There’s a longstanding attitude in many farming communities that trees and agriculture don’t mix. But agroforestry—the intentional integration of trees and shrubs in agricultural systems, such as planting trees as windbreaks, integrating trees on pastures, or growing tree crops intercropped with annual crops—can provide a multitude of benefits to both farmers and landscapes. So far, in the U.S. Midwest, these benefits have gone unrealized, with vanishingly small adoption rates. There’s a longstanding attitude in many farming communities that trees and agriculture don’t mix. But agroforestry—the intentional integration of trees and shrubs in agricultural systems, such as planting trees as windbreaks, integrating trees on pastures, or growing tree crops intercropped with annual crops—can provide a multitude of benefits to both farmers and landscapes. So far, in the U.S. Midwest, these benefits have gone unrealized, with vanishingly small adoption rates. Ecology Agriculture Phys.org – latest science and technology news stories
New agroforestry maps plot environmental, social and economic benefits of trees
