Agroforestry practices can help mitigate ongoing climate change concerns.
The Executive Director for the non-profit organization, The Savanna Institute, explains how agriculture can lead the way in this effort.
According to Keefe Keeley, “Trees and perennial vegetation have so much more capacity to sequester carbon in their biomass and their deep and permanent roots in the soil to build soil carbon at a higher level as well. We also see in many agricultural systems that include trees, lower emissions of nitrous oxide, and so this is really an important tool in our tool belt for how we can make agriculture really climate smart. To really make agriculture a force for cooling impact, we really need the enhanced soil, organic carbon, and the enhanced woody biomass potential to store carbon in our agricultural landscapes.”
Keeley says that this is possible by integrating multiple enterprises on one farmland, including high-value fruit and nut crops along the timber and livestock.
