Agroforestry is the practice of combining agricultural crops or livestock with trees and shrubs. It is a great example of agroecology in action.
Agroforestry provides healthier soil, higher yields and vital homes for wildlife.
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There are around 3.2M ha of woodland in the UK. This is set to increase substantially over the coming years due to a range of policy, social, environmental and commercial drivers, including Net Zero, Biodiversity Net Gain, ELMs, Local nature recovery plans and carbon trading.
The Farming and Land Use Team at the Soil Association have a specialist knowledge of all UK agricultural sectors as well as in depth understanding of organic and agroecological food production systems. Our goal is to support organic and non-organic farmers alike to transition towards more sustainable practices.
The Forestry Commission increases the value of woodlands to society and the environment. It is a non-ministerial government department.
Devon silvopasture 12-year on-farm trial including site at Rothamsted's North Wyke
regenagri is an international regenerative agriculture program for securing the health of the land and the wealth of those who live on it.
Series of videos exploring agroecology produced by a partnership funded by Scottish Government.
Download a copy of the guide to Agroforestry from the Soil Association website below.
FABulous Farmers is a European project supporting farmers in the transition to more agroecological practices on their farms. Soil Association are delivering activity in 3 UK pilot regions – South West England, West Midlands and Wales, with the National Trust leading activity in the East England. The project aims to reduce reliance on external inputs, like chemical fertilisers and pesticides, by encouraging the use of methods and interventions that increase the farm’s Functional AgroBiodiversity (FAB). These are targeted measures of biodiversity in and around the field to improve pollination, pest management, soil and water quality on the farmland.
Agroforestry has the power to improve biodiversity and soil health, cut carbon emissions and produce healthy nutritious food and sustainable timber. Do you want to create resilient and productive farm and food systems? Then this show is for you. The Agroforestry Show is the first of its kind aimed at bringing together farmers, foresters, tree surgeons, growers, graziers, advisors, funders, food businesses and agroforesters!
Silvopasture is a form of agroforestry where trees are deliberately planted to be part of a farms livestock system. Three tree planting designs are being trialled as part of a field lab investigating the benefits of agroforestry.
A discussion on how to make silvo-horticultual agroforestry work
What is silvopasture? Silvopasture is a form of agroforestry where trees are deliberately planted to be part of a farms livestock system. Three tree planting designs are being trialled as part of a field lab investigating the benefits of agroforestry.
In Devon, a group of six farmers and Rothamsted’s North Wyke research farm have teamed up through Innovative Farmers to form the Devon Silvopasture Network.
Tree-planting is a key part of the UK government’s plan to reach net zero by 2050, with a commitment to plant 30,000 hectares of new woodland every year. But where will all these trees go, and how can we ensure food production is maintained?
Silvopasture is a form of agroforestry where trees are deliberately planted to be part of a farms livestock system. Three tree planting designs are being trialled as part of a field lab investigating the benefits of agroforestry.
PGMs are fertilisers from perennial plant material. In this Innovative Farmers webinar we discuss how the system can work best for growers
Cobalt is an essential trace element for sheep used to make vitamin B12 which supports growth. However, cobalt deficiency (also known as ill thrift/pine) can be common in weaned lambs. This can cause significant production losses even at a sub clinical level due to poor growth rates. Innovative Farmers are launching a new field lab where farmers will be feeding willow to lambs and measuring their cobalt levels against a control group, coordinated by Soil Association with University of Nottingham as researchers. An Agroforestry Learning Network will be run alongside the trials, managed by the Soil Association, discussing the practicalities of feeding willow to lambs.
Silvopastoral agroforestry – integrating shelterbelts, hedgerows or in-field trees with grazing livestock – can provide domestic animals with benefits, including shelter and shade, as well as supplementing their diets as tree browse or fodder.
Agroforestry systems, where productive trees are integrated into agricultural land, can deliver benefits to biodiversity, natural pest control, and pollination.
Join us on a farm walk to explore how silvopasture has been incorporated onto this Biodynamic and organic mixed farm.
The Policy Brief, written by Colin Tosh, is based on evidence presented in, and feedback to the online workshop held 20/10/2021.
Written for farmers and advisors this book will help you assess the potential business benefits of agroforestry for your farm or client and to understand the possible benefits to the wider environment.
Trees – what role could they play in helping reduce emissions in our food system? Prof Heiko Balzter (University of Leicester) and one our Champions last year, has synthesised research on agroforestry in this report – Agroforestry as a tool for net zero in the UK.
Thinking about agroforestry? Then we have the event for "ewe."
Rural Policy Centre Research Briefing.
In this surgery LEAF will be considering how economic, practical and cultural factors could influence wide-scale agroforestry across the UK farming landscape.
The deliberate integration of biomass crops into agroforestry systems can deliver a wide range of environmental benefits including improving soil health, carbon sequestration, enhancing biodiversity, and improving water quality.
‘Management to Promote Flowering Understoreys Benefits Natural Enemy Diversity, Aphid Suppression and Income in an Agroforestry System,’
Because successful and sustainable agroforestry practices are best developed by farmers and land owners working in partnership with researchers, extension staff, and other rural businesses, AGFORWARD used a participatory approach to ensure the effective involvement of all these stakeholders. These leaflets provide summaries of key innovations to systems.
Based on substantial field experience, Philippe Van Lerberghe with colleagues from the French Agroforestry Association, the World Agroforestry Centre and the other AGFORWARD partners has created 10 "Agroforestry Best Practice" leaflets.
This resource from Farm Consultancy Group describes one method for implementing an agroforestry livestock system.
Silvoarable systems are farming systems that integrate trees with arable cropping.
Join the team at Kindling Farm to see how they set up the agroforestry system on their 77 acre community owned farm.
Celebrating the growing global community of Agroforestry farms and farming – a farmer-led iniative, not a commercial event – no sponsors involved!
This 2018 report covers benefits agroforestry in England can provide to farmers and the environment as well as barriers to uptake, case studies, and recommendations.
Nathan Richards of Troed Y Rhiw farm, Ceredigion, will talk to us about a particular aspect of agroforestry under cover, using stone fruit.
