Restoring the Earth Through Agroforestry
Agroforestry is a land management system in which native trees are planted alongside food and income-generating crops to mimic natural forests. When implemented properly, agroforestry can be a catalyst for positive change in many aspects of farming communities. From improving ecosystems and communities’ nutrition and income, to helping the earth by easing the negative impacts of climate change, this practice is invaluable for all involved. Grow Ahead only partners with small-scale farming communities utilizing agroforestry practices in responsible, sustainable ways. They are reforesting land already impacted by extreme weather events, pests, and destructive industrial agriculture. Unlike large-scale industrial farms, small-scale farmers implementing agroforestry have a more diversified, holistic approach to farming.
Let’s take a closer look at the environmental benefits of agroforestry:
CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION
Small-scale, indigenous farmworkers are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Industrial global superpowers pollute the earth and contribute to climate change at an alarming rate with little to no consequences. All the while, rural farming communities are first to feel the affects of rising temperatures despite their disproportionally low carbon footprints. By implementing responsible agroforestry practices, small-scale farmers have the opportunity to mitigate some of those devastating effects in their immediate vicinity and beyond:
- Agroforestry systems capture and store carbon in trees and soil ridding the atmosphere of harmful greenhouse gases. Trees can sequester up to 40 pounds of carbon per year, with native trees being the best carbon capturers.
- Many agroforestry-based farmers do not use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, which pollute the earth and exacerbate climate change. Microclimates created by planting diverse crops naturally reduce the need for chemicals by increasing habitats for other insects and animals and introducing physical barriers to pests.
- Grow Ahead's agroforestry projects are designed and implemented by farming communities around the world. With a vested interest in and crucial knowledge of agroforestry's benefits, small-scale farmers are more likely to foster sustainable ecosystems for generations to come.
BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity is the pulse of the natural world. When you look outside your window, how many animals, plants, and insects do you see? Now, imagine what that scenery would look like if only one living being or plant remained. To take it a step further, imagine how everything else in your neighborhood would be affected by this change through the butterfly effect. Biodiversity is the key to thriving ecosystems and agroforestry supports it in various ways:
- The planting of trees, crops, and supporting plants creates more natural spaces for wildlife and insects to inhabit.
- Birds and insects are essential pollinators that come to thrive in agroforestry systems. Pollinators eat pests, decreasing the need for chemical fertilizers. Up to 80% of all flowering plants also depend on pollinators for their reproduction.
- The shade-giving trees growing in agroforestry systems protect crops and wildlife from intense heat, sun, and rain reducing stressors and allowing for increased yields.
SOIL & WATER MANAGEMENT
Rural farming communities actively protect the world most vital and threatened resources including the soil beneath our feet and the water we drink. Industrial agriculture strips the land, pollutes waterways, and depletes soil fertility in the name of profit while small-scale and Indigenous farmers bear the brunt of that degradation. Through agroforestry, these farmers are reclaiming and restoring their environments and resources:
- Soil health and fertility are essential for the longevity of farms and forests. Diversified trees and ground cover plants in agroforestry systems improve nutrient cycling, increase organic matter, and reduce soil erosion.
- Healthy root systems increase water quality by filtering out pollutants and excess nutrients before they enter streams, lakes, and groundwater.
- Trees and plants in agroforestry systems hold the soil in place with their roots, which reduces soil erosion. This helps maintain fertile land for farming, prevents sediment from polluting nearby waterways, and guards crops against flooding and droughts.
AGROFORESTRY IN ACTION
Agroforestry supports long-term ecological balance, promoting sustainable farming practices that can drastically improve the health of the land. Since 2019, Grow Ahead has focused on funding agroforestry projects at the intersection of climate resilience and community development. From cocoa farm reforestation in Ghana (pictured above), to cultivating forty five thousand trees in Peru, to supporting women farmers in Ivory Coast, we’ve helped plant 897,000 trees and plants alongside small-scale farming communities around the world. but there’s so much more work to be done.
Grow Ahead is currently supporting small-scale farmers in Honduras in partnership with the coffee farmer cooperative, COMSA. The project, Enhancing Climate Resilience on Coffee Farms, aims to plant 160,000 trees and supporting plants to increase biodiversity and train farmer members on the importance of shade crops for coffee farming. The coffee industry is in a state of instability. Increased prices due to climate change-driven weather events and fluctuating US tariffs are making it harder for small-scale farmers to grow and sell their crops. Your support of COMSA will directly impact 1,500+ small-scale coffee farers by giving them the tools they need to combat climate change and diversify their incomes through this uncertainty.
The environmental advantages of agroforestry are extensive. Even the smallest implementation, whether it’s a row of trees to shade crops or a diversified field to increase biodiversity, can be a powerful act of stewardship. Grow Ahead is proud to support small-scale farmers creating large-scale impact. We hope you'll join us.
Read more about the implications of agroforestry here and learn more about Grow Ahead’s current agroforestry projects below.