Table 4.
General advantages and problems of agroforestry systems of tropical, temperate and arid zones
| Ecological zone | Uses | Main agroforestry practices | Ecosystem benefits | Problems |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical | • Shade crops (coffee. cocoa) | Fringes | Soil protection | Intensification |
| • Fruit production | Living fences | Shade | ||
| • Timber products | Isolated trees | Soil fertility | Loss of TEK | |
| • Pest control | High biodiversity | Pesticides, deforestation | ||
| Temperate | • Windbreaker | Windbreaker barriers | Microclimate conditions | Intensification |
| • Snowing damage | Living fences | Buffering winds | No replacement of trees | |
| • Fruit production | Fringes, isolated trees | Soil protection | Fruit commercialization | |
| • Timber products | Vegetation patches | Reduction of damages by frosts | Loss of TEK | |
| • Control of pests | Vegetation patches | Biodiversity | Industrialization | |
| Arid | • Resistance to dryness | Windbreaker barriers | Water management | Specificity of native species |
| • Retention of humidity and soil | Isolated trees | Soil protection | Abundance of rare species | |
| • Timber and non-timber | Vegetation patches | Shade | Intensification | |
| • Medicinal | Living fences, fringes | Biodiversity | I |