Tropical agroforestry systems make an important contribution to mitigating the effects of climate change and conserving biodiversity. Despite the scientific gaps regarding the ecosystem services of these particular ecosystems, understanding how tropical agroforestry systems work is essential if we are to take full advantage of the ecosystem services they provide. Although there has been a boom in the study of the ecosystem services provided by agroforestry systems, few syntheses are structuring this knowledge in the context of the challenges posed by climate change. This study aims to analyse global trends in agroforestry-related ecosystem services and their implications for climate change mitigation based on a bibliometric analysis of 1965 articles published between 1992 and 2022 and extracted from the Scopus database. These extracted data were analysed using the Biobliometrix R tool to examine sources, authors and documents. The results reveal a notable increase in interest in agroforestry’s ecosystem services, coupled with a rise in international collaborations, especially among African countries, Germany, and France. These partnerships reflect a shared commitment to understanding agroforestry systems and developing sustainable solutions. Furthermore, our analysis identifies key research themes, guiding future studies. Ecosystem services, climate dynamics, and biodiversity emerge as central aspects of agroforestry research. The findings highlight agroforestry’s multiple benefits, particularly its role in adapting to and mitigating climate change while significantly contributing to biodiversity conservation. A thorough evaluation of agroforestry systems is, therefore, crucial to developing innovative, integrated strategies that address current environmental and climate challenges.

Understanding urban growth dynamics is essential for sustainable land management and planning. Contrary to the widely accepted global model that assumes a sequential transition from diffusion to coalescence, this study provides empirical evidence that these processes can occur simultaneously in rapidly transforming urban systems. However, such non-linear growth patterns remain insufficiently documented, especially in Sub-Saharan secondary cities. This study investigates the rapid expansion of Abomey-Calavi, a secondary city in Benin shaped by demographic pressures resulting from Cotonou’s urban overflow and rural migration. Landsat imagery from 1988 to 2023 was classified using a supervised maximum likelihood algorithm, and landscape metrics including the Urban Expansion Intensity Index \(\:\left(UEII\right)\) and patch analysis were applied to quantify spatial and morphological transformations along the urban-rural gradient. Results reveal a tenfold increase in built-up areas, from 2,213 ha in 1988 to 23,601 ha in 2023, largely replacing vegetation/fields, which declined by 45%. The mean annual urban growth rate reached 6.11%, with \(\:UEII\) values indicating a shift from medium speed on 1988–2001 to high-speed expansion on 2001–2023. Spatial processes were dominated by new patch creation and vegetation dissection. Growth modes varied by distance, with coalescence within 3 km of the core generated dense urban clusters, while diffusion beyond 6 km characterized peri-urban zones. This simultaneous operation of diffusion and coalescence challenges conventional sequential models. The findings highlight Abomey-Calavi’s role as a major receptor of metropolitan spillover and provide critical insights for managing land conversion and infrastructure in fast-growing African secondary cities.