A deeper understanding of human-nature reciprocity is required for transformative change to safeguard biodiversity. In the face of widespread loss of farmland biodiversity and ecosystem services, evidence on how farm trees provide multiple benefits to people, and how the latter take care of the trees, can provide a nuanced example of such relationships, and illustrate how reciprocal relations can foster biocultural diversity in agricultural landscapes. In this study, we applied the reciprocity framework to appraise reciprocal relations between farmers and three farm tree species - toddy palm, jujube and thanakha - in Myanmar's Central Dry Zone. We appraised the livelihood benefits of farm trees and farmers' stewardship actions through reciprocity - by interviewing 47 farmers with rich experience and knowledge about the selected species. Our findings emphasize the role of relational values and livelihood benefits in enhancing reciprocity and highlight the importance of stewardship actions for conserving biocultural diversity. We further identify potential strategies to overcome barriers to sustaining reciprocity and argue that governmental and political interventions - capacity building of farmers, promoting livelihood benefits and cultural importance - in farm tree stewardship are needed to build more resilience in biocultural diversity and enhance the reciprocal relations of people and farm trees. Our study advances the literature on reciprocity and biocultural conservation, with nuanced insights into how reciprocity between humans and farm trees can foster transformative change in central Myanmar, and thus holds potential to inform the conservation of biocultural diversity in similar dryland food-production landscapes.