Social-Ecological Spatial Analysis of Agroforestry in the European Union with a Focus on Mediterranean Countries

Dimitrios Fotakis (), Ilias Karmiris, Diogenis A. Kiziridis, Christos Astaras and Thomas G. Papachristou
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Dimitrios Fotakis: Forest Research Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organization DIMITRA, 57006 Thessaloniki, Greece
Ilias Karmiris: Forest Research Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organization DIMITRA, 57006 Thessaloniki, Greece
Diogenis A. Kiziridis: Forest Research Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organization DIMITRA, 57006 Thessaloniki, Greece
Christos Astaras: Forest Research Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organization DIMITRA, 57006 Thessaloniki, Greece
Thomas G. Papachristou: Forest Research Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organization DIMITRA, 57006 Thessaloniki, Greece

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-25

Abstract: Agroforestry has a long history of evolution in Europe and has been especially selected under the unfavorable socioeconomic and environmental conditions of the Mediterranean region. The recent changes in social-ecological conditions have increased the interest in the contribution of agroforestry to the mitigation of forthcoming challenges. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the socioeconomic and ecological suitability of agricultural lands for preserving, restoring, and establishing agroforestry practices in Europe. We classified different agroforestry systems based on the LUCAS database, finding that most agroforestry in Europe is in areas associated with older human populations of varying densities and employment levels at lower altitudes, gentler slopes, moderate annual mean temperature and precipitation, and in medium textured soils with limited organic carbon content. Focusing on the prevalent agroforestry system of silvopasture, the majority of which is found in three Mediterranean ecoregions of mainly sclerophyllous forests, the most important factors for the occurrence of this system were subsoil available water content (Aegean), land cover (Adriatic), and topsoil available water content (Iberian). The suitable area for silvopasture according to MaxEnt was 32%, 30%, and 22% of the Aegean, Adriatic, and Iberian ecoregion’s area, respectively. Such mapping of agroforestry suitability can help policymakers to undertake adaptive management for the implementation of agroforestry-based solutions to address ecosystem restoration, food insecurity, and rapid environmental changes and threats.

Keywords: livestock agroforestry; silvopastoral; targeted subsidies; GIS; MaxEnt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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