Agroforestry systems in the temperate zone

Abstract

The temperate countries/regions considered in this chapter include the USA and Canada, Europe, southern Australia and New Zealand, parts of China, and the southern regions of South America, with the primary focus on North America and Europe where agroforestry has made significant strides. Historically, natural forests and woodlands were used for grazing in England as early as the 1600s. Similar practices were also prevalent elsewhere in Europe, Japan, and the temperate parts of India. The silvopastoral system, known as Dehesa in northern Spain and Montado in Portugal, is as old as the Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. Overall, the agroforestry systems (AFS) are less diverse in the temperate zone than in the tropics in their structure (nature and arrangement of components) and functions (products and services). The Association for Temperate Agroforestry had recognized five AF practices in the United States: alley cropping, forest farming, silvopasture, riparian buffer, and windbreaks; urban food forestry was added as a practice in the 2010s. These practices and their variants and a few others of local relevance are also used to designate the AF practices in Europe into alley cropping or silvoarable (trees + crops), silvopasture, riparian buffer, homegardens or kitchen gradens, and forest farming. With the transformation of agriculture into market-oriented commercial farming in large, family, or corporate farms in the 20th century, the combinations of trees and arable crops became viewed opportunistically as a means to improve economic profitability. Since the turn of the century, however, interest in AFS has increased with the recognition of their ecosystem services, and support to agroforestry on farmlands is increasing. Policymakers in several countries of Europe have become appreciative of the environmental importance of silvopastoral and silvoarable systems that have been experimentally proven valuable.