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services. Sustainable forest management is the leading
ecosystem approach today, taking into account economic and
social factors while sustaining forest ecosystems (FAO 2012a). It
is a move away from species-focused management approaches,
such as managing forests solely for timber production, towards
sustainable management of a wide range of forests’ ecosystem
services (MA 2005).
Agroforestry, the practice of combining agricultural production
with trees in or outside of forest ecosystems, has gained
momentum as a sustainable practice beneficial for food
and nutrition security. By planting trees amongst crops on
cultivated land, agroforestry provides many of the same forest
ecosystem services that are beneficial for food production
(Dawson
et al.
2013). Though agroforestry is an interdisciplinary
practice, residing between forestry and agriculture, it can be
viewed as a complement to sustainable forest management
(Schoeneberger and Ruark 2003) that enhances food production,
increases farmers’ incomes and improves the overall health of
surrounding ecosystems (Jose 2009; FAO 2013d).
The combination of agriculture and trees provides more
environmental benefits than other agricultural models. When
managed well, agroforestry can avert ‘disservices’ from
agriculture, such as greenhouse gas emissions, loss of wildlife
habitat, nutrient run-off and soil erosion by providing ecosystem
services similar to forests (Power 2010). Though the benefits
from agroforestry differ between management practices and
climatic regions they include water regulation, regulation of
soil fertility and nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, soil
erosion control and increased pollination, pest control and
biodiversity conservation (MA 2005; Jose 2009; FAO 2013d). In
India, agroforestry systems have been used to rehabilitate salt-
affected land by planting salt-tolerant trees (Nair 2007). Pimentel
and Kidd (1992 in Pimentel
et al.
1997) found that planting
leguminous trees between maize crops in Central America
reduced soil erosion from 30 tonnes/ha/yr to 1 tonne/ha/yr
on slopes of 2–5 per cent. In the Shandong province in China,
farmers who introduced agroforestry in 1977 saw a 10 per cent
increase in agricultural productivity by 1990 (Yin and Hyde 2000).
In spite of its long traditions and documented benefits, investment
inagroforestryhasbeen relatively low. There isaneed for decision-
makers aswell as agricultural organizations to realize the potential
of agroforestry and its role in food production, environmental
protection and poverty reduction (FAO 2013d).