Call for Action for a Healthier Planet

Introducing Agroforestry

Abstract

Agroforestry is a key element amongst the tools fighting today’s challenges, such as environmental issues, climate change, food safety and food security. It is a common agricultural practice in many countries of the developing world, whereas it has nearly faded away in most of the world’s developed countries. In the past 40 years of agroforestry research it has been clarified that the role of trees in the landscape as well as in the farm scale is essential to maintain a healthy environment and it can be an economically viable practice in the long term, given careful planning. These complex agricultural systems address several Sustainable Development Goals, offer countless ecosystem services and are expected to get more attention and role in the future of world’s agriculture. In the European Union, the Common Agricultural Policy firstly had played a negative effect on trees in the land, as it had encouraged farmers to eliminate them in order to qualify for subsidies, until in the last call it was encouraging farmers by subsidizing the establishment of agroforestry systems. Today’s task is to reserve agroforestry systems which have remained (e.g., wood pastures, shelterbelts); conduct research to answer ecological, economical and management questions; establish demonstartion sites and disseminate knowledge on agroforestry systems. The Monpellier Declaration calls all stakeholders for action.