Agrofestry systems in the Ethiopian highlands and valleys are growing fruits, vegetables, corn, tree crops, fodder with animals like chickens roaming in between. In contrast to monocultures in conventional agriculture, the combination of crops with trees in agroforestry systems provides an array of positive effects, especially in regard to soil protection, erosion prevention and biodiversity. These systems show that the combination of agriculture and forestry can provide farmers with yields from ample sources whilst maintaining the land with a sustainable practice.

The following images show examples of  agroforestry systems in practice in different locations in Ethiopia. These pictures were taken during a research stay at the Slope Farming Project in Arba Minch. Click on the hotspots to learn more about the synergies in this agroforestry system!

A garden lot with a variety of fruits and vegetables in the Catholic Mission of Arba Minch, Ethiopia.

Moringa trees and Mango trees are incorporated into a banana plantation in the rural area around Arba Minch, Ethiopia.

Subsistence farmers are growing corn in the highlands around Arba Minch, Ethiopia.

A silk factory, which is producing its own silkform fodder intercropped with some fruit trees in Arba Minch, Ethiopia.

A backyard of a family house producing some crops together with chickens in the highlands, Chencha, Ethiopia.

A small mountain village named Koira, Ethiopia, where all crops are grown in diverse multi-species systems including trees.

Vegetables and apple trees are grown together in a small farming plot in the highlands of Chencha, Ethiopia.