Potential of Traditional Agroforestry Systems for Intensification of Agriculture and Meeting Global Goals: Lessons from Asia and Africa

Abstract

The role of traditional agroforestry systems in enhancing ecosystem productivity and protecting natural resources has been explored during the last four decades. Research efforts have established the potential of traditional agroforestry as a solution for sustainable intensification of agriculture to meet the increasing food production demands and ecosystem benefits. The least developed, as well as rapidly developing countries across Asia and Africa currently face diverse socioeconomic challenges due to the burgeoning human population, poverty, hunger, and unsustainable agricultural systems. With the need to sustain the demands of exponential population growth without compromising the natural resources base, sustainable agriculture intensification based on agroforestry has gained momentum. There are efforts to mainstream the benefits of ecological-intensifying agriculture to provide food, nutritional, environmental, and livelihood security by enhancing ecosystem services and restoring biodiversity. However, socioeconomic constraints like limited understanding and awareness, lack of implementation, commercialization of agriculture, interactive governance and policy concerns, etc. have led to the decline of traditional agroforestry practices across African and Asia countries. The present chapter highlights the potential of traditional agroforestry practices for sustainable agriculture intensification in African and Asian regions and their relevance to achieving ecosystem restoration, conservation, sustainable development, and climate targets. Agroforestry systems have proved to increase agriculture productivity while minimizing carbon footprint, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ecological restoration agenda of the UN Decade (2021–2030).