P. K. Ramachandran Nair, Distinguished Professor (Emeritus) at the University of Florida, is a pioneer in the academic field of agroforestry. He has made outstanding contributions to the development of the subject worldwide during the past 50 years such that the name PK Nair has become almost synonymous with agroforestry. Nair started his career as a multiple cropping agronomist at the plantation (tree) crops research institute in his native Kerala, India. In 1978 he became a founding member and a lead scientist of ICRAF (World Agroforestry), a CGIAR center, in Kenya. He joined the University of Florida in 1987, where he taught agroforestry and conducted and coordinated research in the subject for 32 years, and retired to Emeritus status in 2019. Nair holds six doctoral degrees - two earned and four honoris causa - and has worked in five continents. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, and the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India. His numerous other recognitions include the IUFRO Scientific Achievement Award, Research Award of the Society of American Foresters, Fulbright Distinguished Chair Award, and the Humboldt Prize, Germany.

B. Mohan Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of Arunachal University of Studies, India, is a leading researcher in agroforestry. Earlier, he held several leadership positions in India such as the Assistant Director General (Agronomy, Agroforestry & Climate Change), ICAR; Professor and Dean (Ecology & Environment Studies), Nalanda Univ; and Associate Dean (Forestry), Kerala Agric Univ. He also held visiting professorships at the Univ of Missouri, USA; Univ of Toulouse (CNRS Visitor); Bangor Univ, UK (Erasmus Mundus Scholar); Univ of Tokyo, Japan (IR3S Visiting Fellow); Univ of Florida, USA (Fulbright Award); Tokyo Univ of Agric & Tech, Japan (JSPS Scholar); Utah State Univ, USA (USAID Sponsorship); and several universities in Indonesia. He has published extensively on agroforestry and has received the first Dr. KG Tejwani Award for Excellence in Agroforestry Research & Development in India. Kumar is an Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India; National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India; National Institute of Ecology, India; and the Kerala Academy of Sciences.

Vimala D. Nair, Research Professor with the Soil and Water Sciences Department, is a long-term faculty collaborator in the Agroforestry Program at the University of Florida. After her PhD in soil biogeochemistry from the University of Göttingen, Germany, she conducted research and taught at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, for several years before joining the University of Florida in the late 1980s. Her contributions to the development and application of the phosphorus saturation ratio for Florida soils have earned her international recognition. Her special areas of contributions to agroforestry research include the role of agroforestry in soil carbon sequestration, water quality and environmental protection, and the use of biochar in soil management. She has traveled widely and conducted training courses and collaborative research in several countries. Vimala Nair is a courtesy faculty member at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) as well as the American Society of Agronomy, and the recipient of the SSSA 2021 Soil Science Research Award that recognizes outstanding research contributions in soil science.

Relevant for the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 Zero Hunger and 15 Life on Land

State of the art synthesis of the science of agroforestry

Amply illustrated. Includes synthesis and references for each chapter

Preface.- Section I. Introduction.- 1. Historical developments: the coming of age of agroforestry.- References.- 2. Agroforestry: definition, concepts, and principles.- 2.1. Evolution of Definitions.- 2.2. Common Definitions.- 2.3. Concepts, Principles, and Attributes of Agroforestry.- 2.4. Other Agroforestry-Related Land-Use Systems.- References.- 3. Classification of agroforestry systems.- 3.1. Based on Structure of Systems (Arrangement of Components).- 3.2. Based on Function of Systems.- 3.3. Based on Ecological and Geographical Regions.- 3.4. Based on Socioeconomic Criteria.- 3.5. A Framework for Classification.- References.- Section II. Agroforestry systems and practices.- 4. Agroforestry systems and practices: an overview.- 4.1. The Tropical Environment and Land Use Systems.- 4.2. Major Agroforestry Systems in the Tropics.- 4.4. The Temperate Environment and Land Use Systems.- 4.5. Major Agroforestry Systems in the Temperate Regions.- 4.6. Tropical vs. Temperate Agroforestry Systems.- 4.7. Geographical Distribution and Area under Agroforestry.- References.- 5. Shifting cultivation, taungya, and improved fallows.- 5.1. System Overview.- 5.2. Soil Management and Shifting Cultivation.- 5.3. The Evolution of Planted Fallows.- 5.4. Improved Tree Fallows.- References.- 6. Tropical homegardens.- 6.1. History and Evolution.- 6.2. Ecology and Structure.- 6.3. Major Tropical Homegarden Systems [Homegardens of Kerala (India), Indonesia, Polynesia, East Africa, Central America].- 6.4. Research on Homegarden Systems.- References.- 7. Shaded perennial multistrata systems.- 7.1. Shaded Perennial Crops.- 7.2. Smallholder Systems with Coconuts: A Notable Example of Integrated Land-Use.- 7.3. Shaded Coffee Systems.- 7.4. Other Major Shaded Perennial Agroforestry Systems: with Tea, Cacao, Tree spices, etc.- 7.5. Multistory Spice- and Fruit Tree Gardens.- References.- 8. Tropical alley cropping and tree fallows.- 8.1. Trajectory of Evolution: From Shifting Cultivation to Alley Cropping.- 8.2. Three Decades of Experience with Tropical Alley Cropping.- References.- 9. Silvopastoral systems.- 9.1. System Overview.- 9.2. Fodder Trees and Tree Fodder in the Tropics.- 9.3. Extensive Grazing Systems in Arid and Semiarid Tropics.- 9.4. Silvopastoral Systems in North America.- 9.5. Silvopstoral Ssystems in Europe.- 9.6. Silvopastoral Systems in Latin America.- References.- 10. Agroforestry in the temperate zone.- 10.1. Agroforestry as an Integrated Land-Use Strategy in the Industrialized Regions.- 10.2. Major Agroforestry Practices in North America [Alley Cropping, Forest Farming, Riparian Buffers, Silvopasture, Windbreaks].- 10.3. Agroforestry Systems in Europe.- 10.4. Agroforestry Systems in the Mediterranean Region.- 10.2. Agroforestry Systems in Southern (Temperate) Latitudes.- 11. Other agroforestry systems and practices.- 11.1. Agroforestry for Firewood Production.- 11.2. Agroforestry for Soil Conservation.- 11.3. Agroforestry and Landscape Restoration.- 11.4. Cinderella (Little-known) Agroforestry Systems and Species.- 11.5. Other Agroforestry-related Land Use Systems.- References.- Section III. Biophysical foundations of agroforestry: plant productivity.- 12. General principles of plant productivity.- 12.1. Photosynthesis.- 12.2. Plant Productivity.- 12.3. Manipulation of Photosynthesis in Agroforestry.- References.- 13. Agroforestry (plant) species.- 13.1. Multipurpose Trees and Shrubs (MPTs) in Agroforestry.- 13.2. Perennial Herbaceous Species in Agroforestry.- 13.2. Annual Herbaceous Species in Agroforestry Systems.- 13.3. Species Selection for Agroforestry.- References.- Appendix: Short Descriptions of Multipurpose Trees and Shrubs (MPTs) commonly used in Agroforestry Systems.- 14. Component (plant) interactions in agroforestry.- 14.1. Principles of Ecological Interactions in Mixed Plant Communities (Niche Complementarity, Resource Competition, Competitive Exclusion).- 14.2. Positive (Production-Enhancing) Interactions.- 14.3. Negative (Production-Decreasing) Interactions.- 14.4. Management of Interactions.- References.- Section IV. Biophysical foundations of agroforestry: soil productivity and protection.- 15. Major soil types and their properties: an overview.- 15.1. Physical Properties.- 15.2. Chemical Properties.- 15.3. Soil Biology.- 15.4. Soil Classification: The U.S. Soil Taxonomy and the FAO Legend.- 15.5. Tropical Soils.- References.- 16. Nutrient cycling and soil organic matter.- 16.1. Nutrient Cycling in Tropical Forest Ecosystems.- 16.2. Nutrient Cycling in Agroforestry Systems.- 16.3. Improving Nutrient Cycling Efficiency through Management.- 16.4. Soil Organic Matter.- 16.5. Litter Quality and Decomposition.- 16.6. Trees and Biomass Production.- 16.7. Role of Roots.- 16.8. Conclusions.- References.- 17. Biological nitrogen fixation and nitrogen fixing trees.- 17.1. Rhizobial Plants.- 17.2. Actinorhizal Plants.- 17.3. Estimation of Nitrogen Fixation.- 17.4. Technology for Exploiting Nitrogen-Fixing Trees in Agroforestry.- 17.5. Trends in N2 Fixation Research in Agroforestry.- References.- 18. Soil conservation.- 18.1. Changing Concepts and Trends.- 18.2. Measurement of Soil Erosion.- 18.3. Effect of Agroforestry on Erosion Factors.- 18.4. Trees as Windbreaks and Shelterbelts.- 18.5. Erosion Control through Agroforestry in Practice.- References.- Section V. Environmental protection and ecosystem services of agroforestry.- 19. Carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation.- 19.1. Climate Change and Global Warming: An Overview.- 19.2. Carbon Sequestration.- 19.3. Field Measurements of Carbon Sequestration under Agroforestry Systems.- 19.4. Agroforestry as a strategy for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation.- References.- 20. Other ecosystem services of agroforestry systems.- 20.1. Agroforestry as "biodiversity cool spots".- 20.2. Role of agroforestry in in addressing the threats to agrobiodiversity.- 20.3. Agroforestry and water-quality.- 20.3. Agroforestry and ecosystem resilience.- 20. 4. Agroforestry and Other Provisioning, Regulating, and Cultural services.- References.- Section VI. Evaluation of agroforestry systems.- 21.1. Productivity Evaluation.- 21.2. Sustainability Evaluation.- 21.3. Adoptability Evaluation.- 21.4. Social, Cultural, and Economic Valuation.- References.- 22. Agroforestry and land management in the future.- 22.1. Costs and Benefits.- 22.2. Needed: A Strong Policy Framework for Agroforestry at Various Levels.- 22.3. Future Scenarios.- Glossary.- SI Units and Conversion Factors.- List of Acronyms and Abbreviations.- Subject Index.