Abstract

Land degradation is a deleterious process affecting the biophysical environment of soils and reduces the natural or agricultural capacity of soil to support plant growth and net primary productivity, promoting a broad-scale, net loss of soil organic carbon (SOC) to the atmosphere through increased CO2 emissions from soil to the atmosphere and lower carbon storage in aboveground biomass. Consequently, land degradation represents the main threat to food security worldwide, especially in Africa and Asia. At present, about 40% of the global land area is affected by land degradation, 9% being severe. Silvopastoral systems, which are planned combinations of trees, forage-herbs and livestock, constitute one of the main forms of agroforestry systems currently covering about 28% of the global area of these. This chapter demonstrates that silvopastoral systems represent the principal land uses for land conservation-reclamation and reducing-offset C emissions from soil by promoting the formation of soil organic matter and increasing SOC named carbon sequestration (CO2→SOC), enhancing soil quality and improving ecosystem services like water and nutrient cycling and livestock well-being. In this review, we have identified 25 major mechanisms responsible for soil organic matter, soil quality, and carbon emission offset including: 12 individual functions for the woody (6), herbaceous (3) and animal (3) components, in addition to 13 symbiotic drivers (8 mutualistic and 5 tripartite interactions), whereas the reported values of C fixation in silvopastoral systems are 1–5 Mg C ha−1 year−1 and CO2→SOC range from 1.8 to 7.5 Mg C ha−1 year−1, demonstrating the potential of silvopastoral systems to ameliorate or reverse land degradation. However, the scientific reports related to silvopastoral systems and their benefits are mainly concentrated in certain global zones (e.g. developed countries), which suggests that this may be potentially useful in addressing land degradation in other priority regions such as Asia and Africa.