The climate and ecosystem service benefits of forests and trees for agriculture is a comprehensive technical document published collaboratively by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Conservation International (CI), and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 2025. It synthesizes scientific evidence on how forests and trees support agriculture through climate regulation, water cycle management, enhancing crop and rural worker resilience, biodiversity benefits, and ecosystem services that improve agricultural productivity and sustainability.
Key insights
- Forests and trees play a critical role in regulating climate at multiple scales by moderating temperatures, sustaining rainfall, and reducing drought impacts, which directly supports agricultural productivity and resilience.
- Forest loss, especially in tropical areas, significantly increases local temperatures and heat stress, negatively affecting both crop yields and rural worker health; conversely, restoring forests can reverse these trends.
- Forests contribute to water cycle regulation by improving soil moisture, water quality, and flow timing, which are essential for rainfed and irrigated agriculture.
- Forests provide ecosystem services such as pollination, pest control, soil nutrient cycling, erosion control, and supply of mulch and fodder, enhancing crop yields and supporting sustainable agricultural landscapes.
- Integrated landscape governance and policy are necessary to optimize forest-agriculture synergies, manage trade-offs, and support rural livelihoods and food security amidst climate change.
