What is Agroforestry?
Agroforestry is the deliberate integration of trees into farming systems. Rather than keeping forestry and agriculture separate, agroforestry combines them to produce mutual benefits — trees improve crop conditions while crops complement tree growth.
Main Systems
Agrisilviculture (Trees + Crops)
- Alley cropping: Crops grown between tree hedgerows.
- Shade systems: Crops under managed tree canopy (shade-grown coffee/cacao).
- Taungya: Crops grown among young plantation trees until canopy closes.
Silvopasture (Trees + Livestock)
- Scattered trees in pasture: Traditional Guanacaste landscape.
- Intensive silvopasture: Dense shrub rows with grazing between them.
Agrosilvopastoral (Trees + Crops + Livestock)
- Integrated systems with all components — common in smallholder farms.
Tree Components in Farming
- Living fences: Fence posts that grow and produce.
- Windbreaks: Tree rows protecting crops and animals.
- Riparian buffers: Trees along waterways in farm landscapes.
Costa Rica's Agroforestry Heritage
Costa Rica is a global leader in agroforestry:
- Traditional systems: Indigenous peoples have practiced agroforestry for millennia.
- Coffee + shade trees: Central Valley coffee farms are textbook agroforestry.
- Cacao + timber: Caribbean lowland system dating to pre-Columbian times.
- PES program: Pays farmers for agroforestry services (carbon, water, biodiversity).
- CATIE: World-renowned tropical agroforestry research center based in Turrialba.
Benefits
- Climate: Carbon sequestration, microclimate improvement.
- Biodiversity: Tree components provide habitat and biological corridors.
- Economics: Diversified income reduces financial risk.
- Soil: Improved fertility, structure, and erosion control.
- Water: Better infiltration, reduced runoff, cleaner waterways.