Implementing agroforestry practices

Successfully implementing agroforestry systems requires careful consideration of local ecological and social conditions, including farmer preferences, capacities, and markets.

• Design: this involves deciding what will be produced, selecting the components of the system, determining how they will be arranged, and deciding when and how the system components will be established and managed. In designing agroforestry systems, care must be taken to:
  • Ensure inclusive and equity-sensitive design process: finding the optimal agroforestry system for the market and communities is key to the success of agroforestry systems. Co-design is the process of bringing scientific and technical expertise together with local knowledge and needs, with attention to equity in public agricultural and food systems research.
  • Conduct site-specific assessments: Evaluate local environmental conditions to identify suitable tree and crop species combinations that maximize biodiversity benefits. This ensures that the selected species are well-adapted to the local climate and soil conditions, which can enhance their survival and ecological function.
  • Design diverse spatial arrangements: Create varied tree densities and spatial arrangements within agroforestry systems to promote habitat heterogeneity. This diversity can support a wider range of species and ecological interactions.
  • Identify appropriate agroforestry options, e.g., annual crops with trees, livestock with trees, and multi-strata perennial agroforestry which supports the biodiversity in the site, as well as providing consistent revenue flows for farmers.
  • Select appropriate species: Appropriate selection of crops, tree, and livestock species minimizes competition and maximizes benefits for both biodiversity and productivity.
    • Species should be compatible with each other and capable of mutually beneficial interaction (e.g. benefit from shading).
    • Diversify species composition, mixture of early, mid and late succession species, prioritizing native species.
    • Avoid (potential) invasive species.
    • Include long-term growth patterns of species, especially of trees, into the design.
  • Establish ecological corridors: Implement tree lines or hedgerows that connect different agroforestry plots to facilitate species movement and genetic exchange across fragmented landscapes. This connectivity is crucial for maintaining and enhancing biodiversity.
  • Incorporate riparian buffers: Establish riparian buffer strips along waterways to protect water quality and provide habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species, enhancing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.
• Establishment: This step involves sourcing of planting material, site preparation, and marketing of products.
  • Promote on-site seedlings: Protect naturally occurring seedlings and young trees on-site as much as possible to enhance biodiversity without extensive planting efforts, helping to maintain local genetic diversity. Promote local nurseries.
  • Protect existing trees: Safeguard and manage mature trees already present on the site to preserve ongoing ecological processes and the continued delivery of ecosystem services.
  • Prepare agroforestry site: This may include preparing holes for planting seedlings, weeding to protect naturally regenerated and planted seedlings, and other work such as land clearing, terracing, fencing, irrigation, and fertilization.
• Management and monitoring: This step involves system maintenance, performance monitoring, and dynamically adjusting the system to changing conditions.
  • Maintain system: Carry out all farming operations (e.g., seedling protection, weed and pest control, animal browsing, fertilization, irrigation, thinning, pruning, coppicing, harvesting, post-harvesting operations), paying particular attention to interactions between system components.
  • Monitor system: Establish simple and practical monitoring approaches at the farm or community level to track key indicators of productivity and basic environmental or social outcomes. Given the limited capacity and resources of many farmers, especially in the Global South, broader and more comprehensive monitoring of external factors (e.g., market trends, climate impacts) may be coordinated by government agencies, research institutions, or other organizations. These efforts should, however, actively involve farmers to ensure their consent and that data collection and interpretation remain grounded in local realities.
  • Adapt system: Changing circumstances might require adjustments in the system over time. Management changes may be required when, for example, trees start competing with crops for space, sunlight, and nutrients. Changes in the market, labour requirements, etc. may require revision of the economic model.

The following enabling governance measures can be key to supporting the implementation of agroforestry practices:

• Communicate benefits and build capacity: Invest in training programs for farmers and local communities to build raise awareness of the benefits and risk management mechanisms of agroforestry and build their capacity in implementing agroforestry practices that are well adaptable to local conditions, both in terms of productivity and conservation outcomes. Provide tailored support to agroforestry practitioners through activities such as extension and advisory services, plot demonstrations, farmer–farmer exchanges, farmer field schools, e-learning, workshops, toolkits, and other knowledge-sharing initiatives and platforms.
• Ensure inclusive multi-stakeholder approaches: policy development should be grounded in equitable, participatory processes that reflect the needs and rights of local communities and promote policy coherence. Key actors in these processes include NGOs, academia, farmers’ associations, businesses, agricultural research centres, and social movements. Special attention should be given to the meaningful involvement of marginalized groups, including youth, women, and Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
• Strengthen security of land tenure: secure and stable tenure rights can provide farmers the confidence to invest in trees on their land and allow them to make long-term plans. Interventions may include reforming farmers’ rights to access land (as well as the resources provided by the land); linking land and tree tenure; and devolving rights and responsibility for trees.
• Scale-up incentives: incentivize initial uptake of agroforestry practices (e.g., through subsidized credit, agricultural insurance, grants, tax exemptions, cost-sharing programmes, microcredit, or delivery in kind) and reward the environmental services generated by agroforestry (e.g., supporting the environmental certification of wood products, access of agroforestry to carbon markets, implementation of payment for ecosystem services (PES) schemes).
• Implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks: Develop robust monitoring systems to assess the impact of agroforestry practices on biodiversity and society over time, both at the national and subnational level. This data can inform policy adjustments and help demonstrate the effectiveness of agroforestry in enhancing ecosystem services.
• Upscaling and development of machinery and inputs adapted for agroforestry: Design and deploy equipment suitable for small, diverse, and uneven farm landscapes to enhance productivity without compromising agroecological and social principles.
• Foster networks of seed collectors and agroforestry nurseries: Strengthen local seed systems and nurseries to conserve agrobiodiversity and native vegetation and supply planting material at scale and lower prices.
• Certification and access to markets: Facilitate the sale of diverse, year-round production through certification schemes and market access initiatives.
• Cooperatives and associations: Strengthen collective organizations to enhance bargaining power, access to markets, shared resources, logistics, and advisory services.

Key tools and guides to support the successful implementation of agroforestry practices can include the following:

Tools

Guides

Increasing the uptake of agroforestry practices can also advance the targets of the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), as well as those of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Climate change mitigation benefits

The mitigation potential of agroforestry systems is widely recognized. The 6th IPCC Assessment Report of 2022 estimates that the technical mitigation potential of agroforestry (i.e., what can theoretically be achieved with current techniques) in the period 2020-2050 is 4.1 (0.3-9.4) GtCO2eq per year.

Agroforestry systems have the potential to contribute to climate change mitigation in multiple ways depending on local contexts, including:

• Higher carbon sequestration in woody biomass and soil compared to crop systems.
• Increased farm-level availability of fodder and manure which, in turn, avoids direct and indirect GHG emissions from fodder and synthetic fertilizer production.
• Diversified diets for animals, which improves the digestibility of forage and therefore reduces methane emissions from enteric fermentation.
• Reduced pressure on forests for crop production and fuelwood, which, in turn, avoids GHG emissions from land-use change.

Climate change adaptation benefits

Among the seven key areas of adaptation put forward in the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience, implementing agroforestry practices can directly contribute to:

• Target 9a (Water & Sanitation): The roots of trees help retain soil moisture, increase water infiltration, and reduce surface runoff, which minimizes soil erosion, sedimentation and pollution in water bodies. Additionally, biodiverse systems depend less on agrochemicals for pest and weed control, reducing water contamination. This leads to cleaner and more resilient water sources, helping maintain the quality and availability of water for both agriculture and human consumption.
• Target 9b (Food & Agriculture): Agroforestry integrates trees with crops and/or livestock, creating more diverse and productive farming systems. This diversification helps buffer against crop failures due to extreme weather, pests, or diseases. Trees can provide fruits, nuts, and other edible products, while also improving soil fertility and structure, leading to higher and more stable yields over time.
• Target 9c (Health): Agroforestry can improve nutrition by increasing the variety and availability of foods, such as fruits, nuts, and leafy greens with high levels of micronutrients. Trees can also provide shade, reducing heat stress for both people and animals. Some tree species offer medicinal properties, supporting traditional healthcare practices. Reduced contamination of water and ecosystems by lowering dependence on chemical inputs also contributes to human health and resilience to climate stressors.
• Target 9d (Ecosystems): By incorporating trees and shrubs into agricultural landscapes, agroforestry can help restore degraded land and support biodiversity. Trees offer habitats for wildlife, promote pollination, and contribute to the natural balance of the ecosystem.
• Target 9e (Infrastructure): Trees can protect infrastructure by stabilizing soils, reducing the risk of landslides, and acting as windbreaks. This can help protect roads, buildings, and other structures from extreme weather events, such as floods and storms, thereby prolonging the lifespan and functionality of critical infrastructure.
• Target 9f (Livelihoods): Agroforestry provides farmers and rural communities with multiple streams of income. In addition to traditional crops, they can rear livestock, and harvest timber, fruits, nuts, medicinal plants, and other products. This economic diversification reduces vulnerability to climate shocks and market fluctuations, making livelihoods more resilient.

Biodiversity benefits

Action under this policy option can help to deliver on multiple KM-GBF targets, in particular:

• Target 2 (Restore 30% of all Degraded Ecosystems): Agroforestry can play a crucial role in restoring degraded ecosystems by enhancing soil health, increasing biodiversity, and improving ecosystem functions. By integrating trees into agricultural landscapes, agroforestry helps rehabilitate degraded lands, thus contributing to the ecological integrity required for effective restoration. Additionally, integrating trees into farming systems strategically can enhance habitat connectivity essential for species movement and resilience.
• Target 7 (Reduce Pollution to Levels That Are Not Harmful to Biodiversity): Agroforestry can reduce reliance on chemical inputs by enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem functions which promote natural pest control and soil fertility through practices like integrating trees with crops or livestock. Furthermore, agroforestry systems can reduce water runoff, limiting the volume of agrochemical pollutants reaching water bodies. Finally, tree plantation through agroforestry may have a significant environmental benefit in terms of reducing air pollution, benefiting both people and biodiversity.
• Target 8 (Minimize the Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity and Build Resilience): Agroforestry can enhance climate resilience in agricultural landscapes, for instance through drought resilience, flood mitigation, microclimate regulation and improving soil health. In view of this, agroforestry systems can shield biodiversity by mitigating the impacts of climate change at the local, landscape and regional scale.
• Target 10 (Enhance Biodiversity and Sustainability in Agriculture, Aquaculture, Fisheries, and Forestry): Agroforestry can enhance biodiversity by promoting diversified agricultural landscapes that reduce habitat loss and fragmentation, offer improved microclimate conditions, and more stable environmental conditions. Specifically, by enhancing structural diversity and implementing practices like tree lines, hedgerows and riparian buffer strips, agroforestry has the potential to maintain and restore and provide complex micro- and macro-habitats within productive landscapes. This and other features of agroforestry systems are more favourable to biodiversity than monocropping and open cereal based agriculture, and depending on design, are capable of hosting up to 80% of the biodiversity of comparable natural forests.
• Target 11 (Restore, Maintain and Enhance Nature’s Contributions to People): Agroforestry enhances ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, soil fertility, and water retention. By integrating trees into agricultural systems, farmers can improve their productivity by restoring, maintaining and enhancing the ecosystem services that healthy ecosystems provide.
• Target 20 (Strengthen Capacity-Building, Technology Transfer, and Scientific and Technical Cooperation for Biodiversity): The current policy option also implies the establishment of capacity-building programmes and initiatives on agroforestry and platforms, as well as the transfer of practical experience across practitioners both at the local, national and international level. This is crucial to build a solid knowledge base for scaling and/or replicating agroecology practices that can meet both production and conservation needs.
• Target 21 (Ensure That Knowledge Is Available and Accessible To Guide Biodiversity Action): See Target 20.

Other sustainable development benefits

Agroforestry can support the delivery of multiple SDGs since it can:

• SDG 1 (No Poverty): increase financial security through farm income diversification.
• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): improve food security for producers through increased yields and crop diversification and by-products.
• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being): reduce the use of chemical pesticides for pest control, reduce soil and water contamination, improve nutrition by diversifying diets, and improve social resilience to climate shocks.
• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): strengthen women control over resources if implemented in a gender-sensitive manner, and free up women’s time by reducing time spent searching for firewood.
• SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): make water bodies cleaner by reducing reliance on polluting chemical inputs, while reducing chemical run-off. Trees contribute to water infiltration, groundwater recharge and flood mitigation, thus aiding water management.
• SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): provide bioenergy from biomass sourced from tree cand crop residues, and reduce pressure on forests.
• SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): improve farmers’ livelihoods while reducing pressure on forests, thus contributing to more sustainable production patterns.
• SDG 13 (Climate Action): mitigate GHG emissions and improve resilience to climatic changes and shocks.
• SDG 15 (Life on Land): increase conservation of farm-level agricultural biodiversity, improve soil health and reduce land degradation.

The successful implementation of agroforestry actions depends on well-designed and effectively implemented interventions, which often face technical and non-technical challenges, alongside potential negative externalities and trade-offs that can undermine their outcomes. Challenges for agroforestry development include:

• Weak extension services and lack of appropriate training approaches for smallholder farmers.
• Lack of secure land and tree tenure.
• High upfront investment costs: acquiring tree seedlings and equipment may exceed immediate returns, leading to negative cash flows. Many farmers – who could benefit from adopting agroforestry practices – lack financial resources or access to credit to finance long-term investments.
• Potential for competition and conflict over resources between tree, crop, and livestock species.
• Potentially significant lag between an investment in agroforestry and the financial return on it.
• Weak marketing and difficulties in selling diverse products, as well as cultural habits that may exclude forest products from diets or staple foods.
• Trees may compete with food crops for space, sunlight, moisture, and nutrients, thereby reducing crop yields.
• Food crops may be damaged during tree harvesting.
• Trees that form part of agroforestry systems may be hosts of insects and birds that can damage crops.
• The rapid regeneration and growth of trees may displace food crops and even take over entire fields.

Integrating the following measures into a comprehensive and cohesive framework can help to address implementation challenges and minimize potential negative trade-offs:

• The IPCC recommends that agroforestry should be implemented as part of support systems that deliver tools and information to increase farmers’ agency to minimize risks and maximize benefits. Particular focus should be given to low income and marginalized populations.
• Appropriate selection of crop, tree, and livestock species and breeds to reduce competition.
• Agroforestry design that integrates short-cycle vegetables and annual crops between the rows of fruit and tree species. This approach can provide farmers with short-term returns while the fruit and forest species mature.
• Woody species should be grown in a spatial design and seasonal cycles that reduce competition for resources with crops.
• Implementing rotational grazing practices to improve the quality of the pasture, crop, and livestock. See Implementing integrated crop-livestock systems.
• Adequate provision of input supplies and advisory services for farmers.
• Trade-offs between carbon sequestration and crop yields can be minimized with optimal management, involving the use of a mix of tree species that store medium carbon stocks, and can enhance yields, soil fertility and climate resilience.
• Linking project costs to government programs and existing support (i.e., subsidy programs and dedicated credit lines) as well as donor funding and blended finance can reduce costs. For example, the UNEP has supported banks and advisory service companies in delivering a financial product that supports agroforestry and other objectives across five biomes in Brazil.
• Developing financing models that ensure an adequate supply of materials, training, and assistance to farmers.
• Establishing inclusive producer organizations.
• Investing in public agricultural and food systems research, as well as other rural public investments, that are sensitive to ensuring equitable outcomes.

Monitoring tools, indicators, and frameworks

Effective tracking of the implementation of agroforestry practices relies on strong monitoring tools, clear indicators, and structured frameworks that capture both implementation progress and related biodiversity and climate outcomes.

Indicators to monitor biodiversity outcomes

The Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed to a comprehensive set of headline, component, and complementary indicators for tracking progress toward the targets of the KM-GBF. Some of these indicators could also be functional for monitoring the implementation of this policy option. These indicators are defined as follows:

Tools to monitor biodiversity outcomes

Tools to monitor climate outcomes

Costs are highly variable and depend on location system design and need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. However, due to the large mitigation potential of these systems, one way to channel finance to promote agroforestry implementation is via climate policies and access to carbon markets. In particular, the 6th IPCC Assessment Report of 2022 estimates that given current technologies, 0.8 (0.4-1.1) Gt of CO2eq per year of mitigation is theoretically achievable at the annual cost of USD 100 per ton of CO2eq for the period 2020-2050.

Some notable examples of implemented agroforestry practices include the following:

• Regreening the Sahel in Northern Africa: The Maradi/Zinder region in Niger is a hub of experimentation and scaling up of approaches. More than 200 million trees have been regenerated on more than 5 Mha in the Sahel through a technique named Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). The approach has brought benefits such as climate mitigation, reduced soil erosion, providing animal fodder, groundwater recharge, nutrition, income, and an enhanced safety net for vulnerable rural households during climate and other shocks. Various factors have contributed to the regreening of the Sahel, including local policy reforms (e.g., easing of forestry regulations to give farmers greater control over the management and use of trees on their land), NGO-led experimentation, cash-for-work programs, and training programs. Farmers participated in planning and implementation of programs, which enabled the aligning of activities with local knowledge and goals as well as market opportunities.
• The “Mainstreaming Sustainable Cattle Ranching in Colombia” project covers more than 2,500 farms in five regions of the country. It has introduced environmentally friendly cattle production on close to 50,000 ha, placed 51,900 ha under a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) scheme, improved stocking rates and productivity per animal by 15%, protected 50 globally endangered plant species on the farms, and sequestered 1.9 million Mega grams of CO2eq above and below ground. In addition, the project has significantly contributed to the development of public policies, the training of technicians and farmers, and the development of a network of demonstration farms and service providers.
• Ethiopia has implemented agroforestry systems widely to combat deforestation and land degradation. The Green Future Farming program focuses on restoring degraded landscapes through community-based participatory approaches. It promotes the planting of indigenous and agroforestry trees, enhancing biodiversity while improving soil quality and water retention. The program respects traditional agroforestry practices and engages local communities in decision-making, thereby fostering sustainable agricultural practices that support biodiversity conservation.
• In Southeast Asia, livestock grazing often happens under plantation trees such as rubber, oil palm, or coconut. Studies have shown improvements in yields and weed control on oil palm, rubber, and sugar cane plantations where small ruminants grazed on vegetative ground cover.

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