Traditional Agroforestry Systems Research Articles

The business case for strengthening traditional agroforestry systems with data science and digitalization

The business case for strengthening traditional agroforestry systems with data science and digitalization

Human-induced landscape modification in the in the last two centuries in the Po delta plain (northern Italy)

Historical maps with high degree of accuracy permit quantitative reconstructions of past land use and land cover (LULC), crucial to assess the impact of human activities on landscape evolution. After georeferencing in a modern reference system, the Carta del Ferrarese commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte and completed in 1814, has been used to quantify the changes in LULC, occurred in the last two centuries in the Po delta plain. The map depicts a palaeo-landscape dominated by wetlands (49% of the study area) and agricultural areas (41%), whereas forests appear already largely depleted (5%). The Piantata Padana, a traditional agroforestry system with live trees used to support grapevines, is dominant (62% of the agricultural areas). The comparison with the 2014 LULC map highlights a dramatic reduction (85%) of wetland areas and the replacement of the Piantata Padana with bare arable lands, with the consequent removal of 4-40 million trees. Soils of areas formerly occupied by wetlands show high organic-carbon content, highlighting the potential of humid areas in carbon sequestration. Land reclaiming, prompted by the introduction of steam pumps, favoured the economic development of the area, but concurred to CO2 emissions through the oxidation of soil organic substances, energy consumption from pumping stations, and the extensive use of hydrocarbon fuels in agriculture. Although urbanisation is limited in the Po delta plain, this area appears nowadays largely shaped by human activities, with the dominance of lands devoted to agriculture, dissected by a dense network of draining channels. The landscape changes recorded in the last two centuries in the Po coastal plain have been uniquely driven by human activities, like in several coastal plains worldwide.

Assessing the elevational relationship with soil physico-chemical properties under traditional large cardamom agroforestry system in the Indian Eastern Himalayas: a case study using machine learning algorithms

Assessing the elevational relationship with soil physico-chemical properties under traditional large cardamom agroforestry system in the Indian Eastern Himalayas: a case study using machine learning algorithms

Agroforestry and the Climate Crisis: Prioritizing Biodiversity Restoration for Resilient and Productive Mediterranean Landscapes

This study deals with the future of the traditional agroforestry systems (TAFSs) in the northern Mediterranean Basin. Important productive systems, such as ancient non-irrigated olive groves and extensive silvopastoral systems, from subalpine grasslands to coastal landscapes, are being irreversibly degraded, threatening the bio-cultural heritage of the Mediterranean region, an area recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot. In the midst of the global biodiversity and climate crisis, immediate actions are proposed for the protection and conservation management of TAFSs, within a new EU policy framework. Having the TAFSs of Greece in the spotlight of this analysis, a four-step approach was used in order to review the value of agroforestry in terms of (a) biodiversity (birds, mammals, invertebrates and soil biota), (b) agroforestry landscapes, such as traditional olive groves on terraces and valonia silvopastoral systems, (c) ecosystem services, especially concerning cultural values, and (d) the modern threats to traditional agroforestry. Through this research, problems are highlighted and European policy priorities are defined. Our conclusion is that there is an immediate need to revise the European Union rural, forestry, and environmental policies in the Mediterranean region, following the provisions of the new EU Nature Restoration Law, in order to revive agroforestry landscapes and make them productive and sustainable again for the benefit of rural economies, local communities, and biodiversity, especially in marginal Mediterranean mountainous and island areas, where depopulation and susceptibility to wildfires are major threats.

Carbon Sequestration Potential of Traditional Agroforestry System in Rimbo Panjang Village, Kampar Based on Tree Biomass

The traditional agroforestry industry is part of the Forestry and Other Land Use Net Sink 2030 (FOLU Net Sink 2030) strategy for low carbon development and climate resilience in Indonesia. This study aims to estimate the value of biomass, carbon stock, and carbon sequestration in traditional agroforestry systems in Rimbo Panjang Village, Kampar. Six plots (each measuring 20 x 20 meters) are used; three of the plots are 15 years old and three are 9 years old, respectively, for the conventional agroforestry system. Biomass, carbon stock and carbon sequestration were estimated at the tree, pole and sapling levels. Biomass calculations used allometric equations based on diameter at breast height (DBH) data. The results showed that carbon sequestration in Dusun 2 (618.2 tons/ha) was greater than in Dusun 1 (399 tons/ha), with an average carbon sequestration in both dusun of 508.6 tons/ha. Trees contribute the highest value of biomass, carbon stock, and carbon sequestration, which is 74%, The difference in the value of biomass, carbon stock, and carbon sequestration in traditional agroforestry systems in Rimbo Panjang Village is significantly influenced by the average stem diameter. The various trees that make up traditional agroforestry in Rimbo Panjang Kampar, which is generally in the yard, should ideally be maintained and developed because of their high carbon sequestration potential.

The diversity of soil-dwelling arthropods is significantly influenced by land use systems with tree cover in semiarid conditions

Seasonal changes in vegetation and climate exert significant influences on soil fauna in natural and agricultural ecosystems. Additionally, evidence indicates that interactions between different plant layers promote soil fauna diversity through the variety of resources available. The objective was to assess the edaphic fauna in traditional land use systems, agroforestry systems and natural vegetation, under the influence of rainfall seasonality and plant strata in the semiarid region of Brazil. For this purpose, six types of land use were selected: agroforestry; silvopastoral; slash and burn with intensive use without fallow; slash and burn with six years of fallow; slash and burn with nine years of fallow; and a system representing the natural vegetation of the Caatinga. Edaphic fauna was collected using pitfall traps in the dry and rainy seasons. A total of 43,363 individuals of the edaphic fauna were collected and grouped into taxa, determining abundance, diversity and functional groups. The results revealed higher abundance and diversity of edaphic fauna in the rainy season across all land use systems, but significantly higher numbers in systems with tree strata. The greater the abundance, richness and diversity of trees, the higher the diversity of edaphic fauna (Shannon Index - H: 0.7 < ‾H < 1) for the seasonal effect. Agroforestry systems were intermediate in the diversity of edaphic fauna (‾H < 0.8) compared to other systems. Systems with greater heterogeneity in tree and herbaceous strata were the ones that most increased the diversity and activity of functional groups of edaphic fauna (H < 0.8; 0.5 < r < 0.9). In semiarid conditions, more attention should be given to agricultural production systems with greater tree diversity and interaction between tree and herbaceous strata to conserve the biodiversity of edaphic fauna and improve the soil health.

The diversity and traditional use of home garden plants near Kerinci Seblat National Park, Indonesia

Abstract. Suwardi AB, Navia ZI, Mubarak A, Rahmat R, Cristy P, Wibowo SG, Irawan H. 2024. The diversity and traditional use of home garden plants near Kerinci Seblat National Park, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 25: 3284-3299. Home gardens are traditional agroforestry systems that improve plant diversity and ecosystem services while also having a direct and beneficial effect on human well-being. Each plant species in a home garden provides a variety of ecosystem services, which are linked to specific ecological functions and social drives. Although home gardens are biodiversity hotspots and have recently been identified as essential to tropical biodiversity conservation, the benefits of ecosystem services offered by home gardens are frequently undervalued. This study aims to analyze the diversity, usage, and traditional knowledge of home garden plants among the local communities living near Kerinci Seblat National Park, Indonesia. This study was carried out in four villages from two districts of Bengkulu Province, Indonesia, i.e. Lebong and Rejang Lebong. Field surveys, plant collections, and interviews with local communities were used in this study. Interviews were conducted with 120 informants (30 in each village) selected at random. A total of 218 plant species belonging to 67 families associated with 12 use categories were recorded in the study area. Capsicum frutescens, Musa x paradisiaca, and Mangifera indica are frequently discovered in home gardens. The most diverse categories of plant use in home gardens encompass food, medicine, and ornament, utilizing various parts such as rhizomes, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Home gardens, with their diverse plant species, are considered to have a significant role in household livelihoods, protecting plant genetic resources, and biodiversity conservation.

Comparative Carbon Stock Potential of Indigenous Agroforestry Systems in Silte Wereda, Southern Ethiopia

Agroforestry system (AFS) is described as one of the promising mitigation options for climate change through its high carbon sequestration capacity. This study was conducted in Silite District; Southern Ethiopia to assess the unaccounted carbon stock potential of selected traditional agroforestry systems. The study assessed the carbon stock potential of AFS biomass and soil carbon pools. Biomass and soil samples were taken from temporary plots laid for this study, 20 × 20 m for home garden, 50 × 100 m for parkland, and 10 × 10 m for woodlot AFS. Height (H) and diameter at breast height (DBH) were taken from the sample plots to estimate biomass carbon. Litter, herb, and grass samples were collected from 1 m2 quadrant within the main plot. The findings show that the total biomass carbon ranged from (1.28-7 Mg ha -1) though there was no significant difference among the systems and higher biomass carbon was attributed by parkland AFS while the lowest was woodlot. A significantly higher amount of SOC was recorded in home garden AFS along the two depths (82.5 Mg ha -1) than the other two systems and the lowest was attributed to parkland (41.7 Mg ha -1). Therefore, this traditional AFS should be supported for their contributions in climate change mitigation schemes as they can sequester a reasonable amount of carbon

The Dual Role of Culture in Evolutionary Play: Anthropogenic Expansion Vs Destruction of Biodiversity

A large number of Green discourse blames the human species for the current ecological crisis. However, this description of humanity as the ecocidal culprit serves to conceal the role of humans, in both past and contemporary pre-industrial societies, as custodians of biodiversity. Indigenous societies are known to have conserved their natural resource base for posterity, by instituting cultural norms and institutions against exhaustive resource use. In addition, pre-industrial societies also increased biodiversity on taxic and genetic levels, by domestication of many wild biota, and on the ecosystem level with agroforestry. While Darwin gave much importance to the process of domestication of plants and animals by means of artificial selection, modern science and agriculture curricula tend to neglect this aspect of the history of human civilization. The novel taxa, created in the process of domestication, are characterised by many morphological and behavioural traits never found in the wild progenitor species. Further selection of favourable traits of the new species created an abundance of distinctive crop landraces and animal breeds. The increment in diversity at the ecosystem, taxic and genetic levels, by the process of domestication and in ancient agroforestry systems, began to reverse with industrial development over the past two centuries. Indeed, industrial development has been the chief driver of the continuing process of biodiversity erosion and habitat loss worldwide. Industrial agricultural systems, signposted by the Green Revolution (GR), has severely truncated the on-farm crop species and genetic diversity, which characterised traditional multi-crop farming and agroforestry systems in native agrarian cultures. Over the past six decades, the continual replacement of hundreds of landraces with a handful of GR cultivars, combined with the institutional apathy toward in situ landrace conservation efforts, has led to the disappearance of the importance of genetic purity of landraces from breeding programs and heirloom crop conservation discourse. Most of the modern farmers, predominantly dependent on the industrial supply of crop seeds, have forgotten the methods of genetic purity maintenance, resulting in the rapid loss of the hundreds of crop landraces with distinctive properties, which were selected centuries ago for diverse agronomic, gustatory, and aesthetic qualities. A recognition of the value of the custodian role of ecosystem people in creating and conserving biodiversity, vis-a-vis the current industrial decimation of biodiversity on all levels, will likely promote biodiversity conservation ethos in modern societies, and the value of genetic purity of the extant crop landraces.

Proximity to natural forests failed to rescue a declining agroforestry tree species

The conservation of species in human-modified landscapes such as agroforestry systems is central to global conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Understanding the dynamics of key species in agroforestry systems is important for predicting the sustainability of these systems. However, the population dynamics of agroforestry tree species are often unknown, and planning for the management of these systems is generally grounded on the untested assumption that the tree component will persist over time. Here, we developed an integral projection model for Vitellaria paradoxa (Sapotaceae), one of the most important tree species in traditional agroforestry systems in West Africa. We collected three years of demographic data from six populations around the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in Benin to parameterize this model and test the effect of populations’ proximity to natural habitats on the short- and long-term dynamics of V. paradoxa. However, models suggest that V. paradoxa populations are projected to decline at a yearly rate of 10.6% and within the next two decades, this tree will be locally extinct. We found a significant positive effect of proximity to natural forest on the long-term population dynamics, but this failed to save populations from decline. Elasticity analyses show that the best strategy to slow down such a decline includes preserving the largest mature trees. However, traditional management systems that protect shea butter trees in agroforestry systems are now replaced by increasing tree cutting to produce firewood, charcoal and carve out mortars and pestles. The decline of this key agroforestry tree poses a broader threat to long-term sustainability of agroforestry systems.

Multipurpose, climate-resilient agroforestry in the Eastern Himalayas

Traditional, small-scale agroforestry systems offer a range of socioecological, sociocultural, and socioeconomic benefits for communities in the Eastern Himalayan region. Successfully managed by Indigenous farmers for generations, these systems involve intricate farming practices that integrate trees, shrubs, crops, and livestock, while avoiding any dependence on modern agricultural technologies like mechanisation or chemical inputs. The Eastern Himalayan region is home to seven agroforestry practices: farm-based, forest-based, large cardamom-based, mandarin-based, crops/mixed trees-based, slash-and-burn based, and tea-garden-based. The output-to-input ratio is highest for tea-based agroforestry and lowest for farm-based agroforestry. Farmers should carefully consider their choice of agroforestry system to suit their circumstances, but each system contributes to livelihood improvement, biodiversity conservation, and ecological sustainability. Several of the systems support high-value cash crops and they all provide a variety of functions and services, including maintaining soil fertility, conserving resources, enhancing productivity, and reducing erosion. They also support a remarkable level of crop diversity and preserve genetic resources, contributing to agrobiodiversity conservation. These traditional agroforestry systems, therefore, offer a sustainable approach to agriculture, balancing short-term food and livelihood needs with long-term environmental conservation. Research is now needed to assess gaps, especially related to multipurpose trees, to ensure the resilience and sustainability of these systems in the face of socioeconomic shifts.

Cocoa agroforestry in Brazil through a public-private partnership

Historically, Brazil was a significant cocoa producer, primarily in the Amazon region, but since the 1970s, cocoa production became increasingly replaced by extensive livestock farming. What production remained, was halted by a fungal epidemic, resulting in Brazil becoming a net importer of cocoa beans. Thanks to recent sustainable development programmes and the emergence of the bioeconomy, Brazil has since experienced renewed interest in cocoa cultivation, especially in cocoa agroforestry. Initiatives such as Mondelez's Sustainable Cocoa Production project aim to promote sustainable cocoa production, with a focus on environmental regulations and good agricultural practices. The project focuses on two regions, Bahia and Pará. In Bahia, efforts are directed towards rejuvenating cocoa crops in cabruca systems, a traditional agroforestry system where cocoa is cultivated beneath native tree canopies. Small-scale farmers received training and experimental plots demonstrated that proper management practices could control fungal disease and increase cocoa production significantly, generating increased income. In Pará, cocoa agroforestry systems are promoted as an alternative to cattle ranching, which destroyed forests to create, now degraded, pasturelands. While restoration efforts are challenging, agroforestry systems showed promising financial returns compared to cattle ranching. Local farmer organisations also benefitted from workshops and ongoing mentoring regarding their management and business capacities. A failure of the project was that in some instances, agroforestry systems were promoted more as a way to produce cocoa than as an opportunity to diversify, which must be the priority. New due diligence initiatives in Europe have also highlighted the importance of traceability and sustainability in cocoa production, posing new challenges for Brazil’s small-scale farmers. The cocoa agroforestry systems in Bahia and Pará have, nonetheless, shown potential for sustainable local development in Brazil. To ensure their success and sustainability in the long term, there must be continued support systems for farmers and value must be ascribed to the immense product diversity of cocoa agroforestry.

Structured Equations to Assess the Socioeconomic and Business Factors Influencing the Financial Sustainability of Traditional Amazonian Chakra in the Ecuadorian Amazon

This study focuses on investigating the dimensions of sustainability and their influence on financial-economic sustainability (FES) in traditional agroforestry systems (TAFS) using the case of the Amazonian Chakra. The main objectives were to analyze the dimensions of sustainability and to establish the causal relationships between these dimensions and the FES. To carry out this research, 330 households in Napo Province that use the Amazonian Chakra system to grow cocoa were selected in order to analyze the relationship between the different dimensions of sustainability and FES in this unique context. The results of the study show that practices related to food security (FS) and business factors (BF) have a positive and significant impact on the FES of cocoa-producing households in the Amazonian Chakra system. These findings support the importance of ensuring the availability and quality of food and promoting responsible business practices in these environments. In contrast, the dimensions of environmental resilience (ER) and biodiversity conservation (BC) showed a negative impact on FES, highlighting an economic-financial imbalance in relation to conservation and environmental resilience actions in the Amazonian Chakra. This study contributes to the knowledge needed to promote agricultural practices that include an equal focus on FES, biodiversity conservation, and environmental resilience practices in a globally significant area, providing valuable information for the design of sustainable agricultural policies and practices in the Amazonian Chakra.

Glass Half Full or Half Empty? The Contribution of Cacao in Traditional Agroforestry Systems to the Income of Indigenous Peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Glass Half Full or Half Empty? The Contribution of Cacao in Traditional Agroforestry Systems to the Income of Indigenous Peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Prospects for the formation of forest-pasture systems: experience of the European Union for Ukraine

The article examines the conceptual foundations of agroforestry systems, particularly their priority and prospects for developing regenerative agriculture in Ukraine and the EU. The types of agroforestry improvement are highlighted and their role in combating soil erosion, increasing biodiversity and carbon sequestration is determined. The socio-economic value of introducing, maintaining, stabilizing and expanding the practice of forest-pastoral systems is not in doubt from the point of view of providing ecosystem services and assessing risks. The experience of European countries was studied, and the ecological, social and economic advantages of successfully implementing forest-pastoral practices were revealed. Using the example of the traditional agroforestry system of the farming and cattle-breeding region in Portugal, the experience of harmonious cultivation of oaks, cover vegetation, and grazing cows, sheep, goats, and pigs was studied. The possibility of introducing a similar model of the existence and interaction of trees, plants, and livestock under human control in Ukraine was substantiated. It is argued that rational management of such territories aims to balance resource use and preserve the natural environment and biodiversity is an integral process. The advantages and disadvantages of forest pastures are analyzed, and measures for their care and improvement of functioning are proposed. In particular, for the forest-pasture systems of the Ukrainian Carpathians, the integration of summer seasonal grazing of cattle, sheep, and goats on meadows is necessary to support the gradual revival of meadows. The need for soil protection, water regulation, and climate-creating reproduction of the Carpathian region has been proven, taking into account changes in the modern state's spatial structure, productivity, and features. The social value and economic efficiency of introducing forest-pasture systems as an integral nature-oriented solution, which is gaining popularity at the European and world level and is an apt example of the ecological direction of balanced development, is emphasized. Forest pastures in Ukraine are important both for the agricultural sector and for the preservation of natural resources and biological diversity. It is important to ensure proper management of these territories for the purpose of balanced use of resources and preservation of the natural environment.

Diversidad y potencial productivo de árboles maderables en sistemas agroforestales de cacao en Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

Timber production in agroforestry systems can improve environmental and economic sustainability, especially for families living in rural areas. Despite its importance in Guatemala, little is known about the potential of wood and its contribution to the sustainability of traditional agroforestry systems. This study aims to analyze the timber resources in cocoa agroforestry systems (CAFS) of different ages, evaluating variables such as floristic composition, species diversity, and the potential to obtain timber from the species present in the evaluated CAFS. Twenty temporary sampling plots of 2,500 m2 were established, and dendrometric variables were measured in all plots. Species occurrence was statistically analyzed by cross-tabulation and Pearson's Chi-square test (χ2) to determine species' frequency distribution among the evaluated CAFS ages. Eight hundred twenty-seven trees of 38 species belonging to 19 families were identified. The most represented species in the age range of the evaluated CAFS were Gliricidia sepium (35.07 %), Swietenia macrophylla (19.11 %), and Inga sapindoides (7.62 %). The total shade trees occupied a basal area of 33.29 m2, and a total volume of 352.35 m3 was recorded, of which 148.9 m3 were for commercial use. The most frequent uses of the wood were firewood (38.21 %), thin plank (30.23 %), and poles (22.85 %), while the use of thick plank was the least common (8.71 %). The CAFS in the studied area are characterized by a wide diversity of shade tree species. These results provide a solid basis for promoting sustainable practices that foster the productivity and preservation of these systems, thus contributing to the sustainability and well-being of farmers.

The Traditional Agroforestry System and Community Welfare: Evidence From in Dulamayo, Indonesia

The Traditional Agroforestry System and Community Welfare: Evidence From in Dulamayo, Indonesia

The role of agroforestry in farmers’ strategies and its contribution to the well-being of rural people in Timor-Leste

ABSTRACT Many countries have integrated agroforestry into their sustainable development policies, particularly in Southeast Asia. In Timor-Leste, the national strategy to promote agroforestry has adopted a modern, technique-oriented approach focused on crop rotation, intercropping and agro-silvo-pasture. In so doing, it has largely overlooked the pre-existence, diversity and performance of traditional agroforestry systems (AFS). The data collected in seven villages located in four districts of the eastern municipalities of Timor-Leste identified five common AFS: home garden, crop field and fallow, young agroforest, forest garden and silvopastoralism. The combined use of the customary AFS by rural households depends on the households’ ability to access the four types of capital (land, financial, labour and social) underpinning their development strategies. Four rural household archetypes were therefore distinguished. Six farming strategies used by these archetypes were identified: cattle specialisation, palm and tree product harvesting, crop intensification, diversification of off-farm and on-farm income, abandonment of farming, and survival. Each of these farming strategies combine certain customary AFS. The diversity and complexity of AFS require a better description of how they function and a better understanding of how they fit into the heterogeneous development strategies of rural households before actions are considered to improve their performance.

Assessment of the Effect of Garcinia kola (Clusiaceae) on the Carbon Sequestration Capacity and Productivity of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L) in Cocoa-Based Agroforestry Systems

Aims: Ivorian cocoa production reaching 2 million ton annually at the expense of the forest reserve, and an annual deforestation rate around 2.78%. The integration of agroforestry into cocoa plantations appears to be a suitable approach to combating deforestation of the remaining forest reserves and restoring the degraded cocoa landscape. The choice of species is the key to the success of this program. Our objective was to evaluate the interaction between Garcinia kola and cocoa in traditional agroforestry systems. Study Design: Around each Garcinia Kola tree identified in the orchard, two curves lines with radii of 10 and 20 m respectively were delimited in order to assess the interaction of Garcinia Kola on the cocoa tree according to their proximity to Garcinia Kola. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at Gueyo and Buyo in cocoa-based agroforestry systems in western Côte d'Ivoire. from June 2020 to November 2021. Methodology: The influence of Garcinia Kola on cocoa trees was assessed by measuring the biomass and carbon sequestration rate of Garcinia kola and cocoa trees. The productivity of cocoa trees and Garcinia kola was also determined. Results: Our results showed that Garcinia kola trees have an influence on the density and yield of cocoa trees. Cocoa trees close to Garcinia Kola trees within a 10 m radius showed low density and low pod production compared to those within a 20 m radius. Meanwhile, cocoa biomass and carbon sequestration levels were higher in the 10 m radius than the 20 m radius. This study has shown that associated cocoa and Garcinia kola stands make different contributions depending on their proximity. Conclusion: This complementarity in terms of carbon sequestration capacity and productivity between Garcinia Kola and cocoa is an asset that can be exploited for Cocoa agroforestry system to improve the sustainable production system and restore the cocoa landscape.

Carbon storage in old hedgerows: The importance of below‐ground biomass

AbstractAmbitious climate change mitigation goals require novel carbon (C) sinks in agricultural systems. Thus, the establishment of new hedgerows is increasingly attracting attention as a C sequestration measure. Despite hedgerows being a traditional agroforestry system, few studies have been conducted on hedgerow C stocks. Data on below‐ground biomass (BGB) in particular are limited. The aim of this study was therefore to quantify both above‐ground biomass (AGB) and BGB C stocks, as well as litter and soil organic C stocks, of established hedgerow systems by destructive sampling at three sites in northern Germany. The total biomass C (TBC) stock of the sampled hedgerows was 105 ± 11 Mg ha−1 on average. An additional 11 ± 2 Mg ha−1 were found in hedgerow litter and dead roots. Coarse roots (34% of TBC), stumps (22%) and harvestable biomass (20%) were the largest biomass C pools of the hedgerows. The BGB:AGB ratio was 0.7 ± 0.1, showing the importance of BGB in old hedgerow systems. Compared with other woody systems, these old hedgerows seem to have a different biomass distribution, with more biomass allocated below‐ground. About 15% of BGB C stock was stored in fine roots, whereas 85% was stored in coarse roots. The topsoil (0–30 cm) contained 85% of coarse root biomass C and 51% of fine root biomass C. Hedgerow C stock exceeded that of average German forests, and thus demonstrated their large potential for C sequestration when newly planted. This study provides detailed empirical data on C stocks in old hedgerow systems, and thus can be used to take hedgerow C sinks into account in C farming frameworks.