**1. Introduction**

Agro-forestry, encompasses growing trees and/or shrubs on farms, mainly to support agricultural production and supplement farm income on smallholder farms, where agricultural production is the major livelihood support and yet most vulnerable to climate change [1–5]. The smallholder farms occupy world's farmland ranging from 62% in Africa to 85% in Asia [6] and, therefore, invulnerability support to these farms makes sense and promotion of agroforestry holds promise. In fact, diversification to agroforestry from monocropping has occupied prominence as monocropping annihilates nutrients from the earth and leaves soil week and incapable to support healthy plant growth. This enhances dependency on chemical fertilizers to support plant and crop growth. These problems are to a great extent addressed, apart from others, by shifting from mono cropping system to tree based system [7]. Crop diversification to agroforestry is, in fact, necessitated by socio-economic and environmental problems arising from mono-cropping.

The decision is largely governed by dynamic and sustainability factors such as soil health, soil degradation, environmental benefits and nutrient loss prevention [8–12]. Conservation of natural resources such as water and soil on smallholder farms is, among others, also a significant reason for introducing agroforestry considering the water footprint of crops [10]. This is crucial in a climate change scenario as the smallholder farms mostly bear the brunt of this phenomena. In fact, agroforestry has been recognized as an efficient tool to address the issues of climate change by IPCC [13]. The importance of smallholder agroforestry should, in fact, be reinforced with increased attention and resources to climate change adaptation and mitigation, possibly linked to climatic variables such as rainfall and CO2 levels, to protect forests while simultaneously expanding tree growing on farms [14–16]. Agroforestry land use, in fact, enhances the provision of ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration [17], watershed protection and biodiversity. These positive externalities could be spatial, for example watershed protection for downstream users, or temporal, such as soil health and land rehabilitation.

Despite importance of agroforestry and the support it has received world over, much remains to be done to promote it in developing countries, for example, for enhanced fuelwood in countries like Ethiopia and Bangladesh. Large areas need to be planted with trees alongside crop for improved catchment protection in the agricultural landscape of India. There is, in fact, a need for shifting to a potential agroforestry cropping system from mono cropping system. The change suggested should also essentially address the income, employment and viability concerns of local stakeholders, particularly smallholder farms, for larger adoption. These farms have limited capacity to adapt to climate change due to various constraints such as low education levels, low income, limited land areas, and poor access to technical assistance, market and credits, and often chronic dependence on external support [18, 19]. The decision to shift is largely governed by dynamic and interactive factors such as agronomic and environmental characteristics, economic and policy considerations, skills and personal attributes of farm managers, and social concerns [20, 21].

## **2. Farm-forestry and climate**

Agriculture is vulnerable to the vagaries of climate change, and smallholder farmers are most susceptible to its impact. It is projected that cereal yields may change by −5 to +2.5 per cent across different regions (**Table 1**).

Agricultural practices helpful in mitigation of climate change, such as agroforestry production system is one such hope, particularly in tropical climate. Climate variability is well buffered by agroforestry because of permanent tree cover and varied ecological niches, that is, the presence of different crops, *e.g.* shade-tolerant and light-demanding. The diversified temporal and spatial management options make agroforestry resilient. Permanent tree cover protects and improves the soil, while increasing soil carbon stocks (**Table 2**). Diversification of commodities allows for adjustment to market needs. The non-harvested components of agroforestry production play an important role to protect soil and local environment. In fact, carbon sequestration by trees contributes to climate change mitigation. The efficient integration of natural resource capture and use in agroforestry contributes to high greenhouse gas mitigation [9]. Overall, the sustainability attributes of agroforestry make a strong case for climate change adaptation. Because of their root and woody biomass, in the agro-ecosystems, along with the food, fiber, energy and vegetative soil cover, the agroforestry production systems are sustainable in the changing climate conditions.

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agricultural production.

production system.

*Farm-Forestry, Smallholder Farms and Policy Support – The Way Ahead*

**Region Percentage change**

Sahel and southern Africa −2.5 to 0 −5 to +5 Central and East Africa 0 to +2.5 −5 to +2.5

Tropics and subtropics −2.5 to 0 −5 to −2.5 Temperate 0 to +2.5 0 to +2.5 Near East/North Africa −2.5 to +2.5 −5 to +2.5 South Asia −2.5 to 0 0 to −5 East Asia −2.5 to +2.5 −2.5 to +2.5 Canada and the United States −5 to +2.5 −10 to 0

**Agroforestry system Carbon storage potential** Agri-horticulture 12.28 tC/ha Agri-silviculture 13.37 tC/ha Silvipasture 31.71 tC/ha Silvopastoralism 6.55 Mg/ha/yr

**2020 2050**

The climate change priorities of agroforestry models encompass trees to ameliorate the impact of climatic variability and extreme weather events on agricultural productivity and the farm resource base. It contemplates diversification of farming enterprises by producing products and services that are independent of traditional agricultural markets, produce fewer emissions and are less susceptible to climatic variability and carbon dioxide sequestration in living biomass, soils and woody products as a means of offsetting agricultural emissions and providing marketing and partnership opportunities. In addition, there are ecosystem services viz., producing carbon-neutral green energy (bio-fuels) and carbon-storing/low energy building material (wood), expanding and linking natural habitats to support biodiversity adaptation and reducing the impacts of extreme weather events on

This approach, however, largely emphasizes the local climate mitigation/ adaptation, as the value of planting trees for climate change has been driven by notions of carbon sequestration and trading. This overlooks the immediate value of trees on farms and the role they might play in helping farmers remain viable. Further, the climate change, particularly the temperature increase suggests that selection of tree species in agroforestry may be crucial in the mitigation of climate change. What worked in the past, including the local indigenous species, may not be right for the future. Therefore, identification of suitable species for region specific applicability is paramount to wider dissemination of agroforestry

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96942*

Sub-Saharan Africa

*Source: Parry* et al*, 1999 [22].*

*Source: Toppo and Raj, 2018 [23].*

*Potential change in cereal production across regions.*

*Carbon storage potential of some agroforestry systems.*

**Table 1.**

**Table 2.**

Latin America and the Caribbean

#### *Farm-Forestry, Smallholder Farms and Policy Support – The Way Ahead DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96942*


#### **Table 1.**

*Agroforestry - Small Landholder's Tool for Climate Change Resiliency and Mitigation*

users, or temporal, such as soil health and land rehabilitation.

The decision is largely governed by dynamic and sustainability factors such as soil health, soil degradation, environmental benefits and nutrient loss prevention [8–12]. Conservation of natural resources such as water and soil on smallholder farms is, among others, also a significant reason for introducing agroforestry considering the water footprint of crops [10]. This is crucial in a climate change scenario as the smallholder farms mostly bear the brunt of this phenomena. In fact, agroforestry has been recognized as an efficient tool to address the issues of climate change by IPCC [13]. The importance of smallholder agroforestry should, in fact, be reinforced with increased attention and resources to climate change adaptation and mitigation, possibly linked to climatic variables such as rainfall and CO2 levels, to protect forests while simultaneously expanding tree growing on farms [14–16]. Agroforestry land use, in fact, enhances the provision of ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration [17], watershed protection and biodiversity. These positive externalities could be spatial, for example watershed protection for downstream

Despite importance of agroforestry and the support it has received world over, much remains to be done to promote it in developing countries, for example, for enhanced fuelwood in countries like Ethiopia and Bangladesh. Large areas need to be planted with trees alongside crop for improved catchment protection in the agricultural landscape of India. There is, in fact, a need for shifting to a potential agroforestry cropping system from mono cropping system. The change suggested should also essentially address the income, employment and viability concerns of local stakeholders, particularly smallholder farms, for larger adoption. These farms have limited capacity to adapt to climate change due to various constraints such as low education levels, low income, limited land areas, and poor access to technical assistance, market and credits, and often chronic dependence on external support [18, 19]. The decision to shift is largely governed by dynamic and interactive factors such as agronomic and environmental characteristics, economic and policy considerations, skills and personal attributes of farm managers, and social

Agriculture is vulnerable to the vagaries of climate change, and smallholder farmers are most susceptible to its impact. It is projected that cereal yields may

Agricultural practices helpful in mitigation of climate change, such as agroforestry production system is one such hope, particularly in tropical climate. Climate variability is well buffered by agroforestry because of permanent tree cover and varied ecological niches, that is, the presence of different crops, *e.g.* shade-tolerant and light-demanding. The diversified temporal and spatial management options make agroforestry resilient. Permanent tree cover protects and improves the soil, while increasing soil carbon stocks (**Table 2**). Diversification of commodities allows for adjustment to market needs. The non-harvested components of agroforestry production play an important role to protect soil and local environment. In fact, carbon sequestration by trees contributes to climate change mitigation. The efficient integration of natural resource capture and use in agroforestry contributes to high greenhouse gas mitigation [9]. Overall, the sustainability attributes of agroforestry make a strong case for climate change adaptation. Because of their root and woody biomass, in the agro-ecosystems, along with the food, fiber, energy and vegetative soil cover, the agroforestry production systems are sustainable in the

change by −5 to +2.5 per cent across different regions (**Table 1**).

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concerns [20, 21].

**2. Farm-forestry and climate**

changing climate conditions.

*Potential change in cereal production across regions.*


#### **Table 2.**

*Carbon storage potential of some agroforestry systems.*

The climate change priorities of agroforestry models encompass trees to ameliorate the impact of climatic variability and extreme weather events on agricultural productivity and the farm resource base. It contemplates diversification of farming enterprises by producing products and services that are independent of traditional agricultural markets, produce fewer emissions and are less susceptible to climatic variability and carbon dioxide sequestration in living biomass, soils and woody products as a means of offsetting agricultural emissions and providing marketing and partnership opportunities. In addition, there are ecosystem services viz., producing carbon-neutral green energy (bio-fuels) and carbon-storing/low energy building material (wood), expanding and linking natural habitats to support biodiversity adaptation and reducing the impacts of extreme weather events on agricultural production.

This approach, however, largely emphasizes the local climate mitigation/ adaptation, as the value of planting trees for climate change has been driven by notions of carbon sequestration and trading. This overlooks the immediate value of trees on farms and the role they might play in helping farmers remain viable. Further, the climate change, particularly the temperature increase suggests that selection of tree species in agroforestry may be crucial in the mitigation of climate change. What worked in the past, including the local indigenous species, may not be right for the future. Therefore, identification of suitable species for region specific applicability is paramount to wider dissemination of agroforestry production system.
