Trädjordbruk som klimatstrategi : Jämförelse med konventionellt jordbruk i Halland, Sverige

The development of the industrial revolution has contributed to today’s global climate change, which is affecting the Earths ecosystems. The increased concentration of greenhouse gases has led to shifting climate patterns, these changes will affect agricultural production through altered growing seasons, precipitation patterns, and temperature variations. As agriculture covers large areas of land, it plays a crucial role in reducing environmental impact. Agroforestry is one method that can address growing environmental problems and ecological changes. In Halland, agriculture accounts for a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions, creating substantial potential for change. The aim of this study is to assess whether agroforestry could be a relevant contribution to Halland’s energy- and climate strategy, by examine the difference in annual carbon sequestration between an agroforestry system, consisting of apple trees and winter wheat, and conventional winter wheat monoculture. Using a model-based approach, this study compared a designed agroforestry system with conventional cultivation. The result show that the agroforestry system sequesters approximately 4 tons more CO2 ha-1 yr-1 than conventional cultivation. At the same time, the energy content in food production from agroforestry decreased by 13.48 GJ ha-1 yr-1 compared to conventional winter wheat cultivation. This result highlights the need to consider other ecosystem services and ecological functions to strengthen the benefits of agroforestry in carbon sequestration.