AUTHOR=Comolli Luis R. , Schegg Esteban , Infuleski Cristian , Munareto Nestor , Fassola Hugo , von Wallis Alejandra , Bulfe Nardia M. , González Paola , Barth Sara R. , Gauchat María Elena , Wyss Fabio TITLE=Implementing a sustainable integrated agroforestry system for the cultivation of Ilex paraguariensis JOURNAL=Frontiers in Forests and Global Change VOLUME=7 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2024.1424174 DOI=10.3389/ffgc.2024.1424174 ISSN=2624-893X ABSTRACT=
In this work, we advocate agroforestry as a sustainable agricultural method that leverages biodiversity and ecosystem services, simultaneously tackling the problems of adaptation and mitigation to climate change, and of land restoration for sustainable agriculture across scales. While the rise of industrial agriculture has been instrumental in addressing the food demands of an expanding global population, enhancing food quality, yield, productivity, and efficiency, we must now reckon with the consequences. This advancement, which prioritizes simplification, specialization, and external inputs, has escalated detrimental externalities including deforestation, biodiversity loss, soil degradation, pollution, and an increase in greenhouse gases, contributing significantly to global warming and to exacerbated environmental crises. These demand urgent attention. In response, various agricultural methodologies such as organic, biodynamic, ecological, and biological farming have emerged, attempting to propose alternatives. However, these methods have yet to significantly alter the trajectory of mainstream agriculture. For over two decades, we have devoted our efforts to developing and refining a multispecies integrated agroforestry system for the sustainable cultivation of