The landscape of agroforestry in Brazil: a synthesis of research trends, implementation patterns, and policy implications

Abstract Agroforestry systems (AFSs) are often considered a means to reconcile agricultural production with biodiversity conservation, yet the alignment between scientific research and practice remains poorly understood. In Brazil, a country with widespread AFS adoption, we conducted a systematic review of 631 publications (1982–2019) and integrated them with national Agricultural Census data to map the landscape of AFS research and implementation. Our analysis shows that while scientific output has accelerated, research efforts are geographically concentrated in the Atlantic Forest and Amazon biomes, leaving other major ecosystems like the Cerrado and Caatinga under-represented. A marked discrepancy was observed in the Northeast region, which hosts two-thirds of Brazil's AFS establishments but receives disproportionately low research attention. While simple, production-oriented AFSs were more frequently studied, biodiverse systems, particularly those with very high species richness, showed a clear association with family farming and traditional knowledge. Furthermore, regression models indicated that AFS prevalence is negatively associated with market-oriented production (commercialization), a finding consistent with their role in food sovereignty. These results point to persistent regional imbalances in the research agenda and suggest the need to strengthen knowledge production in underrepresented areas to better reflect the range of AFS practices in the country.