Effects of agroforestry on modern agriculture

Agroforestry systems are inherently more resilient to weather extremes than many traditional cropping systems. Agroforestry practices utilise perennial vegetation and multiple species that provide greater plant diversity with less vulnerability to climate stress than is provided by monocultures. The perennial woody vegetation itself also modifies the local microclimate. The trees and shrubs influence airflow and sunlight interception patterns, protecting the understory and adjacent plants from extremes in temperature and damaging winds. The deep rooting by the perennial vegetation also affords greater resilience to drought and increased exploitation of soil water and nutrients from soil layers not readily available to more shallow rooted annual crops. Greater efficiency of agroforestry systems in water use and nutrient cycling is a key strength and further enhances their efficacy under the uncertainties of climate change.

The overriding objective of future agricultural land use will be on optimising productivity from the available land base. Agroforestry systems are easily adaptable to the concept of sustainable intensification. Each component can be managed to optimise production while the perennial species provide system resilience and ameliorate climate stresses. Soil degradation by erosion, salinity, and pollution and loss of prime quality farmland due to urbanisation and development continue to reduce the amount of land available for agriculture. Some new areas can be brought into production but often with lower productivity and at great cost due to the necessary investment in infrastructure (roads, irrigation, utilities, etc.).