Agroforestry is a form of land use in which perennial wood plants such as trees or shrubs are planted on areas where agricultural crops are also grown and/or animals are kept. These elements can be combined either in spatial arrangement or in chronological order. (Definition according to J.Vogt, 1999)
Agroforestry systems are actually nothing new, because they have been managed for centuries. A classic example in Europe are orchard meadows. But in many places, monocultures and industrial agriculture have displaced agroforestry systems, although these offer many advantages, especially for small farmers. In every agroforestry system, there are several ecological and economic interactions between the various components. In general, agroforestry systems are multifunctional systems and can offer a wide range of economic, socio-cultural and environmental benefits.
These advantages included, for example, the increase in biodiversity on agricultural land and a closed nutrient cycle, but also economic advantages such as the independence of monopolists (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides) and market prices for a specific product. It is precisely this point that is a very essential aspect for small farmers in developing countries, since, as in our projects, the seeds are grown themselves and neither fertilizers nor pesticides are needed.
Agroforestry systems are also very interesting with regard to climate change, as they contribute to the sequestration of CO2, for example by planting trees and improving soil quality, but are also more resistant to climatic changes and extreme weather events.
Our goal in the context of TeoG projects is primarily to support local partners in the development of agroforst demonstration operations and information events on the subject of agroforestry for small farmers.Unser Ziel im Rahmen von TeoG Projekten ist vor allem die Unterstützung von lokalen Partnern beim Aufbau von Agroforst Demonstrationsbetrieben und Informationsveranstaltungen zum Thema Agroforst für Kleinbauern. In 2016, Franziska Weissörtel from RG Munich started the project of an agroforestry demonstration farm in India.