Methodological trends for the implementation of agroforestry systems in the sustainable development framework: a review

The objective of this work was to establish methodological trends in research on agroforestry systems (AFS), identifying dimensions, approaches, designs, and environmental variables that are implemented in their development. A systematic literature review of worldwide studies published between 2000 and 2020 was carried out. Citation frequency was applied to estimate which dimensions, approaches, designs, and environmental variables were mainly used in the studies. Chi-square analysis identified the significant association between designs, dimensions, and environmental variables; and a non-hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to establish the distribution of research regarding geographical areas, dimensions, and designs. Four research dimensions were detected: ecological, social, economic, and systemic. The approaches with the highest citation in the studies were: land use (0.823), forest management (0.784), community development (0.667), biodiversity conservation (0.604), rural development (0.585), and climate change (0.680). Agroforestry designs were grouped into sequential (70.0%) and simultaneous (90.0%); and the environmental variables: edaphological (84.0%), biotic (70.0%), and socioeconomic (60.0%) were the most cited in research. The cluster analysis determined that the systemic dimension was developed in Africa (50.0%), Asia (26.92%) and Europe (23.07%); the ecological in America (50.0%) and Asia (30.01%); the social in Africa (33.3%); and the economic in Asia (10.2%). In conclusion, the systemic dimension predominated in the review, highlighting the sustainable character of AFS. In addition, the approaches, designs, and variables with the highest number of citations respond to the productive needs of communities and the ecological characteristics of the ecosystems where these technologies are managed.