The environmental impacts of ruminant livestock farming need to be mitigated to improve the sustainability of food production. These negative impacts have been compounded by the increased spatial and cultural separation of farming and forestry across multiple temperate landscapes and contexts over...

Agroforestry systems (AFSs) are promoted as environmentally friendly and climate-change-resilient cultivation systems with the potential of increasing ecosystem services. Especially under temperate climatic conditions, the implementation in agricultural practice is low so far, inter alia due to the ...

In tree-based intercropping systems, roots of trees and crops are interacting and could influence ecosystem services provided by soil microorganisms. Here, the analysis of diversity of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) associated with roots of walnut and maize reveals differences. Of interest, ...

Aims: A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of alley cropping systems on microbial activity and soil organic matter (SOM) pools. We hypothesized that enzyme activity and labile pools of SOM are early and sensitive indicators of changes induced by tree introduction in the cropping ...

Insect pollination is a globally important ecosystem service, contributing to crop yields, production stability and the maintenance of wild plant populations. Ironically, agriculture is one of the major global drivers of wild insect pollinator decline. At the same time, increasing human population...

Agroforestry, which is the integration of trees into monoculture cropland, can alter soil properties and nutrient cycling. Temperate agroforestry practices have been shown to affect soil microbial communities as indicated by changes in enzyme activities, substrate-induced respiration, and microbial ...

Temperate agroforestry systems are being strongly promoted for ecological reasons in many regions of the world. Pest management in these highly-structured environments is however barely studied, despite widespread claims of increased biological control enhanced by the presence of trees and grassy...

This study sought to shed light on the political and organizational dynamics favoring the deployment of agroforestry in temperate environments. Development paths of agroforestry practices in Québec (Canada) and France were analyzed regarding five different issues: political status and recognition,...

Agroforestry is thought to be an approach that could support agriculture in the transition from a system with sustainability problems to one containing regenerative activities contributing to viable ecosystems and, therefore, sustainability solutions. A transdisciplinary and participatory action...

Background: Temperate agroforestry is regarded as a sustainable alternative to monoculture agriculture due to enhanced provisioning of ecosystem services. Plant health and food safety are crucial requirements for sustainable agriculture; however, studies of fungal diseases and mycotoxin...