5e World Agroforestry Congress “In transition to a viable world”, which takes place until July 20 at the Quebec City Convention Centre, will bring together more than 500 speakers from all over the world. Agroforestry is a science as much as a body of local knowledge that places trees at the heart of agricultural practices. More concretely, agroforestry includes riparian strips as well as windbreak hedges, food forests, home gardens or crops and livestock under forest cover. It is truly a vision of managed ecosystems, an ecological vision therefore, but above all a knowledge that takes on renewed importance in the face of the degradation of ecosystems. Because there is an urgent need to act.
Although the forms it can take are numerous, agroforestry is commonly defined as “an integrated system, which is based on the intentional association of trees or shrubs with crops or livestock, and whose interaction generates economic, environmental and social benefits”. Agroforestry thus offers a model that is radically different from those which currently predominate and which are centered on the simplification of ecosystems and monocultures.
Indeed, the association of different types of crops or livestock and trees or shrubs generates multiple ecological and economic advantages proven by science, such as carbon sequestration, a reduction in soil erosion, a reduction in the dispersion of pesticides in the environment or the creation of habitats for various species. Agroforestry appears in this context as an essential prospect for reversing the trend towards the degradation of ecosystems and the impoverishment of agricultural systems.
Among the many benefits associated with agroforestry, remember that planting trees can help reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and thus mitigate climate change. In this regard, many national and international organizations are implementing methods of offsetting carbon dioxide emissions that involve planting trees in agricultural areas. Integrating trees into agricultural systems improves resilience to climatic extremes, both droughts and heavy rains.
Farming communities can also benefit from the economic benefits associated with the presence of trees, both through the harvesting of fruits and nuts and through the processing of wood. Agroforestry can also contribute to countering the decline of biodiversity in general, whether that is found in water, on land or in soils. The decline in the diversity of living organisms is a glaring problem, about which international bodies are constantly sounding the alarm. Trees and shrubs in agricultural areas are refuges for many species of insects, birds, reptiles and mammals, which can also help control species that are harmful to crops.
Much remains to be done
The World Congress will be an opportunity to rule on the state of agroforestry practices in Canada and internationally, and to clarify their role in ecological transition. This includes considering how to use the full potential of agroforestry developments. Much remains to be done, but experts do not all agree on the best way to disseminate these practices, and their adoption remains slow in some circles.
Our best insurance policy against current and future climate disruptions will come from the diverse and resilient ecosystems that form the foundation of agroforestry. It is therefore an area in which it is important to invest in order to accelerate the ecological transition. We are convinced that the World Congress on Agroforestry will be able to advance knowledge on the issue.