Role of Agroforestry for Sustainable Solutions to Climate Change in South Asia: A Comprehensive Review

Agroforestry, or the deliberate integration of trees with fruit crops or pastureland, is a sustainable land-use framework that supports ecosystem services, including climate change adaptation and mitigation. Agroforestry frameworks across South Asia have generally supported many small landholding farmers. In recent years, scientists have focused on agroforestry's potential as a carbon sink. Agroforestry's role in counterbalancing ozone-harming substances, achieving biodiversity targets, localizing sustainable development goals, and providing sustainable livelihoods has increased its importance. Agroforestry can support climate change adaptation by sheltering understory crops from rising temperatures while reducing transpiration, evaporation, and wind speeds through various measures. This review examines a range of agroforestry practices and their benefits for biodiversity and environmental change management in South Asia. This review investigates the key enabling and constraining conditions for mainstreaming agroforestry frameworks to achieve global environmental sustainability. However, deteriorating socio-economic conditions in South Asian countries, rapid population growth, poor planning, and limited access to domestic energy sources to replace fossil fuels have led to a significant decline in Himalayan forests (>60%) over the last three decades. Agroforestry practices have strong potential to mitigate climate change, support adaptation in South Asia, and increase forest cover for environmental management.