Agroforestry status, services, and its role in climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration under semi-arid conditions

Agroforestry systems play a dynamic role in sequestering atmospheric carbon to keep the environment safe and provide various benefits such as food, fodder, fuel wood, increased farm income, biodiversity maintenance, and soil conservation. The present study assessed agroforestry's status, services, and role in climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration in three districts of Punjab, Pakistan: Chiniot, Faisalabad, and Sargodha. In the current study, the administrative geographical division, which is the village, union council, Tehsil, and district, was considered for sampling. Field visits were carried out in 175 rural union councils of 14 Tehsils of selected districts to collect socio-economic data through validated questionnaires and tree inventory data to estimate carbon stocks. Research results revealed that most of the respondents in the study area were middle-aged, had about 8–10 years of education, and had less than 5 hectares of landholding. Nearly 34 % to 36 % of farmers earned 359.59 to 1438.37 USD annually, with farming as a major income source. Linear planting was the dominant form of agroforestry, with P. deltoides, D. sissoo, and E. camaldulensis being major tree species. The current number of trees ha^-1 was 19–25, while the potential trees ha^-1 could be 57–72 in the study area. Across 14 tehsils of selected districts, the maximum total tree carbon stock (8.97 Mg ha^-1) and total tree CO₂ sequestration (32.21 Mg ha^-1) was estimated in Tehsil Lalian of district Chiniot while the lowest total tree carbon stock (1.82 Mg ha^-1) and total tree CO₂ sequestration (7.34 Mg ha^-1) were estimated in Tehsil Faisalabad of district Faisalabad. The results of this study highlight that the eco-friendly advantages of agroforestry can be used to improve approvals and strategies on the selection and management of tree species, along with land use systems for designing effective carbon sequestration projects in Pakistan.