ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
P.O. Box 3657
Fayetteville, AR 72702

Agroforestry Overview (Summary)

Integrating trees and shrubs with the other enterprises on a farm can create additional sources of income, spread farm labor throughout the year, and increase the productivity of the other enterprises, while protecting soil, water, and wildlife. Agroforestry systems include alleycropping, silvopasture, windbreaks, riparian buffer strips, and forest farming for non-timber forest products. While they clearly offer economic and ecological advantages, these systems also involve complex interactions, which complicate their management. When designing an agroforestry enterprise, one should research the marketing possibilities and include the agroforestry system in the complete business plan for the farm. This publication presents the principles of agroforestry, an overview of common practices, marketing considerations, several case studies, and an extensive list of further resources.

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Last Updated December 28, 2007

ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Visit the NCAT Web site for more information on our sustainable agriculture projects.

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