Unlocking agroforestry transitions

Despite decades of evidence demonstrating the environmental and socio-economic benefits of agroforestry, transitions toward tree-based farming systems remain limited across most agricultural landscapes. Existing research has largely focused on farmer-level adoption barriers, including delayed economic returns, policy constraints, land-tenure insecurity, and knowledge gaps. While important, these explanations provide only a partial understanding of why agroforestry remains difficult to scale. This commentary argues that agroforestry should be understood as an agricultural sustainability transition involving the reconfiguration of socio-ecological, institutional, and economic systems rather than the adoption of isolated farming practices. We contend that the central challenge is not simply the diffusion of agroforestry technologies, but the limited capacity of prevailing agricultural innovation systems to manage the long-term ecological dynamics, institutional complexity, and economic uncertainties associated with tree-based systems. Drawing on sustainability-transition theory, innovation systems research, and adaptive governance, we examine how long-term research and development (R&D) partnerships can support agroforestry transitions by fostering social learning, strengthening adaptive capacity, coordinating stakeholders’ actions, and linking local experimentation to broader institutional and policy change. Evidence from collaborative initiatives in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Latin America illustrates how multi-actor partnerships can create the conditions necessary for scaling agroforestry beyond localized pilot projects. By advancing a transition-oriented perspective, this commentary highlights the strategic importance of systemic innovation partnerships for enabling resilient, equitable, and sustainable agricultural futures.