Stability, resilience, and productivity of horticultural agroforestry systems. A meta-analysis

Diversification of perennial systems with agroforestry can provide a range of agronomic, economic, and environmental benefits along with dietary advantages when combining crops that yield both high-energy and nutritious foods. However, the degree to which agroforestry impacts system resilience and yield stability to climate shocks remains uncertain. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of the published peer reviewed literature focused on agroforestry systems which included a perennial horticultural main crop and an intercrop. We tested the hypothesis that horticultural agroforestry systems can provide (1) higher yield, protein, carbohydrate, and lipid output per unit of land cultivated, (2) greater yield stability, and (3) resilience to abnormal climatic events than monocropping. We show that horticultural agroforestry systems are more productive in terms of yield and carbohydrate output and can confer greater yield stability than when individual crops are grown alone. Land equivalent ratio and net effect ratios increased with agroforestry by 60 and 80%, respectively, despite reduction in main crop yield (approximately 11%). Precipitation emerged as the main factor influencing variability in outcomes, with yield stabilizing effects of agroforestry over time mainly occurring under drought conditions. These findings contribute insight to the ongoing discourse of agroforestry as climate smart practices with implications for both fundamental and applied agricultural research aimed at enhancing resilience and productivity in the face of climate change. This meta-analysis also highlights critical knowledge gaps and the need for further research to fully characterize the climate resilience of these systems.