How can agroforestry contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation in cities?

1 Urban challenges

Cities face many challenges related to climate change, such as rising temperatures, air pollution, water scarcity, flooding, and social inequality. These challenges affect the health, well-being, and livelihoods of urban residents, especially the poor and vulnerable. To cope with these challenges, cities need to adopt strategies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance ecosystem services, and promote social justice.

2 Agroforestry solutions

Agroforestry can offer solutions for urban challenges by creating multifunctional green spaces that provide food, fuel, fiber, medicine, and other products, while also improving the urban environment and social cohesion. For instance, it can reduce the urban heat island effect by shading buildings and streets, improving air quality by filtering pollutants and dust, conserving water and preventing soil erosion, enhancing biodiversity and wildlife habitat, increasing food security and nutrition, and generating income and employment. These benefits are especially beneficial for low-income and marginalized groups, as agroforestry reduces dependence on imports and transport while stimulating the local economy and social capital.

3 Urban agroforestry models

Urban agroforestry can be adapted to different contexts and needs. Home gardens are small-scale agroforestry systems that combine trees, crops, and animals in and around households. Community gardens involve groups of people who share land, resources, and responsibilities. Rooftop gardens use the space above buildings to grow plants. Alley cropping plants trees along roads, sidewalks, and fences. Parklands are large-scale agroforestry systems that integrate trees with recreational and cultural activities. These models of urban agroforestry can provide food, medicine, education, social benefits, insulation, aesthetics, shade, windbreaks, green spaces, leisure, and tourism for families, communities, residents, visitors, pedestrians and drivers.

4 Urban agroforestry benefits

Urban agroforestry can provide multiple benefits for cities, such as mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration and emission reductions, adapting to climate change through moderating temperature extremes and improving flood and drought resilience, improving human health by enhancing nutrition and reducing exposure to pollutants, and strengthening social equity by empowering marginalized groups. Additionally, urban agroforestry can improve access to resources, services, and participation in society, thus promoting mental well-being.

5 Urban agroforestry challenges

Urban agroforestry has several challenges that need to be addressed, such as the lack of land tenure and security, policies and incentives, knowledge and skills, and integration and coordination. These issues discourage investment and innovation in agroforestry systems, limit the recognition and support of the practice as a viable urban land use option, constrain the adoption and management of agroforestry practices and products, and hinder collaboration and synergy among different actors and sectors involved in urban planning and development.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?