A Sustainable Integrated Agroforestry System

For over 25 years, we have developed and refined an integrated agroforestry system, demonstrating its potential to restore degraded lands, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. While industrialized agriculture has met global food demands through increased yields and efficiency, it has also driven deforestation, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas emissions. These environmental impacts are critical challenges. In response, various alternative agricultural practices have emerged. Despite their potential benefits, they have not significantly shifted the trajectory of conventional, input-intensive agriculture, underpinned by simplification and specialization. As extreme climate events become more frequent globally, the growing public awareness of global warming presents a unique opportunity for transformative change. Agroforestry integrates trees and shrubs with crops, offering an approach for sustainable agriculture. It emphasizes complexity, diversity, and natural processes, enhancing both food production and ecosystem services. We advocate for agroforestry as vital to achieving the 2030 biodiversity targets discussed at the CBD COP-15.