This presentation was delivered by Terry Sunderland (CIFOR) at the World Forestry Congress in Durban.

1. XIV WFC
World Forestry Congress
Forests and People: Investing in a Sustainable Future
ST3 Session
Role of agroforestry and trees outside
forests in integrated land use
9 September, 14:30-16:15

2. The contribution of forests and trees to food production in
the tropics: a systematic review working paper
James Reed, Samson Foli, Josh van Vianen, Jessica Clendenning, Gillian
Petrokofsky, Christine Paddoch & Terry Sunderland
Presented by:
Terry Sunderland
Principal Scientist, Centre for International Forestry Research, Indonesia

3. Rationale for this review
• Ecosystem services (ES) are regarded as the structure
and functions of terrestrial and marine ecosystems that
result in both goods and services being produced that
contribute to support human wellbeing.
• The last three decades has seen an exponential rise in
ecosystem service related publications.
• This study will assess the literature base for both the
positive aspects (ES) and negative functions (EDS)
rendered to agriculture from forests, trees and
agroforestry.

4. Preliminary results

5. Lessons learned
• The temporal and spatial scales of the studies identified in this
review point to clear gaps in the current understanding of the
contribution of forest and trees to agriculture
• The majority of studies were conducted in AFS < 4Ha. and
over < 3 year study periods
• The majority of studies showed an overall net positive effect of
tree presence on one or more of the following parameters;
yield, resource maintenance, biodiversity and income
• Findings reveal that the provisioning of forest ecosystem
services to food production do not act in isolation and a range
of potential outcomes and trade-offs should be considered in
management strategies