MADISON, Wis. — Creating consumer markets for forest-grown products, reducing nonpoint source pollution, protecting waterfowl habitat, diversifying farm operations — these are just a few of the ways agroforestry is moving to the forefront of the land-use discussion in North America.
A new edition of North American Agroforestry: An Integrated Science and Practice, published by the American Society of Agronomy builds upon the science.
Benefits
Agroforestry can create greater economic value, enhance biodiversity, and improve soil, water and air quality on many sites. It brings together leading scientists who explain the basic concepts and ecological foundations of agroforestry, present specific management practices and strategies, and discuss economic and policy issues.
From large-scale installations of riparian buffers to family-scale forest farming, agroforestry is a technology that has truly “come of age.”
Becoming popular
According to the authors, there is a willingness to adopt agroforestry practices more so than ever before. Agroforestry provides many opportunities to meet the needs of landowners and natural resource professionals while keeping the family farm economically viable and the environment in which we live healthy.
Readers of the 400-page, hardcover book will learn the fundamentals of the main agroforestry practices, with detailed case studies and examples, as well as strategies for addressing the financial viability of new practices, marketing, and navigating policy.
Something new
New topics in this edition include tree–crop interactions, product markets and marketing, and wildlife benefits.
Each chapter includes a set of study questions. The authors of the 13 chapters are recognized authorities in their fields, and their chapters represent the state-of-the-art on each topic.
