Agroforestry

“Can you discuss some of the issues that are particular to family farms and explain how agroforestry can address them?

“As we all know, small farms are struggling to make ends meet (and by small farm I mean a farm with a gross farm income of less than $250,000 per year) and these are the ones that can benefit most directly from the adoption of agroforestry practices.

For example, enterprises with trees such as Chinese chestnut can increase farm income tremendously. Based on our studies, we have found that Chinese chestnut can increase gross farm income by $3,000 to $6,000 per acre per year, starting in the seventh year. We also have shown that silvopasture can bring in an additional $43 per cow-calf pair, so if you are talking about a 100-head operation, that is $4,300 in additional income as a result of weight gain in cattle alone. The value of trees is not included in this calculation. For a small farmer, combining these multiple opportunities can significantly increase their economic potential.

There are also other types of specialty crops, such as elderberry, or other medicinal plants like ginseng or gourmet mushrooms that can bring in significant additional revenue to a small farm. Growing biomass for biopower or advanced biofuels is another potential opportunity or emerging enterprise for farms practicing agroforestry.”
(from Action in Agroforestry, Vol 2, No 5)