Agroforestry is the combination of perennial woody plants in crop, horticultural or livestock systems. Trees and shrubs may provide fruit, wood or medicine as well as feed or shelter for livestock. They also provide ecosystem services, for example, habitat diversity and connectivity, extended blooming periods, microclimates buffering extremes, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling and reduced negative externalities such as soil erosion or nutrient losses. These complex production systems are good examples of multifunctional agriculture and the sustainable intensification of food production. By increasing the output per surface and diversifying incomes and diets, agroforestry contributes to food security and sovereignty on-farm and at the regional level and increases farmers' resilience to shocks.
Many challenges related to the implementation and management of agroforestry systems remain to be solved. Increasing the knowledge of agroforestry systems makes it possible to design and manage more complex production systems, with benefits that organic agriculture aims for: a high and diverse yield, increased natural regulation functions, like nutrient cycling and natural pest and disease control, biodiversity and climate resilience, as well as higher resource efficiency and quality of life for farmers.
Inter- and transdisciplinary approaches are essential to developing agroforestry systems further and bringing the described benefits to the field, farm, regional and landscape level. Research on agroforestry systems combines knowledge of traditional agroforestry systems and experiences of innovative farmers worldwide. Scientific methods from livestock, plant, forestry, soil, conservation, economic and social sciences are brought together, with each discipline learning from the others, creating a new systemic understanding.
