Agroforestry Systems for Sustainable Agriculture in West Africa

Agroforestry systems integrate woody perennials with crops and/or livestock, creating multifunctional landscapes that enhance food security, biodiversity and resilience to climate variability across West Africa’s diverse agroecological zones. These systems range from parkland agroforestry—where scattered indigenous trees such as Faidherbia albida are maintained in millet and sorghum fields—to more intensive multistoried woodlots combining fruit trees, timber species and annual crops. By improving soil structure, increasing nutrient cycling and regulating water balance, agroforestry can raise crop yields while sustaining ecosystem services. Practices such as farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR), where farmers selectively prune and promote natural tree regrowth, have scaled rapidly across the Sahel, regenerating millions of hectares of degraded farmland. Simultaneously, strategic intercropping with fast-growing leguminous trees enhances soil fertility and diversifies farm incomes. Despite these benefits, adoption barriers include land tenure uncertainty, knowledge gaps on tree–crop interactions and limited access to planting material. Addressing these constraints through participatory research and policy support is essential to unlock the potential of agroforestry as a pillar of sustainable agriculture in West Africa.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have deepened understanding of regenerative capacity and planning in agroforestry parklands. Investigations into farmer-managed natural regeneration have shown that proximity to seed sources and protection from grazing strongly influence the composition and functional traits of regenerating communities, emphasising the need to assess local regeneration potential before scaling FMNR initiatives. Foundational work has demonstrated that site-specific assessments, incorporating land-use intensity and dispersal limitation, are critical to predict restoration outcomes and guide where FMNR alone suffices or where enrichment planting is required. Additionally, within-season forecasting models for staple cereals have been refined using weather-driven crop simulations, offering early warning of production shortfalls. Such forecasts can inform integrated landscape management, enabling farmers and policymakers to align agroforestry interventions with anticipated cereal deficits, thereby strengthening food security strategies.

Agroforestry Systems for Sustainable Agriculture in West Africa publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in agroforestry systems for sustainable agriculture in west africa across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Agroforestry Systems: Integrated land-use practices combining trees with crops and/or livestock to provide ecological and economic benefits.

Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR): The selective pruning and management of naturally regenerating trees and shrubs on farmland to restore tree cover and ecological function.

Land Equivalent Ratio (LER): A measure of the relative land area required under sole cropping to match the yield obtained from an intercropping or agroforestry system.

Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR): The portion of sunlight (400–700 nm wavelength) available for photosynthesis, influencing growth in multistoried plantings.

References

1. Agroforestry delivers a win-win solution for ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa. A meta-analysis. Agronomy for Sustainable Development (2019).
2. Drivers of farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel. Lessons for restoration. Scientific Reports (2020).
3. Opportunities and Constraints for Using Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration for Land Restoration in Sub-Saharan Africa. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change (2020).
4. Effects of local institutions on the adoption of agroforestry innovations: evidence of farmer managed natural regeneration and its implications for rural livelihoods in the Sahel. Agricultural and Food Economics (2017).
5. A forecast of staple crop production in Burkina Faso to enable early warnings of shortages in domestic food availability. Scientific Reports (2022).
6. Impact of Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration on Resilience and Welfare in Mali. Green and Low-Carbon Economy (2023).
7. Multistoried woodlot based agroforestry system for improved resource utilization and incomes for farmer. Heliyon (2024).
8. Benefits of farmer managed natural regeneration to food security in semi-arid Ghana. Agriculture and Human Values (2024).