Agroforestry systems: helping smallholders adapt to climate risks while mitigating climate change. WIREs Climate Change 2014

There is increasing interest to combine adaptation and mitigation measures
that provide win–win solutions to climate change. Agroforestry systems offer
compelling synergies between adaptation and mitigation. This article reviews the
empirical evidence from various studies on how trees and agroforestry systems
enhance smallholders’ capacity to adapt to climate risks. Agroforestry systems
improve resilience of smallholder farmers through more efficient water utilization,
improved microclimate, enhanced soil productivity and nutrient cycling, control
of pests and diseases, improved farm productivity, and diversified and increased
farm income while at the same time sequestering carbon. Although these seems
very promising, tradeoffs may arise both at the farm and landscape scales