About Agroforestry

Resource explained

This page from the Agroforestry Research Trust website gives an introduction to agroforestry, outlining the meaning of the term and main benefits of the approach. Related pages give further information about different agroforestry systems including: forest gardening, forest farming, silvoarable and silvopasture.

Findings & recommendations

“Agroforestry is the growing of both trees and agricultural/horticultural crops on the same piece of land. 20 years of research confirms that agroforestry can be more biologically productive, profitable and sustainable than forestry or agricultural monocultures. Agroforestry systems bring numerous benefits including:

•  Control of run-off and soil erosion and associated losses;
• Maintenance of soil organic matter and biological activity thereby contributing to soil fertility;
• More closed nutrient cycling and efficient use of nutrients;
• Enhancement of the soil, water, air, animal and human resources of farming systems;
• More efficient use of solar energy
• Reduced incidents of insect pests and associated diseases
• Reclamation of eroded and degraded land
• More diverse and resilient farm and rural economies.”