Latest Agroforestry Stories

A new forum paper suggests bridging two important fields of ecological research It is increasingly recognized that protected areas alone are not sufficient for successful biodiversity conservation, and that management of production areas (e.g. forestry and agricultural land) plays a crucial role in that respect. Retention forestry and agroforestry are two land management systems aiming to reconcile the production of human goods with biodiversity conservation. The retention forestry...

STRATHAM, N.H., Jan. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Three years after committing to plant 5 million trees in five years, Timberland shares progress of improved environmental, economic and social conditions in the rural region near Gonaives, Haiti. In partnership with a local non-governmental organization, the Smallholder Farmers Alliance, Timberland supports an agroforestry program to train Haitian farmers to improve crop yields - and has planted 2.2 million trees along the way. (Photo:...

As human populations soar and agricultural resources dwindle, trees – through their interactions with people and the environment – provide important answers for the emerging food and climate crisis in the world’s tropical regions. That’s the message of a new book by eminent world authority on agroforestry, Roger Leakey, Vice-chairman of the International Tree Foundation and former Director of Research at the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF). In ‘Living...

Approach reducing conflict over land, water in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, Sub-Saharan Africa and in dozens of other regions; major agriculture groups call for urgently scaling up 'whole landscape' approaches ahead of Rio+20 An unconventional approach that involves building alliances between groups competing for limited land and water resources has the potential to dramatically increase food production, boost rural incomes, improve human health and restore degraded land, rivers and habitats,...

There is more going on in DPR Korea than rocket science: local people in collaboration with natural resources scientists are taking control of their food supply through agroforestry. How participatory agroforestry restored land and secured the food supply The report, published online on 24 March, notes that in DPR Korea a bottom–up participatory process of developing locally appropriate agroforestry has been a revelation to many and is helping to reverse the chronic food shortages...

As rates for prostate disorders spiral upwards, new research pinpoints where to grow dwindling African source of alternative medicine Responding to the dwindling abundance of Prunus africana in the wild, a tree listed as "vulnerable to extinction" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a recent study by the World Agroforestry Centre identifies possible locations in Kenya for developing tree farms. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported as far...

Encouraging climate-smart agriculture can lead to climate change adaptation Encouraging climate-smart agriculture can lead to climate change adaptation practices in a partnership where the farmer's needs are addressed. "Climate-smart agriculture has the potential to increase sustainable productivity, increase the resilience of farming systems to climate impacts and mitigate climate change through greenhouse gas emission reductions and carbon sequestration," says Henry Neufeldt the lead...

Horn of Africa: Fighting food insecurity with forests and trees Restoring and preserving dryland forests and planting more trees to provide food, fodder and fertilizer on small farms are critical steps toward preventing the recurrence of the famine now threatening millions of people in the Horn of Africa, according to forestry experts from the CGIAR Consortium. Across the Horn, drought-induced famine has claimed tens of thousands of lives and swelled refugee camps in Kenya, Ethiopia and...

Scientists develop model to assess the impact agroforestry windbreaks have on farming operationsAgroforestry, the deliberate placement of trees into crop and livestock operations, can help capture substantial amounts of carbon on agricultural lands while providing production and conservation benefits. However, we currently lack tools for accurately estimating current and projected carbon values in these systems.In North America, windbreaks are an effective carbon-capturing option. Only...