Agroforestry

This seemingly new word actually refers to an ancestral practice that has returned to our lands.

This seemingly new word actually refers to an ancestral practice that has returned to our lands. It simply covers any technique that combines trees with crops or livestock... It concerns any practice that combines trees, crops, and/or animals on the same agricultural plot, whether on the edge or in the open field.

The contributions of trees in agricultural environments are sometimes overlooked, but they are actually numerous:

They improve plot productivity by optimizing environmental resources

They diversify farm services and sources of income (agricultural production, timber and firewood, fruit, fodder, etc.)

They limit erosion (by water, wind, etc.)

They restore soil fertility by releasing organic matter (leaves, roots, etc.)

Their roots structure the soil and facilitate its biological activity

They improve biodiversity and are home to a number of beneficial crop species (bees, etc.)

They store a large amount of carbon…

For example, trees bring water and minerals up from deeper layers, making them available to surface crops. They help create a microclimate on the plot, which protects crops and animals from heat and water stress. Trees could thus help cushion droughts, which are partly responsible for stagnating yields in Europe.

A formidable reserve for flora and fauna, shrub and tree hedges play a major role in soil life, thanks to the earthworms, fungi, and other organisms they harbor and protect.

As it is recognized and developed today, agroforestry marks the return of hedges and updates farming know-how... Its effectiveness is based on a wide variety of species, techniques, types of management and tree sizes to reconcile biomass production and environmental protection.