Agroforestry

Agroforestry is the intentional combination of agriculture and forestry to create productive and sustainable land use practices. These practices take advantage of the interactive benefits from growing trees and shrubs together with crops and/or livestock. Agroforestry has its roots in tropical food production systems. In regions with more temperate climates, agroforestry is separated into five distinct but related practices.

Common Practices:

Alley Cropping
Forest Farming
Riparian Forest Buffers
Silvopasture
Windbreaks

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Alley Cropping

- Agricultural crops grown simultaneously with long-term tree crops.

Alley cropping can vary from simple systems such as an annual grain rotation between timber tree species to complex, multilayered systems that can produce a diverse range of agricultural products.
Growing a variety of crops in close proximity to each other can create significant benefits to producers, such as improved crop production and microclimate benefits and help them manage risk.
Alley cropping systems change over time. As trees and shrubs grow, they influence the light, water, and nutrient regimes in the field. These interactions are what sets alley cropping apart from more common monocropping systems.

Click to learn more about Alley Cropping at NCAT (National Center for Appropriate Technology):

Forest Farming

- Cultivation of high-value crops under the protection of a managed forest canopy.

It is not just recreational harvesting or wild harvesting; management is an essential part of forest farming. This approach to crop production intentionally uses both vertical space and the interactions of the plants and microclimate.

Click to learn more about Forest Farming at NC State Extension

Riparian Forest Buffers

- An area adjacent to a stream, lake, or wetland that contains a combination of trees, shrubs, and/or other perennial plants and is managed differently from the surrounding landscape, primarily to provide conservation benefits.

Benefits including:

filtering nutrients, pesticides, animal waste from agricultural land runoff
stabilizing eroding banks; filtering sediment from runoff
providing shade, shelter, and food for fish and other aquatic organisms
providing wildlife habitat and corridors for terrestrial organisms
protecting cropland and downstream communities from flood damage
producing income from farmland that is frequently flooded or has poor yields
providing space for recreation
diversifying landowner income

Click to learn more about Riparian/Forest Buffers at the EPA's Stormwater Best Management Practice

Silvopastures

- Combines trees with forage and livestock production.

The deliberate integration of trees and grazing livestock operations on the same land. These systems are intensively managed for both forest products and forage, providing both short- and long-term income sources.

Click to learn more about Silvopastures at the USDA Forest Service

Windbreaks

- Linear plantings of trees and shrubs to enhance, protect, and benefit people, livestock, and soil and water conservation.

The primary purpose of most windbreaks is to slow the wind which creates a more beneficial condition for soils, crops, livestock, wildlife and people. Non-wind related purposes include shade for livestock, visual screening, aesthetics, recreational opportunities, and wood and non-timber forest products.