e.g., high-grade timber
- Fuelwood (esp. from short rotation coppices): wood chips, bark or wood mulch, firewood
- Fruits and nuts (e.g., Cherry, Apple, Plum, Walnut)
- e.g., fresh fruits and nuts, juices, jams, dried fruit, fruit brandies, nut spreads etc.
- Mushrooms
From an ecological point of view, agroforestry helps,
among other things, to:
- create carbon sinks by increasing above-ground
and soil biomass – the sequestration is particularly
long-lasting in valuable timber and fruit trees - increase biodiversity
- prevent deforestation (primarily relevant in countries where sustainable
forestry is not practiced) - provide shade and shelter, which benefits livestock and slows the drying out of the soil
- encourage beneficial insects in the field
- create extensive zones in agricultural areas and retreat areas for game (esp. small game)
- increase structural and habitat diversity in agricultural areas;
woody structures and fringe areas in agroforestry systems provide valuable habitat for many plant and animal species
Are there any other implications of agroforestry systems?
Compared to annual crops:
- Higher establishment and management costs
- Long-term commitment of capital and land due to
the relatively slow-growing nature of woody crops –
reduces operational flexibility to lease or sell land. - Increased workload, as in agroforestry systems, in addition to
agricultural work for crop and pasture management, time must be
allocated for tree and shrub management.
However, the maintenance of trees and shrubs takes place mainly during the winter months and therefore does not compete with other agricultural activities. - In some cases, competition for light, nutrients, water and growing space between woody crops and arable crops.
However, most of these negative effects can generally be avoided, or at least reduced to tolerable levels, through careful pre-planting planning and professional establishment and management of agroforestry systems.
Costs and profitability of agroforestry systems
For the wooded portion, costs are incurred for site preparation, planting material, planting, tree protection, fertilization, if necessary, maintenance, harvesting, drying if necessary, and conversion.
Most of the costs are for planting and harvesting.
The economic benefits of agroforestry systems for individual farms can result from the potential diversification of income sources and an increase in land productivity.
The diversity of systems and uses requires a farm-by-farm assessment of economic viability.
Government support for agroforestry systems should also be considered.
Assignment
List two socio-economic and two environmental benefits of agroforestry.
What are the advantages of agroforestry systems in terms of climate change?
Types of agroforestry
There are three main types of agroforestry systems:
- Agrisilvicultural systems
- Silvopastoral systems
- Agrosilvopastoral systems
Other agroforestry systems*:
Windbreak hedges:
Hedges around crops are especially important in exposed, open landscapes. They slow down the wind and provide more balanced climatic conditions in the field.
Riparian forest buffers:
Here, woody plants serve as a “buffer” between agricultural land and waterways. The trees and shrubs are designed to prevent erosion and protect water from pests in conventional agriculture.
Types of agroforestry
Agrisilvicultural systems
Are characterized by the simultaneous cultivation of woody plants / trees and annual agricultural or horticultural crops. There are several different types. For example:
- Alley Cropping
- Short-rotation alley cropping systems
- Home Gardens
- Shifting Cultivation
- Forest Farming
Agrisilvicultural systems: Short-rotation alley cropping system
- Products: Arable crops, energy wood (especially wood chips)
- Region: Germany
- Characterized by parallel strips of trees consisting of one or more rows of fast-growing tree species such as poplar, willow or black locust. Conventional agriculture is practiced between the strips.
- The trees are cultivated in short rotation and harvested mechanically every 3-6 years. They are cut back to the stem and sprout again the following spring (thus very profitable very quickly)
- Due to the larger distances between the tree strips and the fact that the trees remain comparatively low due to the frequent harvesting, these systems generally do not allow the canopy to develop.
- Therefore, shading is often comparatively low and many positive characteristics (e.g., wind speed, temperature and moisture distribution) are not as pronounced.
Silvopastoral systems
Are a combination of forestry and livestock grazing on pastures, rangelands or on-farm.
For example:
- Woodland pastures
- Semi-open pasture landscape (e.g., sheep on heath)
- Orchard meadows
Silvopastoral systems: Orchard meadows
- Products: Animal products, hay/forage, fruit (especially apples, pears, cherries)
- Region: Especially in Central Europe
- Traditional rural form of fruit growing
- It is characterized by the cultivation of standard fruit trees on grassland or pasture (“meadow orchard”) or sometimes on arable land (“orchard field”)
- The trees generally differ in age, species and varieties used
- Orchard meadows are highly endangered biotopes in Central Europe and are very important for biodiversity
- It is common to keep sheep in these meadows, for example
Agrosilvopastoral systems
Combine all three elements of trees, animals and crops.
For example:
- Home Gardens
- … a complex, multilayered system of several plant or animal species that is intensively cultivated and often found in tropical areas
- livestock and scattered trees on arable land used for grazing after harvest
- Dehesas
- … based on the use of trees and tree products, grazing and temporary cultivation of various crops in Spanish (or Portuguese) semi-open pasture landscapes with mainly cork or holm oak
- even grain cultivation with trees for timber can be an agrosilvopastoral system if, for example, beekeeping is practiced to benefit additionally from the blossoms of the trees.
Agrosilvopastoral systems: Homegardens
- Products: Wood, animal and plant products, fruit and vegetables
- Region: Tropics and subtropics
- A complex, multilayered system of several plant and animal species that is intensively cultivated and often found in tropical regions
- Shade-tolerant plants, which can also provide acceptable yields in the understory, are mainly used for the understory (often vegetables)
- Trees can perform many different functions within the system, such as providing shade or nitrogen fixation, erosion and soil protection, shelter for and from animals, or insect barriers
- With a well thought out management plan that selects compatible plants, negative competition and yield loss can be minimized
Assignment
What kind of new sources of income can you think of through the introduction of agroforestry systems?
What forms of agroforestry are suitable for your farm? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the selected type?
Work in a group: You are considering to plant trees on one of your cereal fields (6 ha) on a trial basis. Draw up a concept of how you want to establish the trees on this area (arrangement/orientation). What do you need to consider?
For example, think about shading and practicality.
Quiz
References
Further interesting information and helpful tools:
AGFORWARD – project website with lots of information in several languages: agforward.eu
Agroforestry decision aid (in German, translatable via browser) – a very helpful planning tool, which is currently only available for Brandenburg but offers a good insight: agroforst-info.de/entscheidungshilfe
European Agroforestry Federation – among other things, news and events are shared: euraf.net
Sources used:
Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (of Germany). “Agroforstwirtschaft – ökologisch und ökonomisch vielversprechend“. Praxis-agrar. praxis-agrar.de/…/agroforstwirtschaft. Accessed 24 January 2024.
Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. “Agroforestry – Definition“. fao.org. fao.org/forestry/…/en. Accessed 24 January 2024.
Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Sourcebook Climate Smart Agriculture. 2013.
German Association for Agroforestry (DeFAF). “Pro und Contra Agroforst“. agroforst-info.de/chancen. Accessed 31 January 2024.
German Association for Agroforestry (DeFAF). “Arten von Agroforstsystemen“. agroforst-info.de/arten. Accessed 31 January 2024.
Lake Constance Foundation. “Agroforst“. genial-klima.de/module/agroforst. Accessed 26 January 2024.
