Classification of agroforestry systems

Abstract

The main purpose of a classification scheme is to provide a practical framework for the synthesis and analysis of the information about existing agroforestry systems (AFS) and the development of new and promising ones. During the early stages of AF development in the tropics, a substantial database was generated from a global inventory of tropical AFS. Using that database, a classification scheme was developed based on the system's structure (nature and arrangement of components) as the primary criterion, and three major categories of AFS were identified: agrisilvicultural, silvopastoral, and agrosilvopastoral systems. Other criteria such as the system's function (major role or output), ecological distribution (rainfall, elevation), and socioeconomic characteristics (subsistence, commercial) were then used to group the systems in a purpose-oriented manner: for example, a silvopastoral system in tropical savannas, an agrisilvicultural system for soil conservation, and so on. In situations where such a detailed classification is not relevant or needed as in the temperate regions, classification has been limited to the identification of the major practices. Thus, during the late 1990s to early 2000s, alley cropping, silvopasture, forest farming, riparian buffer, and windbreaks were recognized as the major agroforestry practices in North America. Almost identical terms with slight modifications were adopted to designate the AF practices in Europe too. These terms have subsequently been modified and expanded in both North America and Europe.