Agroforestry Systems in Europe: Productive, Ecological and Social Perspectives

Agroforestry is a land use type which embodies agricultural and forestry elements in systems which fall between the current European definitions of exclusively forestry and agriculture. If properly implemented, they can help overcome some of the production, environmental and social problems that EU governments currently face. Agroforestry practices are extensively applied in tropical countries and promoted by international institutions. However, the degree of implementation in Europe is low and almost exclusively confined to marginal areas where the advantages of this type of land management are needed for sustainability in the short term. The main productive advantages of agroforestry systems are linked to better use of resources in a spatial and temporal scale which, at the same time, can enhance environmental benefits through reduction in nutrient losses from agricultural land, increasing carbon sequestration, enhancing biodiversity, reducing soil losses and helping manage fire risk in specific areas. The advantages of agroforestry systems can confer important social benefits at a farm level, in the different biogeographic regions of Europe and at the same time benefit the general public. These aspects will be discussed in this chapter.