In this session we will discuss: What is the present scientific evidence base that integration of trees on farms and in agricultural landscapes will contribute to enhance agricultural productivity, resource utilization and livelihoods for smallholder farmers? What are the benefits and trade-offs?  

Under increasing pressure to improve food security and livelihoods from land-use, declining trends in soil fertility and tree cover need to be reversed. At the same time the resilience of the farming systems to maintain and increase delivery of primary products and other ecosystem services under climate variability and other enhanced stress factors needs to improve. One important component for restoring ecosystem services on farms and in agricultural landscapes is integration of trees. Tress can have multiple functions at field (e.g. micro-climate, N-fixation), farm (e.g. food, feed, fuel, income) and landscape (e.g. water cycle, erosion control, carbon sequestration, biological pest control, genetic diversity) scales. These multiple functions and the relation between them (benefits and trade-offs) depend on a multitude of factors both related to land-use practices and environmental factors. 

The session is organized by: Anders Malmer SLU/ SLU Global & Madelene Ostwald GMV (Centre for Environment and Sustainability)/Chalmers/ Linköping University/Focali