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Since the second North American Agroforestry Conference (NAAC) (Garrett, 1991), there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of biophysical and socioeconomic agroforestry research in the United States and Canada. This is directly reflected in the chapters within this third edition of North American Agroforestry along with other recently published works and edited volumes (Gordon et al., 2018; Mosquera‐Losada & Prabhu, 2019; Schoeneberger et al., 2017). The 16th NAAC was held in 2019 and showcased a substantial amount of interdisciplinary research focused on specific opportunities where agroforestry practices can be applied. Temperate agroforestry research is regularly being reported at workshops and special sessions sponsored by professional societies, e.g., see recent abstracts of sessions at the American Society of Agronomy, Ecological Society of America, Society of American Foresters, and government agencies (e.g., USDA, 2019), along with active international conferences and symposia in Europe and elsewhere (Dupraz, Gosme, & Lawson, 2019). More scientific publications are appearing in a wider variety of scientific journals in addition to Agroforestry Systems (e.g., Forest Ecology and Management; Society and Natural Resources; Agronomy Journal; Plant and Soil; Sustainability; Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment; and the Journal of Environmental Quality).

Previously considered to be a new, interdisciplinary, applied science, agroforestry used to be equated with being professionally “vague” and “non‐rigorous” by many working in more narrow scientific disciplines. However, the biennial NAAC, European Agroforestry conferences (EURAF), and the breadth and depth of the scientific literature are helping to change this situation by raising the professional recognition of those working in domestic agroforestry.

The volume of quality agroforestry research has increased dramatically in the past four decades, helping to support the application of agroforestry domestically. While the science of agroforestry lacks the full spectrum of understanding necessary to assure the successful widespread implementation of most agroforestry practices (e.g., information about specific species’ responses to site characteristics, economics of production through time), a substantial body of research information has been developed and is increasing annually. Advances in both the biophysical and socioeconomic understanding of agroforestry practices is helping to reduce both biological and financial risks for producers.

Agroforestry scientists have found grant support through the many programs within the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the nation’s leading competitive grants program for the agricultural sciences. The NIFA awards AFRI research, education, and extension grants to improve rural economies, increase food production, stimulate the bioeconomy, mitigate the impacts of climate variability, address water availability issues, ensure food safety and security, enhance human nutrition, and train the next generation of the agricultural workforce. Multiple federal agencies and programs including NIFA, the USDA–AMS, USDA–ARS, Farm Service Agency, U.S. Forest Service, NRCS, SARE, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, and National Institutes of Health all support facets of the science and application of agroforestry.

Agroforestry researchers have had particular funding success through USDA SARE grants and USDA–AMS Specialty Crop Block Grants. With rare exceptions, grant funding opportunities are competitive and, in light of constantly diminishing support for higher education, the competition for federal grant dollars is fierce—often funding <10% of submitted proposals. In this light, what is currently lacking is a dedicated research funding program specifically targeted to support agroforestry.