Many parts of Africa are experiencing food insecurity, declines in farm income, land and soil degradation and the loss of biodiversity. Climate change is worsening the situation, especially in the drier parts of Africa, and is expected to continue to negatively affect the agricultural resource base in many parts of the continent. Agroforestry practices, in which trees play the major role, can slow down or even reverse land degradation. It also can help remove carbon from the atmosphere, thereby helping the fight against climate change.

These aspects can help secure rural livelihoods by helping nature and gaining economic benefits. Besides increasing soil fertility, the trees that are managed by farmers can provide ecosystem services and functions besides the products these trees deliver. These services are the various benefits that humans derive from healthy eco-systems. These ecosystems, when functioning well, offer such things as food provision, natural pollination of crops, clean air and water, decomposition of wastes, or flood control.

These are especially important in low-income countries in Africa, where many people work in the agricultural sector that does not attract much interest or investment from governments or private investors. Agroforestry is not a new concept. Indigenous people have been using the principles as part of traditional ecological knowledge for generations. In the light of climate change it is at present getting more attention.

What is agroforestry?

The agroforestry system of farming is based on trees. In Africa, where the environment is often harsh and defenceless against climate change and variations, trees are an essential part of the landscape

Forms of agroforestry

Agroforestry is the practice of producing wood, non-timber crops, or animals on a single piece of land. It incorporates trees, other plants and or animals in sustainable, productive systems. Different ecological and socioeconomic conditions have given rise to specific forms of agroforestry in different parts of Africa.

Components of an agroforestry system

Agroforestry is a way of managing land as an agricultural resource for the longterm benefit of the community. It can be used on all types of terrain, but hillside farming, where soil erosion may occur because of farming practices, requires specific consideration. Perennial trees and shrubs are the main component. Trees that bear legumes (beans) can fix nitrogen in the soil and make it available to other plants, are most sought after.

Trees supply other benefits too, such as:

  • food, including edible fruits, nuts and leaves;
  • building supplies, including lumber, posts, or branches for wattle, (a structure made of thin poles intertwined with branches, or bound together with strips of bark);
  • non-edible materials, including sap, resins, tannins, insecticides, and medications;
  • firewood and charcoal.

Choice of crops

Crop plants chosen for cultivation may be those already used at home, animal feed or to sell, as well as other useful plants that grow in the area. Choice of nutritious crops must be based on knowledge of the crop, how it adapts to the environment and the production goals. The choice of domestic animals for use in the system depends on their value as food- or non-food items, like meat, skins or wool, as well as job creation and generating an income from the sale of the animals or products.

Types of agroforestry systems

There are different types of agroforestry systems. Agri-silvicultural systems include interplanted field and forest crops. Because controlled irrigation is used, certain crops can be cultivated for consecutive years. Silvo-pastoral systems include trees and pasture for animals. Woody plants are used to grow pasture, while trees or shrubs are grown for animal fodder and to enhance the quality of the soil.

Silvopasture systems consist of three groups, namely protein banks consisting of nutrient-rich fodder, living fences made of fodder trees and hedges, and trees and shrubs on grassland. Agro-silvopastoral systems include domestic crops, forest crops and pasture, where these components coexist. There are two categories, namely domestic gardens and wooded hedgerows. Seasonal crops are planted under the fodder trees and cattle and goats are reared.

Importance of agroforestry systems

Agroforestry makes maximum use of land. It is the integration of trees, crops, and or livestock in a wise, long term, productive system that benefits the environment, economy and society. It involves growing valuable plants such as trees, shrubs and crops combined with keeping livestock. The trees provide shade while the foraging animals provide manure. The system therefore produces more environmental services with fewer inputs and lower costs, which makes it scientifically sound, ecologically desirable, practically feasible, and socially acceptable to the farmers.

Benefits

Agroforestry are multifunctional systems that can provide a wide range of environmental, economic and sociocultural values that are important to smallholder farmers. Agroforestry produces diverse products and services on a limited land area. The integration of trees improves land productivity, as well as resilience of households by providing a variety of products for sustaining livelihoods. Objectives of agroforestry include reducing pressure on natural forests for obtaining timber and non-timber forest produce, so the need for de-forestation diminishes. It also helps checking soil erosion and maintaining the soil’s natural fertility, thereby helping to maintain an ecological balance while utilising farm resources.

Principles of agroforestry

  • Agroforestry systems are productive as it can produce food, crops, fruits, litter, timber, fuels, fuel wood and fodder for livestock. These products help improve the livelihood and long-term production capacity of the area.
  • Agroforestry helps to protect landscapes as it minimises the degradation of farmlands and other natural resources by working as shelterbelts. The trees protect the land from soil erosion and or flooding while maintaining moisture in the soil. The shade from the trees provide shelter for the animals.
  • Agroforestry systems with legume trees and crops help to maintain or improve the productivity of the land. Legumes are a source of nitrogen that improves soil fertility and quality. Tree litter can help maintain ecological cycles.
  • The sale of forest and agriculture products generate income for farmers, which could improve their livelihood.

Conclusion

Many farmers all over the world are looking into the ancient systems of agroforestry to create sustainable solutions to collapsing food systems and a way of coping with or adapting to environmental catastrophes like droughts, floods and fires related to a warming earth. Agroforestry has the potential to contribute to food security while preserving and strengthening the environmental resources of Africa’s rural landscape. It provides oppor-tunities for small and large landowners to diversify production to be more profitable and to contribute to food security on a hungry continent.

Read more:

This short series on agroforestry will offer insights into the benefits of the system and provide an overview of successful agroforestry projects.

References

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Binayak (2024) Principles of agroforestry Forestry Bloq https://forestrybloq.com/principle-ofagroforestry/ Binayak (2024) Types of Agroforestry Systems & Their Components Forestry Bloq https://forestrybloq.com/types-ofagroforestry-systems-their-components/

Leonard, L. (2022) Agroforestry 101: Everything you need to know. Ecowatch, World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/12/agroforestry-101-everything-you-need-to-know/

Mbow, C., Van Noordwijk, M., Luedeling, E., Neufeldt, H., Minang, P.A., Kowero, G. (2013) Agroforestry solu- tions to address food security and climate change challenges in Africa. Science Direct http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2013.10.014 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877343513001449?via%3Dihub

Ollo, S., Vall, E., Yamego, V. M., Blanchard, M., Boulandier, M.N., GonzálezGarcia, E. (2020) Establishing highdensity protein banks for livestock in Burkina Faso (West Africa): agronomic performance under contrasting edaphoclimatic conditions. Agroforestry Systems 94(7). ResearchGate DOI:10.1007/s10457-019-00394-4 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332565512_Establishing_high-density_protein_banks_for_livestock_in_Burkina_Faso_West_Africa_agronomic_performance_under_ contrasting_edaphoclimatic_conditions

Silobi (2018) Agroforestry in Africa. Farmers Review Africa https://farmersreviewafrica.com/agroforestry-in-africa/