Aims <p>Agroforestry systems have been shown to be a crucial part of sustainable agriculture in the face of the problems of hunger, climate change, and environmental degradation. A field experiment was conducted in the years 2019–2023 at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar to explore the soil health and yield performance of different winter crops like wheat, mustard and berseem under the influence of the eucalyptus based cropping systems.</p> Methods <p>The cropping systems evaluated were greengram–wheat, greengram–mustard, blackgram–wheat, and cowpea–berseem under eucalyptus (<i>Eucalyptus tereticornis</i>) plantations. Measurements included eucalyptus growth and timber volume, winter crop yield, and key soil properties comprising bulk density, soil organic carbon stock, macronutrient status, and soil carbon sequestration rate, all compared against an open (treeless) control.</p> Results <p>Eucalyptus plantations under the greengram–mustard cropping system exhibited superior tree growth and the highest timber volume of 0.805 m³&#xa0;ha⁻¹. The yield of all winter crops except mustard across all eucalyptus-based cropping systems showed a significant 7.13 to 9.42% reduction compared to the open control. Soil properties, including bulk density, soil organic carbon stock, macronutrient status, and soil carbon sequestration rate, improved significantly under eucalyptus plantations, particularly in the blackgram–wheat cropping system. The greengram–mustard cropping systems resulted in higher tree biomass productivity and greater carbon accumulation and CO₂ mitigation.</p> Conclusions <p>Thus, the greengram–mustard and blackgram–wheat cropping systems resulted in greater tree biomass productivity, enhanced carbon accumulation, and higher estimated CO₂ sequestration, which contributed to improved crop productivity and long-term maintenance of soil fertility under the eucalyptus-based agroforestry system.</p>