Agroforestry Systems最新文献

{"title":"Financial viability of canarium nut production scenarios for smallholders in Vanuatu: a literature review and sensitivity analysis","authors":"Liz Ota,&nbsp;Tony Page,&nbsp;Elektra Grant,&nbsp;Dora Carias","doi":"10.1007/s10457-026-01670-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10457-026-01670-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><i>Canarium indicum</i> L. is a species of high importance in Vanuatu for its multiple use but particularly for its nuts. Nevertheless, the canarium nut industry is still underdeveloped, and there is the need to improve production systems that involve smallholders, the major source of the product. This paper aims to assess the potential of canarium growing by smallholders in Vanuatu. We carried out a review of available literature on canarium nuts in Vanuatu and performed financial and sensitivity analyses of canarium tree growing at the household level under four scenarios: sale of nut-in-shell, sale of kernel-in-testa, sale of dried kernel using solar dryer, and sale of dried kernel using electric dryer. The literature demonstrates great potential for the canarium nut industry but also highlights its challenges, which were confirmed in the financial analysis. The financial returns for the different scenarios, the nature of labour provided, nut processing limitations, and potential market opportunities are discussed. All base-case scenarios resulted in negative NPVs. Current prices do not pay off investment in canarium growing if labour is costed at the minimum wage of the country. Even with this significant reduction in labour needs for processing, NPVs remain negative. However, smallholders might place a non-financial value to the activity. Prices paid for all canarium products must increase for a profitable investment. A minimum price of USD 0.319 kg⁻¹ is needed for a positive sale of nut-in-shell. There is potential for value adding if infrastructure is available and if smallholders are interested. Challenges and opportunities for canarium nuts discussed in this manuscript are also relevant for other non-timber forest products in other remote locations in the tropics.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7610,"journal":{"name":"Agroforestry Systems","volume":"100 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10457-026-01670-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148986559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimizing Neolamarckia cadamba geometry and disease management for ginger production in semi-arid Bundelkhand","authors":"Prabhat Tiwari,&nbsp;Pradyumna Prataprao Deshmukh,&nbsp;Subhaprada Behera,&nbsp;Manmohan J. Dobriyal,&nbsp;Rakesh Kumar,&nbsp;Prashant P. Jambhulkar,&nbsp;Chander Shekhar,&nbsp;Manish Srivastav","doi":"10.1007/s10457-026-01665-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10457-026-01665-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Agroforestry systems that combine high-value spice crops with multipurpose tree species provide opportunity to improve productivity, soil health, and carbon sequestration. However, research regarding the ideal spacing of <i>Neolamarckia cadamba</i> and effective disease management measures for ginger in agroforestry systems is limited. A one-year field experiment was conducted during 2024–25 at RLBCAU, Jhansi to evaluate the effects of <i>Neolamarckia cadamba</i> planting geometry and disease management on ginger growth, productivity, soil properties, tree biomass-carbon dynamics and economic returns. A factorial randomized block design was implemented, consisting of four tree spacing (S₀: Sole cropping, S₁: <i>N. cadamba</i> at 5 × 3 m, S₂: <i>N. cadamba</i> at 5 × 4 m and S₃: <i>N. cadamba</i> at 5 × 5 m) and four disease management treatments (T₀: Control, T₁: 4% metalaxyl + 64% mancozeb @ 2 g kg⁻¹, T₂: Hot water treatment followed by application of <i>T. harzianum</i> @ 10 g kg⁻¹ with soil application of neem cake, and T₃: <i>T. harzianum</i> @ 10 g kg⁻¹ with enriched farmyard manure (FYM) prepared in a 1:5 ratio). The results indicated that S₁ exhibited the greatest plant height (66.08 cm), number of leaves (97.96 plant⁻¹), the primary rhizomes (6.86 plant⁻¹), rhizome weight (1.43 kg plant⁻¹), rhizome fresh yield (9.66 Mg ha⁻¹), and total fresh biomass (10.76 Mg ha⁻¹). Treatment, T₁ yielded the highest rhizome weight (1.56 kg plant⁻¹), rhizome fresh yield (10.48 Mg ha⁻¹), and total fresh biomass (11.54 Mg ha⁻¹) across disease management approaches. Agroforestry substantially enhanced soil fertility, with S₁ exhibiting the highest chemical properties. The <i>Neolamarckia cadamba </i>+ ginger system with a spacing of 5 × 3 m achieved the highest above-ground biomass (68.57 Mg ha⁻¹), carbon stock (40.61 Mg ha⁻¹), and CO₂ sequestration potential (149.02 Mg ha⁻¹). Economic analysis indicated maximum net returns (US$ 5,771.07 ha⁻¹), and B:C ratio (2.36) under S₁. The findings indicate that <i>Neolamarckia cadamba</i> based agroforestry, at a spacing of 5 × 3 m combined with efficient disease management, improves ginger productivity, soil fertility, and the potential for climate change mitigation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7610,"journal":{"name":"Agroforestry Systems","volume":"100 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148986471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agroforestry systems for climate change mitigation and socioeconomic sustainability: global trends, ecosystem services and policy implications","authors":"Ashline Shaji,&nbsp;Rajnish Pandey,&nbsp;Avantika Pandey,&nbsp;Ayushman Malakar,&nbsp;Desavath Gouthami,&nbsp;K. Logeswaran,&nbsp;Arindam Pal,&nbsp;Rishita Pakhira,&nbsp;Suman Dutta,&nbsp;Agnish Kumar Das,&nbsp;Rudra Pratap Singh,&nbsp;Vinod Kumar Dubey","doi":"10.1007/s10457-026-01659-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10457-026-01659-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Nature-based solutions (NbS) like agroforestry are critical for combating climate change, restoring ecosystems and supporting rural livelihoods. This article examines two and a half decades of scientific literature to evaluate the role of agroforestry in climate resilience and sustainable development. Following PRISMA guidelines, 736 peer-reviewed articles published between 2001 and 2025 were analyzed from the Scopus database and analyzed using R and VOSviewer software. The findings revealed a rapidly expanding research environment with an annual publication growth rate of 15.94%, reflecting surging global interest. Asia and Europe emerged as primary research contributors, with India leading global productivity with 82 publications. Thematic and keyword co-occurrence analyses highlighted an emerging shift from foundational land-use studies to biodiversity-focused agroecological approaches that integrate climate mitigation, ecosystem services and livelihood resilience. The results position agroforestry as a potent NbS that lowers greenhouse gas emissions, improves nutrient cycling and sequesters up to 30% more carbon in biomass and soil than conventional agriculture. Simultaneously, these systems also improve socioeconomic resilience by diversifying agricultural revenue, increasing food and nutritional security and building smallholder communities' adaptive potential. This study also explored several ecosystem services provided by agroforestry systems, directly contributing to achieving 11 key sustainable development goals. Despite these proven benefits, widespread acceptability remains hindered by gaps in global policy integration, monitoring systems and long-term carbon assessment methodologies. This study provides a systematic and integrative synthesis of global agroforestry research, highlighting its role as a scalable NbS for promoting climate action and sustainable development. Prioritizing interdisciplinary and participatory research is therefore recommended, which will ensure wider adoption of agroforestry practices.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":7610,"journal":{"name":"Agroforestry Systems","volume":"100 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148986472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Value calculation and spatial heterogeneity of broadly defined agroforestry eco-product derived from soil and water conservation in South China Karst","authors":"Zaike Gu,&nbsp;Liheng You,&nbsp;Zuju Li,&nbsp;Kangning Xiong,&nbsp;Yuwen Fu,&nbsp;Wanmei Hu,&nbsp;Qi Fang","doi":"10.1007/s10457-026-01656-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10457-026-01656-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The agroforestry system derived from the biological, engineering and agronomic measures of soil and water conservation in the karst area, and the ecological product (eco-product) value realization is of great significance to promote the transformation of ecological advantages into economic welfare. While karst agroforestry system exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity, current research lacks sufficient analysis of the spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of their value dynamics. This study focuses on the South China Karst (SCK), employing the Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) to quantify the eco-product value of agroforestry system from 2000 to 2020, and utilizing geographic detector analysis to identify driving factors. Results indicate: (1) SCK agroforestry GEP increased from 13,013.35 × 10⁷ CNY in 2000 to 17,740.82 ×1 0⁷ CNY in 2020. (2) Agroforestry GEP exhibits distinct spatial clustering. Comprehensive influences from topography, precipitation, and vegetation concentrate high-value zones in karst middle-high mountain, fault-block basins, hilly depression, fault basin, and trough valley, while low-value zones occur in gorge. (3) Geographic detectors indicate that precipitation, NDVI, and elevation are key factors influencing value differentiation, with precipitation being the dominant factor (q=0.764). Based on these findings, mechanisms and paths for realizing the eco-product value of agroforestry systems are proposed. This study provides reference for optimizing the spatial layout of karst sustainable development and soil and water conservation projects.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><p>Spatiotemporal changes and drivers of agroforestry GEP in South China Karst</p>\u0000<div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":7610,"journal":{"name":"Agroforestry Systems","volume":"100 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148927521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Borassus flabellifer L. in climate-resilient agroforestry systems: a Scopus-based bibliometric and systematic scoping review","authors":"D. Kavya,&nbsp;B. Santhoshkumar,&nbsp;M. Murugan,&nbsp;Ivi Chakraborty,&nbsp;Benukar Biswas","doi":"10.1007/s10457-026-01658-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10457-026-01658-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Climate change causes variability in agricultural productivity in tropical and semi-arid regions. The need for climate-resilient and multifunctional species within sustainable land-use system is required. <i>Borassus flabellifer</i> L. (palmyra palm) an underutilized multipurpose tree, which possesses significant adaptive traits that make it uniquely suited for integration with agroforestry systems. This study combines bibliometric analysis with systematic review to the global research trends and evaluate the species role in climate adaptation, ecosystem service provision and rural livelihoods. A comprehensive dataset (1976–2025) from Scopus was retrieved and analyzed using bibliometric tools, VOSviewer with systematic synthesis following PRISMA guidelines. Bibliometric results show recent upward trend in research output, heavily concentrated in South and Southeast Asia with minimal international collaboration. Keyword co-occurrence networks show a historical dominance of biochemical and product-level studies, whereas the significant roles of agroforestry aspects such as land-use modeling, carbon stocks, biodiversity support and system-level climate adaptation are remained under-represented. Qualitative synthesis demonstrates that <i>B. flabellifer</i> contributes substantially to drought resilience, soil conservation, microclimate modulation, and diversified livelihood security. Previous research evidences still fragmented and largely restricted to laboratory or localized observations, lacking long-term, quantitative validation in functional agroforestry contexts. This study highlights major disconnect between the species recognized ecological potential and current research priorities. It connects interdisciplinary research focused on quantifiable ecosystem services, context-specific land-use designs and global collaborative frameworks to advance <i>B. flabellifer</i> in climate-resilient agriculture.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7610,"journal":{"name":"Agroforestry Systems","volume":"100 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148927648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Growth, biomass allocation and productivity responses of black gram (Vigna mungo L.) to tree spacing and distance gradients in a Neolamarckia cadamba Roxb. based agroforestry system","authors":"Saransh Kumar Gautam,&nbsp;Manmohan J. Dobriyal,&nbsp;Ram Prakash Yadav,&nbsp;Prabhat Tiwari,&nbsp;Yumnam Bijilaxmi Devi","doi":"10.1007/s10457-026-01661-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10457-026-01661-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Tree spacing and crop position relative to tree rows are critical determinants of the intensity of tree–crop interactions in agroforestry systems, influencing resource availability, biomass allocation, and crop productivity. A field experiment was conducted during the <i>kharif</i> season of 2022–23 at Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, India, to evaluate the effects of three <i>Neolamarckia cadamba</i> Roxb. tree spacings [5 × 5 m (S1), 5 × 4 m (S2), and 5 × 3 m (S3)] and two crop distance zones from the tree base [0.5–1.5 m (D1) and 1.5–2.5 m (D2)] on growth, biomass accumulation, nodulation, yield attributes, and biomass allocation indices of black gram (<i>Vigna mungo</i> L.) in a factorial randomized block design with five replications. Wider tree spacing and greater crop distance from tree bases consistently improved growth performance, dry matter accumulation, nodulation, and yield attributes. Treatment S1 recorded the highest grain yield (0.75 t ha⁻¹), biological yield (2.40 t ha⁻¹), and leaf area (1,975.69 cm² plant⁻¹), while crops in the D2 zone outperformed D1 across nearly all measured traits. Harvest index and biomass partitioning to grain remained statistically stable across spacing and distance treatments, indicating that the fraction of assimilates directed to reproductive sinks was conserved despite reductions in total biomass under closer spacing and proximity to trees. Among the two factors studied, tree spacing exerted a more pervasive influence than distance zone, with significant spacing effects recorded for a greater number of variables and at more growth stages. Derived biomass allocation indices-root-to-shoot ratio, Biomass Partitioning Index, Productivity Efficiency Index, and Leaf Area Expansion Index-provided mechanistic insights into how tree-induced competition restructured crop resource-use strategy. Correlation analysis confirmed that leaf area and above-ground dry matter accumulation were the principal determinants of grain yield. These findings indicate that spatial optimization, particularly maintaining a 5 × 5 m tree spacing and positioning black gram beyond 1.5 m from the tree base, is critical for sustaining productive black gram intercropping in <i>N. cadamba</i>-based agroforestry systems under semi-arid tropical conditions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7610,"journal":{"name":"Agroforestry Systems","volume":"100 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148927649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Opportunities and challenges for scaling up farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) in Ethiopia’s policy framework","authors":"Negasi Solomon,&nbsp;Berihu Tesfamariam,&nbsp;Abaddi Girmay,&nbsp;Hintsa Muruts,&nbsp;Kinfe Mezgebe,&nbsp;Tesfay Teklehaymanot,&nbsp;Bisrat Getachew Lemma,&nbsp;Getachew Tamiru Kassa,&nbsp;Yordanos Berhe Beyene,&nbsp;Alemayehu Markos,&nbsp;Mitiku Haile","doi":"10.1007/s10457-026-01657-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10457-026-01657-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ethiopia has committed to restoring 22 million hectares by 2030, yet over half its land remains degraded. Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) offers a low-cost, community-driven restoration approach, but scaling requires supportive policies. This systematic review analyzed 12 national policy documents and 50 peer-reviewed studies to assess Ethiopia’s policy environment for FMNR. The analysis reveals a profound paradox: Ethiopia possesses a constitutionally robust policy architecture supporting community-based restoration, yet persistent degradation demonstrates critical policy-practice gaps. Key enabling provisions include constitutional rights to sustainable development and a healthy environment, Proclamation 1324/2024’s provisions for land use rights as collateral and tree recognition as saleable property, and the 2024 Agricultural Policy’s landmark explicit endorsement of FMNR. However, four systemic gaps undermine scaling: (1) absence of explicit FMNR recognition in most policies, including the CRGE strategy and Green Legacy Fund; (2) unresolved tenure insecurity excluding forest-based livelihood holders from unlimited use rights; (3) persistent plantation bias favoring afforestation over natural regeneration; and (4) weak implementation mechanisms including inadequate extension services. Overcoming this paradox requires three actions: explicit FMNR recognition across all relevant policies, enhanced tenure security with clear benefit-sharing, and dedicated implementation mechanisms including FMNR-specific extension packages. Without these reforms, Ethiopia risks perpetuating the gap between ambitious pledges and tangible landscape recovery.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7610,"journal":{"name":"Agroforestry Systems","volume":"100 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148927737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Allometric models to estimate aboveground biomass of Pinus tecunumanii shade trees growing in agroforestry coffee systems","authors":"Karolína Chalupová,&nbsp;Martin Šrámek,&nbsp;Matěj Kostka,&nbsp;Štěpán Neubauer,&nbsp;Zdeněk Patočka,&nbsp;Lenka Ehrenbergerová","doi":"10.1007/s10457-026-01648-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10457-026-01648-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Accurate estimation of carbon stocks has become increasingly important considering the global need to understand and mitigate climate change. Species-specific allometric equations are essential tools for obtaining precise estimates of tree biomass, enabling simple and reliable carbon assessment. In South America, particularly in Peru, coffee is commonly cultivated under shade trees such as <i>Pinus tecunumanii</i>, forming agroforestry systems that enhance carbon sequestration. However, information on carbon cycling in coffee-based agroforestry systems remains scarce, and allometric models for this species are still lacking. This study therefore aimed to develop species-specific allometric equations for <i>Pinus tecunumanii</i>, a shade tree used in coffee agroforestry systems in the Peruvian Andes. A total of 22 shade trees were sampled, with diameters at breast height (DBH) ranging from 9.9 to 43.8 cm and total heights (H) from 6.3 to 38 m. Power-law and exponential models were fitted to predict aboveground biomass from DBH and H. On average, aboveground biomass was distributed as follows: 59.8% in the stem, 14.5% in the branches, and 25.8% in the foliage. Using allometric equations, carbon stock per tree ranged from 8.8 to 469.2 kg. The developed model provides a practical and accurate tool for estimating aboveground biomass and carbon stocks in <i>Pinus tecunumanii</i> shade trees within coffee agroforestry systems. Its application will improve the precision of carbon accounting and contribute to sustainable management practices in Latin American coffee landscapes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7610,"journal":{"name":"Agroforestry Systems","volume":"100 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10457-026-01648-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148927295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Harnessing farmland shelterbelts for ecosystem resilience in China’s arid regions: mechanisms, benefits, challenges, and strategic pathways","authors":"Aishajiang Aili,&nbsp;Abdul Waheed,&nbsp;Xu Hailiang,&nbsp;Fabiola Bakayisire","doi":"10.1007/s10457-026-01620-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10457-026-01620-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Farmland shelterbelts are an important form of ecological infrastructure for sustaining agricultural production and ecosystem stability in China’s arid and semi-arid regions. However, their ecological benefits, resource costs, and long-term management requirements have often been assessed separately, limiting an integrated understanding of their overall performance. This critical narrative review synthesizes evidence from dryland agricultural regions of China, particularly Xinjiang, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia, to evaluate the mechanisms, ecosystem services, trade-offs, and management factors associated with farmland shelterbelts. The most consistent evidence concerns aerodynamic regulation, wind-erosion control, and field-scale microclimatic moderation. By reducing near-surface wind speed and sediment transport, shelterbelts can limit soil loss, alleviate crop exposure to dust and heat, and improve the stability of agricultural production. Positive effects on soil structure, organic carbon, nutrient cycling, biodiversity, hydrological regulation, and habitat connectivity have also been reported, although these outcomes are more dependent on species composition, shelterbelt structure, stand age, soil conditions, irrigation regime, groundwater depth, and spatial scale. Important trade-offs include tree–crop competition for scarce water, crop shading, pest and disease refuges, land occupation, and long-term establishment and maintenance costs. The current evidence base is constrained by short observation periods, limited deep-soil and belowground measurements, narrow taxonomic coverage, methodological heterogeneity, and insufficient integration between field and landscape scales. Sustainable shelterbelt development therefore requires site-specific species and structural design, lifecycle-based management, long-term monitoring, standardized indicators, and stronger integration of biophysical evidence with farmer incentives, water management, and climate-adaptation planning. These priorities are essential for maximizing shelterbelt benefits while minimizing resource conflicts in China’s increasingly water-limited drylands.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7610,"journal":{"name":"Agroforestry Systems","volume":"100 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148927182","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil organic carbon stocks and physicochemical properties under contrasting land use systems in degraded coffee landscapes of southcentral Uganda","authors":"Isaac T. Okurut,&nbsp;Bernard Fungo,&nbsp;Catherine Mulinde,&nbsp;Saul D. Ddumba,&nbsp;David Williamson","doi":"10.1007/s10457-026-01649-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10457-026-01649-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks are important indicators of soil condition. However, the extent to which coffee-based land-use systems maintain SOC stocks relative to degraded land is rarely assessed. This study evaluated SOC stocks, selected soil physicochemical properties, and their relationships across four coffee-based land-use systems (coffee monocrop-CM, coffee–banana-CB, coffee–tree-CT, and coffee–tree–banana-CTB) and a degraded reference site in south-central Uganda. Soil samples were collected at 0–30 and 30–60 cm and analyzed using standard laboratory procedures. The effects of land use and soil depth were evaluated using mixed-effects models, while Pearson correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to examine relationships among soil properties and identify multivariate patterns across land-use systems. Across both soil depths, all coffee-based land-use systems had significantly (p &lt; 0.05) higher SOC stocks than the degraded reference system, whereas differences among coffee-based systems were not statistically significant (p &gt; 0.05). SOC stocks averaged 95–104 t C ha⁻¹ in the 0–30 cm layer and 174–191 t C ha⁻¹ in the 30–60 cm layer under coffee systems, compared with 48 and 95 t C ha⁻¹, respectively, in the degraded reference system. SOC concentration was strongly correlated with SOC stocks (r = 0.90–0.93), and coffee-based systems were associated with higher SOC-related attributes, whereas degraded sites were characterized by higher bulk density and sand content. These findings indicate that maintaining perennial coffee-based land-use systems may be more important for SOC conservation than simply increasing structural complexity of coffee systems. The results provide evidence to support sustainable coffee land management for improved soil health in degraded coffee landscapes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7610,"journal":{"name":"Agroforestry Systems","volume":"100 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148926981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}