Agriculture plays a significant role in greenhouse gas emissions, while also facing increasing pressure from extreme weather and changing conditions. Finding ways to produce food while protecting the land is critical to long-term sustainability.
Researchers at the University of Alberta have spent more than a decade developing and testing practical land management approaches that integrate trees, crops, and livestock. Their work focuses on agroforestry systems such as shelterbelts, hedgerows, and silvopasture, along with innovations like applying biochar to agricultural soils. Together, these approaches improve soil health, increase carbon storage, and reduce emissions across working landscapes.
Across central Alberta, these systems already store nearly 700 million tonnes of carbon over 9.5 million hectares of land. Expanding practices like shelterbelt planting presents a significant opportunity to further increase carbon storage while strengthening the resilience and productivity of agricultural systems for generations to come.
