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Priority science can accelerate agroforestry as a natural climate solution

Author

Listed:
  • Drew E. Terasaki Hart

    (The Nature Conservancy)

  • Samantha Yeo

    (The Nature Conservancy)

  • Maya Almaraz

    (The Nature Conservancy
    Princeton University)

  • Damien Beillouin

    (CIRAD, UPR HortSys, Le Lamentin
    HortSys, Université Montpellier)

  • Rémi Cardinael

    (AIDA, Université Montpellier, CIRAD
    CIRAD, UPR AIDA
    University of Zimbabwe)

  • Edenise Garcia

    (The Nature Conservancy)

  • Sonja Kay

    (Agroscope)

  • Sarah Taylor Lovell

    (University of Missouri
    Lovell Farm & Ranch, LLC)

  • Todd S. Rosenstock

    (Alliance of Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Bioversity-CIAT))

  • Starry Sprenkle-Hyppolite

    (Conservation International)

  • Fred Stolle

    (World Resources Institute)

  • Marta Suber

    (World Agroforestry (ICRAF) as part of CIFOR-ICRAF)

  • Bhuwan Thapa

    (University of Missouri)

  • Stephen Wood

    (The Nature Conservancy
    Yale School of the Environment)

  • Susan C. Cook-Patton

    (The Nature Conservancy)

Abstract

The expansion of agroforestry could provide substantial climate change mitigation (up to 0.31 Pg C yr−1), comparable to other prominent natural climate solutions such as reforestation. Yet, climate-focused agroforestry efforts grapple with ambiguity about which agroforestry actions provide mitigation, uncertainty about the magnitude of that mitigation and inability to reliably track progress. In this Perspective, we define agroforestry as a natural climate solution, discuss current understanding of the controls on farm-scale mitigation potential and highlight recent innovation on emergent, high-resolution remote sensing methods to enable detection, measurement and monitoring. We also assess the status of agroforestry in the context of global climate ambitions, highlighting regions of underappreciated expansion opportunity and identifying priorities for policy and praxis.

Suggested Citation

  • Drew E. Terasaki Hart & Samantha Yeo & Maya Almaraz & Damien Beillouin & Rémi Cardinael & Edenise Garcia & Sonja Kay & Sarah Taylor Lovell & Todd S. Rosenstock & Starry Sprenkle-Hyppolite & Fred Stoll, 2023. "Priority science can accelerate agroforestry as a natural climate solution," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 13(11), pages 1179-1190, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:13:y:2023:i:11:d:10.1038_s41558-023-01810-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-023-01810-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Martin Brandt & Dimitri Gominski & Florian Reiner & Ankit Kariryaa & Venkanna Babu Guthula & Philippe Ciais & Xiaoye Tong & Wenmin Zhang & Dhanapal Govindarajulu & Daniel Ortiz-Gonzalo & Rasmus Fensho, 2024. "Severe decline in large farmland trees in India over the past decade," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 7(7), pages 860-868, July.
    2. Hoong Chen Teo & Aakash Lamba & Sean J. W. Ng & Anh Tuan Nguyen & Adrian Dwiputra & Annabel Jia Yi Lim & Minh Nhat Nguyen & Pantana Tor-ngern & Yiwen Zeng & Sonya Dewi & Lian Pin Koh, 2025. "Reduction of deforestation by agroforestry in high carbon stock forests of Southeast Asia," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 8(4), pages 358-362, April.
    3. Zanele Adams & Albert Thembinkosi Modi & Simon Kamande Kuria, 2025. "Multidimensional Perspective of Sustainable Agroecosystems and the Impact on Crop Production: A Review," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-26, March.

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