Agroforestry systems: helping smallholders adapt to climate risks while mitigating climate change

Abstract

There is increasing interest to combine adaptation and mitigation measures that provide win–win solutions to climate change. Agroforestry systems offer compelling synergies between adaptation and mitigation. This article reviews the empirical evidence from various studies on how trees and agroforestry systems enhance smallholders' capacity to adapt to climate risks. Agroforestry systems improve resilience of smallholder farmers through more efficient water utilization, improved microclimate, enhanced soil productivity and nutrient cycling, control of pests and diseases, improved farm productivity, and diversified and increased farm income while at the same time sequestering carbon. Although these seems very promising, tradeoffs may arise both at the farm and landscape scales. WIREs Clim Change 2014, 5:825–833. doi: 10.1002/wcc.301 This article is categorized under: Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Learning from Cases and Analogies Climate and Development > Knowledge and Action in Development

The coffee rust crises in Colombia and Central America (2008–2013): impacts, plausible causes and proposed solutions

“…Shade management is surely the basis of these systems. Agroforestry is often cited as an option for enhancing smallholders' capacity to adapt to climate risks (Lasco et al 2014). However, shade encompasses a series of aspects to consider, such as shade cover, shade diversity and nature of the species, number of strata, and horizontal spatial distribution, whose effects all need to be clarified in order to develop new "Best Practices" or, better still, new "Best Systems" to cope with climate change and pest and disease threats.…”

From Co-Management to Landscape Governance: Whither Ghana’s Modified Taungya System?

“…The carbon potential of plantations and agroforestry has been acknowledged (e.g., [66][67][68]), but might be less promising than generally assumed. A study based on a small sample of reforestation schemes in degraded forest reserves of Ghana generated lower than average values [69].…”

“…Finally, the benefits to farmers are not guaranteed due to volatile carbon markets and declining carbon prices [71]. The role of the MTS might therefore be more promising in terms of climate change adaptation, as trees improve water utilisation, microclimate, soil productivity, nutrient cycling, control of pests and diseases, farm productivity, income diversification and farm income, thus enhancing the resilience of farming systems [68].…”

Mitigation & Adaptation Synergies in the NDCs

“…Adaptation possibilities are diverse and targets different measures, such as improving soil nutrient content and water retention, possibilities for increased soil resilience to drought, increased yields and increased nutrient contents in food and fodder, crop breeding for increased heat and/or water tolerance as well as food security (Illman et al, 2013;Harvey et al, 2013;Junghans et al, 2013;Lasco et al, 2014;Richards and Sander, 2014;UNEP DTU, 2016).…”

“…Synergies in this field include water efficiency, which increases farming possibilities and resilience in arid and potentially future arid regions, often resulting in energy efficiency gains and thus mitigation potential (Hoff, 2011;Rodriguez et al, 2013). Improved farming conditions may also reduce the risk of soil degradation (Lasco et al, 2014;UNEP DTU, 2016). Moreover, it may maintain and improve biodiversity and important ecosystem services, such as pollination (FAO, 2011).…”