"It has many names: multi-story cropping, agroforestry, forest farming. All of these refer to farming within treed land. It's a great way to seamlessly integrate the farm into the landscape and diversify the products your farm offers. Originating in Brazil, where tropical rainforests reign, agroforestry is a necessity. The rainforest is fertile ground for those who work within its confines. Due to the world's highest biodiversity, productivity is also high. Even selective lumber production is possible."
"Put simply, agroforestry combines small-scale farming with conventional forestry. What results is a self-sustaining system that works within local ecological bounds. The most common form involves thinning a forest to allow the best conditions for crops to grow in the understory. Crops are usually those suited to the environment. They range from native ornamentals to fungi, fruit, timber, and forest food crops, including both wild plants and nuts."
Agroforestry, also called multi-story cropping or forest farming, combines small-scale agriculture with conventional forestry to create self-sustaining production within tree-covered land. Originating in Brazil's tropical rainforests, agroforestry leverages high biodiversity and fertility to support crops, selective timber production, and diverse forest foods. Common practice includes thinning canopy to improve understory conditions for native ornamentals, fungi, fruits, timber, nuts, and other food crops. Alternative methods include silvopasture, which integrates livestock under trees for shelter and nutrient cycling, and alley cropping, which plants specialty crops between tree strips. Converting forest margins to agroforestry can be gradual and minimally invasive.
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