Results and discussion 69 __________________________________________________________________________________
interests, watersheds, clean air concerns, biodiversity, and more. The benefits arrive further more far than the farm itself, arriving to improve the entire surrounding areas. The key is to maximize the number of beneficial connections formed between trees and other elements on the farm. Agroforestry is about mimicking and recreating the natural web of life, creating an integrated farm system (agro-ecosystem) with a multitude of beneficial connections between trees and other parts of the farm. For example, alley cropping is an agroforestry technique that could integrates nitrogen fixing trees to provide fertilizer and mulch for crops. With careful design, this technique can also provide erosion control, windbreak, and animal fodder. Some agroforestry systems are very simple, forming just a few connections. Other agroforestry systems are more complex, and their form and function can ultimately resemble a multi-storied forest. Trees are valuable elements in agricultural systems because by their nature, they lend themselves to making connections to other plants, animals, people, soil, etc. One reason why trees have been such a huge success in natural ecosystems is their ability to benefit all forms of life, and contribute to natural ecological stability and fertility. Some of the benefits of agroforestry to the community :
Greater long-term economic stability through diversified products
Reduced need for purchasing off-farm inputs
Broader opportunities for rural enterprises
Reduced risk to the farmer
Increased overall yields
Year-round production
Local creation of resources like firewood, animal fodder, construction materials, etc.
Some ecological benefits:
More efficient use of land to provide for human needs, allowing more land to be left to nature
Decreased use of manufactured fertilizers, insecticides, fuels, etc.
Protection of the land from wind and erosion
Trees provide habitat for wildlife (which in turn can balance insect pests on the farm)
Support for a diversity of soil microlife
Planting more trees stores more carbon from the air, helping to reduce carbon dioxide pollution and global warming
By implementing agroforestry systems, we approach human understanding about how the many forms of life can interact to benefit everyone. The integration of trees in cropping systems is desirable because can improve soil organic matter, nutrient cycling and the efficient use of water, reduce erosion and store carbon due to improved plant growth. Also considering the potential of agroforestry as a empowering tool for carbon sequestration (both improving soil sequestration capacity and adding a strong plant sequestration) can reveal the further utility of this measure, early assessments of national and
__________________________________________________________________________________ MSc. thesis; Ecopolis international master, Ferrara Roberto Tinella (2010)