AGROFORESTRY AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION: MULTIFUNCTIONAL LANDSCAPES FOR CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE

Abstract

Agro forestry has grown to be a multifunctional land-use practice that shows significant potential of carbon sequestration and climate resilient farming.  This study employed a combination of mixed-methodological experimental designs, whereby field measurements, remote sensing, statistical modelling and qualitative assessment were used to investigate how the agro forestry systems would help in carbon sequestration and landscape sustainability.  Randomized field trials were used to collect quantitative data on soil organic carbon, aboveground biomass and species richness in a number of agroecological zones. At the same time, semi-structured interviews and participatory rural evaluations were used to record farmer perceptions.  The results revealed that agroforestry significantly enhanced carbon sequestration compared to monoculture systems and all measures of tree density and canopy cover were positively related to carbon storage.  Regression and PCA analyses were used to identify key biological driving factors, and GIS-based spatial modelling was used to suggest that huge mitigation was possible with widespread adoption of agroforestry.  Qualitative data showed that farmers valued agroforestry not only due to its environmental benefits but also due to its ability to diversify economic activities, to increase the resilience to weather unpredictability, and to improve food security.  Ecological measurements coupled with socio-economic knowledge provided us with an overview of agroforestry as a land use method with numerous applications.  This analysis concludes that agroforestry is a sustainable and climate-resistant approach to land management, which has the added advantage of capturing carbon, preserving biodiversity and enabling rural regions to develop.  These findings are a strong indication that agroforestry development should be a policy objective towards climate change mitigation and sustainable agriculture.