Green Economy agenda of Rio+20 for the ‘The Future We Want” should evolve to recognize the contribution of agro-forestry to agriculture habitat and food security, nutrient recycling, renewable energy, wasteland restoration, soil stabilization and water phytoremediation. Policy level leadership, strategic planning and stakeholder stewardship should motivate farm-foresters and their private-public partners to support green economy through productive propagation and sustainable harvesting of agro-forests, backstopped by valorization and certification of their products, REDD related remuneration, and payment of ecosystems services.

The paper highlights green economy policy paradigms pertinent to agroforestry and trees outside forests for inclusive and equitable economic growth, green jobs, business and industry, cultural, economic, environmental and social dimensions. For their integration into policy planning and decision making, it draws upon data, case studies and model examples globally. It demonstrates and introspects upon policies and institutions required to ensure holistic agro-forests for optimal landscape management and sustainable farming systems, so that the revisited green economy addresses the global rush for land, water, energy, food, forests and related renewable resources.

Agroforestry offers opportunities for harnessing the demographic dividend in the South and provides a resilient integrated landscape approach for biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction and for combating climate change, land degradation, deforestation, food insecurity and malnutrition. With futuristic policy perspectives, global green economy can prosper in harmony with humanity and the environment, inter-alia, through multi-functional agro-forests planted and propagated by the people, for the people, privately and publicly.

Keywords: Agro-forests, Certification, Climate Change, Ecosystems Services, Food Security, Integrated Landscape, Livelihoods, Soil & Water, Sustainable Development Goals

Dr. Maharaj K Muthoo, President, AGRFOR & Roman Forum, Via Teosebio 44, 00124 Rome, Italy  muthoo@rforum.org; mmuthoo@hotmail.com