Agroforestry: contribution to food security and climate-change adaptation and mitigation in Southeast Asia.

Agroforestry, the practice of using trees on farms, and the integration of forestry and agriculture as part of multifunctional landscapes, can provide multiple economic, social and environmental benefits. In a global comparison, Southeast Asia had the highest biomass carbon stock (per hectare) on agricultural land of all regions, with an increasing trend (60 tonnes of carbon per hectare in 2000 and 65 tonnes per hectare in 2010). Farmers in different parts of the region have been adopting diverse agroforestry systems and practices, increasing the productivity of farmlands, and helping to secure food, income and other basic needs. At the same time, the significant amount of carbon sequestered by trees in agroforestry systems is contributing to climate-change mitigation, while forests and trees are ‘air conditioners’ cooling their surroundings by bringing water back into the atmosphere. Yet, wide-scale agroforestry adoption remains limited due to many obstacles and challenges, notably, the lack of institutional home and specific policy support for agroforestry.

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