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Agroforestry Practices for Soil Conservation and Resilient Agriculture

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Agroforestry and Ecosystem Services

Abstract

Agroforestry systems play an important role in sustainable agroecosystems owing to enhanced atmospheric carbon assimilation (by soils and plants), nutrient cycling, enhanced soil biodiversity, and reduced soil disturbance (and subsequent soil erosion), all relative to monocropping systems. The magnitude of these ecosystem and provision services, however, relies on the type of agroforestry system employed (e.g., shelterbelts, silvopastures), as well as edaphic and climatic factors. Nonetheless, agroforestry’s potential to improve soil quality and soil conservation has been widely recognized as a major benefit of these managed agroecosystems, both in the tropics and temperate regions of the world. With increasing concern regarding climate change, microclimate modification with agroforestry systems such as shading to protect coffee and cacao crops in the tropics improves production resilience while maintaining ground cover, improving infiltration, and reducing erosion. The multifunctionality supported by agroforestry systems consistently underpins soil erosion prevention and overall soil health. Whether seeking to restore productivity to degraded lands, improve productivity of marginal lands, or increase the resiliency and plasticity of established agroecosystems, agroforestry practices provide direct and ancillary benefits to protect and enhance soil quality. Land managers have the opportunity to optimize and integrate tree, crop, and livestock production with regard to soil and climate variation to achieve their production goals while sustaining soil resources and supplying multiple ecosystem services. This chapter aims to provide an overview of soil conservation benefits during the production of food, fuel, and fiber in agroforestry systems.

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Abbreviations

137Cs:

Radioactive isotope of cesium traced in soil erosion studies

C:

Carbon

C3:

Plants with C3 photosynthetic pathway, cool-season grasses

C4:

Plants with C4 photosynthetic pathway, warm-season grasses

Ca:

Calcium

CO2:

Carbon dioxide

DM:

Dry matter

K:

Potassium

MBC:

Microbial carbon

MBN:

Microbial nitrogen

Mg:

Magnesium

N:

Nitrogen

P:

Phosphorous

PSFP:

Prairie States Forestry Project

S:

Sulfur

SIC:

Soil inorganic carbon

SOC:

Soil organic carbon

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Acknowledgement

Portions of the sections “Shelterbelts in Temperate Eurasia” and “Shelterbelts in Semiarid and Arid Eurasia” were completed under support of the Russian Science Foundation, grant no. 19-17-00056.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA

    Thomas J. Sauer & Christian Dold

  2. Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Fayetteville, AR, USA

    Amanda J. Ashworth

  3. Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, USDA-ARS, Booneville, AR, USA

    Christine C. Nieman

  4. Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Guillermo Hernandez-Ramirez

  5. Animal Science Department, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA

    Dirk Philipp

  6. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    Alexander N. Gennadiev

  7. Belgorod State University, Belgorod, Russia

    Yury G. Chendev

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Correspondence to Thomas J. Sauer .

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  1. Department of Soil, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Ranjith P. Udawatta

  2. College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Shibu Jose

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Sauer, T.J. et al. (2021). Agroforestry Practices for Soil Conservation and Resilient Agriculture. In: Udawatta, R.P., Jose, S. (eds) Agroforestry and Ecosystem Services. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80060-4_2

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