Research approaches to the social aspects of Agroforestry: A suggestive primer

This article is a primer on the sociology of Agrofor­estry (AF). It raises some preliminary discussions on the issue by tracing the basic research areas, approaches, principles and manifestations of AF as a social concept. Five major sociological research approaches to AF have been discussed including the analyses of roles, relations, insti­tutions, functions, structures, and the processes of inte­gration and fragmentation. The major social features of the traditional AF systems of south Asia have been identified which, as the paper argues, are of major significance and relevance for the present time. The paper ends with an exhortation for more social research on AF.