Possibilities of agroforestry systems in organic farming

Abstract

Agriculture is the only provider of human food. However, currently demand seems to exceed the limitations of conventional farming practices, as the latter often rely on scarce resources. The focus of agricultural research appears to be shifting towards another approach, namely sustainable farming, which is hoped to pose a solution for the aforementioned issue. Considerable yield and farm resilience are expected from such a practice to withstand and mitigate negative effects of climate change and provide for human well-being. This paper aims to investigate such possibilities focusing on the Carpathian basin’s climate. First, current trends are analyzed, then ecological farming and its challenges are explained in further detail. Finally, agroforestry is introduced as an approach and framework to react to these challenges. As a result, connection points are highlighted which indicate that combining ecological farming with agroforestry could indeed be the basis of a safe and sustainable agriculture.

Keywords

• agroecology
• biodiversity
• ecosystem services
• intercropping
• sustainability