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Agroforestry: A Sustainable Option for Chilean Agriculture

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Agroforestry is a practice that deliberately integrates trees and shrubs into crop and livestock systems. While not a new concept, it has regained prominence in Chile due to the need to transition toward more sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural practices.

According to Alejandro Lucero, acting executive director of the Chilean Forestry Institute (INFOR), this institution has been researching and promoting agroforestry in the country for over 25 years. Its goal is to complement traditional farming activities of small and medium-sized farmers by incorporating trees, generating environmental, productive, and socioeconomic benefits.

Multiple Benefits
Agroforestry systems can take various forms, from scattered trees in pastures with livestock or crops to windbreaks, contour tree strips, or other spatial and species composition arrangements.

Regardless of the specific approach implemented, agroforestry generally leads to greater sustainability and productivity on farms. Trees improve soil fertility, capture carbon from the atmosphere, reduce erosion, protect crops from excessive solar radiation and wind, provide shade and animal welfare in livestock systems, yield products like fruits, firewood, or timber, and can serve as a complementary income source for farmers.

Barriers to Widespread Adoption
If agroforestry offers diverse and significant benefits, why isn’t its adoption more widespread in Chile? According to Lucero, a key limitation has been the lack of specific public support instruments, considering the resource constraints faced by small and medium-sized producers to independently invest in new practices.

However, there is optimism. The INFOR expert explains that the Ministry of Agriculture is currently analyzing the creation of a targeted support instrument, which could scale up the implementation of sustainable agroforestry, especially among small family farms.

Recovery After Wildfires

Another area where agroforestry shows great potential is in regions affected by wildfires. While its contribution to preventing such events is limited, it can play a key role in restoring soil productivity after fires.

By promoting lower tree density in the landscape, agroforestry systems can break the continuity of vegetative fuel. Additionally, integrating crops or grasslands creates mosaics that help better control fire spread.

Given the significant area of small forest properties devastated by mega-fires in recent years, this presents a key opportunity for agroforestry solutions. It will be crucial for state support instruments to offer flexible reforestation options, including valuable native species integrated with agricultural uses.

Toward a State-Level Vision

Beyond addressing immediate challenges like the climate crisis or disasters such as wildfires, agroforestry systems hold crucial potential for advancing sustainable agriculture in Chile in the long term.

Therefore, INFOR’s acting director emphasizes the need for a state-level vision that transcends government terms. It is urgent to design long-term agroforestry promotion policies, enabling better land use by integrating trees into farming, especially for vulnerable small and medium-sized producers.

We invite you to watch the full episode of "Conversando con Acoforag," where these agroforestry concepts in Chile are analyzed, available onAcoforag’s YouTube channel or as a podcast onSpotify.

It’s an insightful discussion delving into the benefits of agroforestry, its current implementation status in the country, and challenges like wildfire-affected area recovery. Don’t miss this content!