Agroforestry as a tool to combat climate change and hunger by Akinfolahan Oluwasegun Peter

(I write this article to commemorate World Environment Day 2021 (June 5, 2021)

Agroforestry is the management and integration of trees, crops and/or livestock on a single plot of land and can be an integral part of productive agriculture. Agroforestry emphasizes integration and interaction between a combination of elements rather than focusing on just one particular. The elements can be either trees and crops or trees and animals on the same piece of land. It is a flexible concept, covering both small and large sized holdings.

Some benefits of agro-forestry

There are many benefits of agroforestry for the environment. First and foremost agroforestry helps prevent soil erosion as well as aids in water retention. In addition, promoting soil fertility and helping to provide solutions for areas where rainfall irregularities occur due to climate change. Finally, high dense plantings of trees act as a carbon sink and regulate the temperature (microclimate).

Agroforestry also has immense useful benefits for the farmer as some crops that love shade do very well and thus bring more yield and more income after selling it. Also the farmers rest under the tree within the field thus enjoying the micro climate under the tree. Finally, the tree may produce fruit that the farmer can feed on or animals may browse on the leaves of the trees during the dry season when there is a lack of foliage.

Nitrogen stabilization

Some tree species have the ability to fix nitrogen in the soil and are referred to as nitrogen-fixing trees. In a place where the nitrogen in the soil is reduced and more nitrogen is needed as the plant requires, there is a need for certain species of wood that can fix the nitrogen in the same plot of land.

Maintaining soil fertility and soil erosion

Agroforestry helps in maintaining soil organic matter and biological activity at a level satisfactory for soil fertility. Trees have the ability to increase nutrient uptake by lower soil horizons and recovery from weathering rock. The decomposition of tree leaves and pruning residues also contributes to maintaining soil fertility and, in addition to these, high quality tree pruning leads to a major improvement in crop yield. In addition agroforestry controls soil erosion, consequently reducing the loss of water, soil content, organic matter and nutrients in the soil.

Akinfolahan Oluwasegun Peter is a final year student of Forestry and Wood Technology at Federal University of Technology Akure Ondo State Nigeria and he is a man full of passion to serve humanity. An enthusiastic tree planter and tree like tree who uses every opportunity to plant trees. An agro-forestry, forest management and climate change researcher who loves farmers and seeds as incentives for farmers to tackle climate change and hunger in Ondo State, Nigeria. He is a professor encouraging people to plant trees and volunteers for the International Forestry Students Association IFSA FUTA LC as Treasurer, President and former regional representative of IFSA North Africa ak******************@fu**.ng

ak********************@gm***.com