What is Agroforestry:

A system of land management that combines the cultivation of traditional annual crops and animals with woody perennials (trees) in a mixed growing system. Mimicking a forest, agroforestry systems efficiently uses vertical space to grow more plants in a smaller area. 

Agroforestry works by mimicking natural systems, minimizing plant competition by pairing species with complementary ecological niches and paying close attention to ecological succession. 

Agroforestry can take many forms, from the integration of timber and fruit trees at the edge of traditional row crops to dense, multi-species planting as part of a “food forest.” In all systems, the inclusion of trees provide benefits to local ecosystems and farmers:

  • Trees can provide shade to parched soils, shade-loving vegetables, and animals, and by shading the soil, trees can lock precipitation into local ecosystems ensuring stronger drought resilience. This reduces the need for irrigation, combats desertification in arid areas, and promotes crop productivity. Simultaneously, trees roots help prevent heavy rains from washing away topsoils.

    Growth and aggressive pruning of agroforestry systems also builds soil, sequestering carbon and storing it in forms available to plant life.

  • At Tari, we implement agroforestry systems that include dozens of plant species. This helps support regional biodiversity and nutrition by providing homes for more species and more sources of nutritious food for local communities.

  • Combined with annual crops, fruit trees can provide a range products for mid-range return on investment, while slow growing but high value timber trees can bring substantial returns over the long term. Agroforestry systems also provide opportunities to more effectively integrate crop-production with the harvesting of timber, beekeeping, and animal grazing.