Tree plantings have become a go-to climate solution for governments and conservation groups due to the carbon-storing potential of trees. While planting new trees on open farmland would help capture additional carbon, a new study led by scientists from Yale School of the Environment suggests a powerful alternative: forest-based agroforestry.
Instead of clearing land for crops or starting fresh with new trees, forest-based agroforestry (or FAF) brings agriculture into existing forests. Think fruits, nuts, and medicinal plants, for example, grown sustainably under a forest canopy – all while maintaining biodiversity and storing carbon.
According to the researchers, human activity in forests is often seen as harmful. But for thousands of years, Indigenous and local communities have managed forests in ways that actually strengthen them.
The study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Climate Change, found that FAF not only rivals tree planting in terms of climate benefits, but it can also generate income and support cultural practices tied to the land.
Despite these benefits, forest-based agroforestry receives far less funding and policy support due to two key misconceptions. It’s frequently confused with industrial systems focused on global commodity crops, and results from tropical regions are wrongly assumed to apply to temperate and boreal forests.
The researchers recommend including FAF in agroforestry policies, clearly distinguishing it from harmful industrial practices, and expanding research on FAF in temperate and boreal regions to guide better land management.
Forest-based agroforestry appears to be a natural climate solution hiding in plain sight.
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Agriculture in Forests Can Provide Climate and Economic Dividends
Photo, posted May 8, 2023, courtesy of Preston Keres / USDA Forest Service via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
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