Agroforestry Nomenclature, Concepts and Practices

Application of agroforestry practices responds to economic, environmental, and social issues common to all regions of the earth. In spite of an increasing awareness of Native American traditional agroforestry practices, in the United States and Canada agroforestry has mainly been viewed as a new science and set of practices tailored to address numerous sustainability issues associated with production agriculture. Agroforestry seeks to help bridge the gap between production agriculture and natural resource management. Four key criteria characterize agroforestry practices in the United States and Canada and distinguish them from other practices: intentional, intensive, integrated, and interactive. Six categories of agroforestry practices that embody the criteria are recognized in the United States and Canada by the Association for Temperate Agroforestry–AFTA: riparian and upland buffers, windbreaks, alley cropping, silvopasture, forest farming, and urban food forests. Agroforestry shares fundamental concepts and principles with regenerative agriculture, agroecology, and permaculture.