Agroforestry Research Developments

Today, agroforestry ranks high among the significant land-management initiatives that have undertaken the world over the past few decades. Indeed, it is now recognized as an important approach to ensuring food security and rebuilding resilient rural environments. Recent studies have shown that more than one billion hectares of agricultural land have more than 10% tree cover. Of this, 160 million hectares have more than 50% tree cover. Agricultural ecosystems can be further improved through agroforestry to ensure environmental restoration, greater farm productivity, and realization of ecological services, including climate change mitigation and adaptation for improved rural livelihood. Now, agroforestry is considered synonymous to climate smart agriculture and a remedy for many modern environmental challenges, and acts as a mitigating process for climate change. Consequently, the knowledge base of agroforestry is being expanded at a rapid rate as illustrated by the increasing number and quality of scientific publications of various forms on different aspects of agroforestry. Making full and efficient use of this upsurge in scientific agroforestry is both a challenge and an opportunity to the scientific community, particularly in the scenario of climate change. In order to help prepare themselves better for facing the challenges and seizing the opportunity, agroforestry scientists need access to synthesized information on multi-dimensional aspects of scientific agroforestry. It is believed that widespread scaling-up of agroforestry innovations during the next decade will greatly facilitate the success of global commitments and conventions such as the UN Millennium Development Goals, Convention on Biological Diversity, Framework on Climate Change, and the Convention to Combat Desertification. This book will be useful for engaging more stakeholders, including students, foresters, farmers, local communities, indigenous people, civil society institutions, the media, private sectors, scientists (working in the fields of Agroforestry, Forestry, Life Sciences, Animal Husbandry & Dairy, Social Science, Food Science and Environmental Sciences), policymakers, leaders, and the public.