Intro
Agroforestry systems include both traditional and modern land-use systems where trees are managed together with crops and/or animal production systems in agricultural settings. These systems have the potential to increase ecosystem services -including soil carbon sequestration, water retention, erosion control, soil nutrients, pollination, pest- and disease-control – and biodiversity, while improving farming productivity, profitability and sustainability of farmers’ incomes. Implementation of agroforestry in Europe needs to be boosted in order to maximise this potential.
Scope
– Design agroforestry systems for climate change
– Develop methods and indicators for agroforestry systems
– Develop models and tools adapted to real farm conditions
– Enhance quantification of the contribution of agroforestry to ecosystem services underpinning climate change and to increased biodiversity
– Improve knowledge of the economic, environmental and social performance of agroforestry systems and their contribution to sustainable food and feed / non-food biomass production
– Develop a model to measure the impact of policies on agroforestry
– Design and implement a plan to boost networking and R&I support to agroforestry at regional level
– Develop a training package and guidelines to support farmers in designing business plans linked to value chain development
Objective
– Improved qualitative and quantitative data availability of the contribution of agroforestry to climate change, soil conservation and (agro-)biodiversity and to greater economic, environmental and social sustainability of farming
– Improved configuration and management of agroforestry systems
– Enhanced capacities of various actors to measure the economic, environmental and social performance of agroforestry
– Robust European agroforestry innovation ecosystem
