XIV WFC
World Forestry Congress
Forests and People: Investing in a Sustainable Future
ST3 Session
Role of agroforestry and trees outside
forests in integrated land use
9 September, 14:30-16:15

The contribution of forests and trees to food production in
the tropics: a systematic review working paper
James Reed, Samson Foli, Josh van Vianen, Jessica Clendenning, Gillian
Petrokofsky, Christine Paddoch & Terry Sunderland
Presented by:
Terry Sunderland
Principal Scientist, Centre for International Forestry Research, Indonesia

Rationale for this review
• Ecosystem services (ES) are regarded as the structure
and functions of terrestrial and marine ecosystems that
result in both goods and services being produced that
contribute to support human wellbeing.
• The last three decades has seen an exponential rise in
ecosystem service related publications.
• This study will assess the literature base for both the
positive aspects (ES) and negative functions (EDS)
rendered to agriculture from forests, trees and
agroforestry.

Preliminary results

Lessons learned
• The temporal and spatial scales of the studies identified in this
review point to clear gaps in the current understanding of the
contribution of forest and trees to agriculture
• The majority of studies were conducted in AFS < 4Ha. and
over < 3 year study periods
• The majority of studies showed an overall net positive effect of
tree presence on one or more of the following parameters;
yield, resource maintenance, biodiversity and income
• Findings reveal that the provisioning of forest ecosystem
services to food production do not act in isolation and a range
of potential outcomes and trade-offs should be considered in
management strategies