Agroforestry systems: Meta-analysis of soil carbon stocks, sequestration processes, and future potentials

Abstract

Agroforestry (AF) has the potential to restore degraded lands, provide a broader range of ecosystem goods and services such as carbon (C) sequestration and high biodiversity, and increase soil fertility and ecosystem stability through additional C input from trees, erosion prevention, and microclimate improvement. Advantages and processes for global C sequestration in AF are unknown. We used a meta￢ﾀﾐanalysis of 427 soil C stock data pairs grouped into four main AF systems￢ﾀﾔalley cropping, windbreaks, silvopastures, and homegardens￢ﾀﾔand evaluated changes in AF and adjacent control cropland or pasture. Mean soil C stocks in AF (1￢ﾀﾐm depth) were 126ￂﾠMgￂﾠCￂﾷha￢ﾈﾒ1, which is 19% more than that in cropland or pasture. The highest C stocks in soil were in subtropical homegardens, AF with younger trees, and topsoil (0￢ﾀﾓ20ￂﾠcm). Increased soil C stocks in AF were lower than aboveground C stocks in most AF systems, except alley cropping. Homegardens stored the highest C in both aboveground and belowground, especially in the subsoil (20￢ﾀﾓ100ￂﾠcm). Advantages of AF ecosystem services focusing on mechanisms of belowground C sequestration were analyzed. AF could store 5.3ￂﾠￃﾗￂﾠ109ￂﾠMg additional C in soil on 944ￂﾠMha globally, with most in the tropics and subtropics. AF systems could greatly contribute to global soil C sequestration if used in larger areas. Future investigations of AF should include (a) mechanistic￢ﾀﾐ and process￢ﾀﾐbased studies (instead of common monitoring and inventories), (b) models linking forest and crop growth with soil water and C and nutrient cycling, and (c) accurate assessments of the AF area worldwide based on the remote sensing approaches.