Agroforestry to mitigate the climate change

Abstract

Anthropogenic activities, including deforestation and unsustainable land use practices, release GHGs (greenhouse gases) into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major GHG contributing to global warming and climate change. Land use conversion and intensive agricultural practices enhance carbon (C) footprints that induce climate change issues. Agroforestry system (AFs) is climate resilient land use practices that enhance biodiversity and intensify several ecosystems services. AFs ensure soil–food–climate security and environmental management in the tropical world. AFs capture CO2 through the C sequestration process, which is stored in both vegetation (as biomass) and soils (as soil organic C pools). As per the World Agroforestry report 12–228MgCha−1 in tropical AFs was achieved through a better C sequestration process. Further, practicing sustainable AFs in 585–1215×106ha of the earth's surface can store 1.1–2.2PgC in terrestrial ecosystems in the next 50 years. These figures represent the tremendous potential of AFs in C footprint reduction and climate change mitigation. An effective policy and future roadmap must be created to promote scientific AFs in various agroecological regions. Generating awareness among farmers for agroforestry adoption would be helpful in agroforestry areas expansion which delivers uncountable ecosystem services including climate and income security. Thus, climate-resilient AFs promise environmental management through better C sequestration and biomass production, which maintain the ecosystem health and ecological stability. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.