Classifications and Functions of Agroforestry Systems in Europe

Abstract

Agroforestry systems have often been neglected in Europe because administrative structures within many national governments have considered that only agriculture or forestry are legitimate within their remit. This has resulted in the loss of agroforestry systems in European countries and an impoverishment of the benefits that they provide. This paper argues that agroforestry systems are a complex interaction of agricultural and forestry elements which can be classified according to their components, spatial and temporal arrangement, agro-ecological zone, and socio-economic aspects. A further breakdown can be made on the basis of ecosystem functions, and their associated goods and services. The ecosystem functions of agroforestry systems can be grouped under production (the creation of biomass), habitat (the delivery of biodiversity), regulation (maintenance of essential processes and life support systems) and culture (cultural heritage, landscape enhancement and recreation). The importance of the multi-functionality of agroforestry systems in terms of their management input and the range of their outputs is stressed and it is proposed that land use decisions should be made within the broader ecosystems perspective so that greater social well-being can be derived from rural areas in Europe.A. Rigueiro-Rodríguez et al. (eds.), Agroforestry in Europe: 21 Current Status and Future Prospects.

Ecological benefits provided by alley cropping systems for production of woody biomass in the temperate region: a review

“…The European agricultural policy has traditionally been based on production of market goods (McAdam et al 2009). Since the CAP reform in 2003, a more integrated approach to land management is adopted in the European Union.…”

“…Ecosystem goods and services are the economic and ecological benefits that are derived from ecosystem functions (Costanza et al 1997). Economic benefits include the production of market goods, i.e., trees and crops (McAdam et al 2009). Ecological benefits commonly associated with agroforestry are carbon sequestration, soil improvement, water quality enhancement, and biodiversity conservation (Jose 2009;Nair 2011).…”

Geobotanical survey of wood-pasture habitats in Europe: diversity, threats and conservation

“…Their and our definition comprises pasture with scattered trees and shrubs, or groups of trees and shrubs, as well as grazed closed-canopy woodland. McAdam et al (2009) provided a survey of multi-function agroforestry systems and its services in Europe. Wood-pasture habitats differ between regions in species composition, structure and ecology depending, as for other woodlands and grasslands, on climate, soil, topography, geology and the regional species-pool.…”

Agricultural landscapes as multi-scale public good and the role of the Common Agricultural Policy

“…agroforestry. In addition to the wide range of environmental, agronomic and economic benefits associated with agroforestry, it also has the potential to create high value landscapes (Palma et al 2007;McAdam et al 2009). Despite this evidence, some of the initial policies developed under the CAP (before the 1992 reform) included measures against its development, such as direct support for the removal of trees from fields (Herzog 1998), or exclusion of agroforestry parcels from CAP direct payments (Lawson et al 2002;Liagre and Dupraz 2008 Food quality schemes and the promotion of cultural landscapes…”