Nurturing Soil Life through Agroforestry – The Roles of Trees in the Ecological Intensification of Agriculture

Barrios, E., Coe, R., Place, F., Sileshi, G., Sinclair, F.;

Nurturing Soil Life through Agroforestry – The Roles of Trees in the Ecological Intensification of Agriculture

Year of publication 2023

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 14 p.

Author Barrios, E., Coe, R., Place, F., Sileshi, G., Sinclair, F.;

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Article

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) Soil resources constitute the very foundation of agriculture, so sustainable agriculture is inherently dependent on soil health. Soil health reflects the capacity of soil to respond beneficially to agricultural management, maintaining both agricultural production and the provision of varying ecosystem services, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity conservation in the long term. Soil health depends on the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the soil that are required for plant growth and development. Ecological intensification differs from current strategies for agricultural intensification by embracing agroecological transitions to more sustainable agriculture and food systems. This chapter discusses the pivotal role that trees play in building and maintaining the soil health and functional resilience that are required for the ecological intensification of agriculture. It summarizes the current knowledge about functions and impacts of trees on soil health, and highlights the tree/soil biodiversity interactions that drive these functions.

Open access article. This article is academically peer reviewed and published externally. This article is published in Biological Approaches to Regenerative Soil Systems 2nd Edition, 2023

Cite this content as:

Barrios, Edmundo & Coe, Ric & Place, Frank & Sileshi, Gudeta & Sinclair, Fergus. (2023). Nurturing Soil Life through Agroforestry. 10.1201/9781003093718-27.

Language English