Chapter 13 - Agroforestry a model for ecological sustainability

Abstract

The success stories of agroforestry systems (AFS) are prevalent in the tropical regions due to its multifarious ecosystem services that resulted into climate and food security along with socioeconomic development of poor farmers. The existence and progressive development of AFS is quite linked with scientific-based practices and management of different models in the varying regions and localities that tells a story about tree crop interaction and makes synergies among soil nutrients loads, perennial trees, herbaceous crops, and livestocks. Overall, a healthy relationship among various components of agroforestry models will be helpful for farmers both in terms of economic benefits along with better ecosystem structure and its services. No doubt, agroforestry practices (AFP) is socially acceptable, economically viable and ecologically sound but their scientific-based management practices are still required for making the consistency of models for long term basis in future that is directly linked with farmers rejoice. However, the scope and potential of AFS are inevitable due to its wide adoptability and spreading capacity in various regions of the tropics such as Asia, Africa, and European countries. Carbon (C) storage and sequestration by tree in agroforestry are the greatest phenomenon that helps in mitigating changing climate and global warming that promotes environmental security and ecological sustainability along with enhancing wood biomass for satisfying people’s basic need and national demand. World Agroforestry (ICRAF)mentioned that tropical AFS has a capacity to sequestered between 12 and 228Mg/ha of C and according to this approximate 1.1–2.2Pg C could be stored in terrestrial ecosystems up to coming 50years by the AFS in areas of 585–1215×106ha of the total earth surface. Thus, sustainable practices of agroforestry model not only help in enhancing the forest cover in the current era of ongoing forest degradation but also promote better ecosystem by enhancing soil fertility, efficient nutrient cycling, balancing C between environment and different models, and promoting biodiversity along with food and environmental security. In this context, this chapter presents the potential of agroforestry and its ecosystem services that help in maintaining ecological sustainability at global level.