project - Research and innovation

Agroforestry at the forefront of farming sustainability in multifunctional landscapes in Europe

Project identifier: 2022HE_101060635_ReForest
Ongoing | 2022 - 2026 Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom
Ongoing | 2022 - 2026 Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom

Context

In Europe, agroforestry represents a historical land use, developed and practised over centuries by smallholders needing multiple outputs from the same piece of land. The invention of mechanised, and later modern, agriculture, has rapidly eroded the patchwork of fields, tree rows, hedges, and farm woodlands scattered across the European landscape. We now know that the presence of trees within farming landscapes delivers many ecosystem services, the benefits of which have been lost due to the relentless drive for high-input conventional production to guarantee food security in Europe and the pursuit of economies of scale. 

The current shift towards improving the environmental sustainability of food production (e.g., the European Green Deal) and the international effort to mitigate environmental change have resulted in an increased emphasis on multi-objective farming. Farmers must farm for food, carbon and biodiversity - in the same space and often simultaneously. Agroforestry is uniquely suited to answer this challenge: we already have a strong evidence base of its ability to concurrently deliver multiple ecosystem services from a single plot of land - food production included. 

A single question then pushes to the fore – why is every farmer not practising it? This proposal focuses on finding solutions to overcome the main barriers to agroforestry expansion in Europe. We aim to foster innovative knowledge exchange and provide novel solutions to empower farmers in Europe and associated countries to deliver multiple objectives: food production, carbon capture, and biodiversity.

Objectives

REFOREST uses existing knowledge of temperate agroforestry systems to co-create solutions to key barriers that hinder wider adoption of agroforestry by farmers in the EU and associated countries. The strategic objective of ReForest is to enhance agroforestry and the sustainability of food production by internalising the value of carbon and biodiversity in agroforestry business models. The project uses an open science approach to represent the real-world ecological, economic and social potential and limitations of agroforestry within decision making, verification, and financial support tools.

Activities

The ReForest project aims to make agroforestry more attractive to European farmers by using a multi-actor, co-creation approach. This enhances regional and local expertise and knowledge. We establish a stakeholder engagement platform to connect networks of interested parties, share best practices, and involve regional authorities, institutions, and national policy experts. We expand existing agroforestry, agriculture, and forestry networks to integrate food production and tree management expertise. By improving current learning resources and guidelines, we support farmers in incorporating trees into their farm business models. 

To improve the economic sustainability of agroforestry, ReForest involves key actors across the value chain, fostering a new value system for agroforestry products and services. We promote digitalisation to enhance local innovation, providing farmers and small communities access to knowledge and the capacity to overcome current barriers. The engagement platform facilitates idea exchange and co-creation, reinforcing agroforestry as a viable business model. We capture existing agroforestry experiences, allowing farmers to evaluate long-term performance and incorporate additional income streams, such as subsidies, carbon sequestration, tourism, and ecofarming bonuses. 

Using and adapting existing modelling capabilities, we assess the performance of agroforestry systems and co-create metrics for farmers to evaluate productivity and profitability. We explore machine learning for locally adaptable ecosystem service models, facilitating rapid assessment of alternative agroforestry setups. By valuing ecosystem services, we enable informed decision-making by farmers, advisors, and policymakers. Focusing on carbon sequestration and habitat diversity, we combine data from various sources and integrate satellite and UAV imagery with ground-based biodiversity and carbon capture data. This creates an accurate system to describe changes in carbon and biodiversity value in agroforestry systems.

ReForest emphasises carbon sequestration and habitat diversity as key ecosystem services. We engage financial and business development experts to create financial tools linking global impact finance to local agroforestry associations and farmers. By facilitating discussions among farmers, businesses, banks, and governments, we address issues concerning contracting, verification, and payment systems, potentially requiring policy intervention.

Project details
Main funding source
Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
Type of Horizon project
Multi-actor project
Project acronym
ReForest
CORDIS Fact sheet
Project contribution to CAP specific objectives
  • Ensuring a fair income for farmers
  • Improving the position of farmers in the food chain
  • Climate change action
  • Environmental care
  • Preserving landscapes and biodiversity
  • Vibrant rural areas
  • Fostering knowledge and innovation
Project contribution to EU Strategies
  • Achieving climate neutrality
  • Fostering organic farming and/or organic aquaculture, with the aim of increased uptake
  • Reducing nutrient losses and the use of fertilisers, while maintaining soil fertility
  • Improving management of natural resources used by agriculture, such as water, soil and air
  • Protecting and/or restoring of biodiversity and ecosystem services within agrarian and forest systems
  • Bringing back agricultural area under high-diversity landscape features
  • Improving animal welfare

EUR 4 000 000.00

Total budget

Total contributions including EU funding.

EUR 3 600 000.00

EU contribution

Any type of EU funding.

3 Practice Abstracts

Objective: To foster environmental awareness and responsibility among young people by integrating sustainability into the curriculum from an early age, particularly focusing on agroforestry and the impacts of agriculture on the environment.

Result: We utilise the wealth of agroforestry knowledge from the ReForest project to design educational materials tailored to primary education. The resources provided by the project offer a substantive reservoir of agroforestry expertise on many different types of systems in several locations. 

Benefits and  Practical Recommendations:

  • Curriculum Design: Employ the breadth and depth of ReForest's informational resources to structure short curriculum modules specifically designed for primary education, illustrating fundamental agroforestry principles.
  • Narrative and Visual Aids: Utilise narrative storytelling and visual aids linked to ReForest case studies, including illustrations and audiovisual materials, to stimulate intellectual curiosity.
  • Experiential Learning Opportunities: Organise field excursions to agroforestry farms and facilitate collaborative projects within local communities, thereby affording learners firsthand exposure to real-world applications of agroforestry practices.

How to use the results: For educators and pupils alike, the agroforestry knowledge repository created by ReForest embodies an invaluable resource. By integrating sustainability into the curriculum, students gain a deeper understanding of food production and its links to the environment. The ReForest project has created a repository of agroforestry knowledge, which we integrate into primary education curriculum development and experiential learning initiatives.

Objective: In today's agricultural arena, the call to balance profit with planet preservation rings louder than ever. We aim to make farming practices more sustainable by marrying scientific insights with on-the-ground expertise.

Result: FarmTree bridges the gap between theory and practice in design and application of agroforestry. Its innovative features empower farmers and decision-makers to scrutinise agroforestry systems before they are planted in the field.

Benefits and Practical Recommendations:

  • Performance Comparison: Easily evaluate how agroforestry stacks up against traditional monocrop systems across various performance metrics.
  • Tailored Business Planning: Craft personalised agroforestry business plans that optimise profit while enhancing soil health, conserving water, and promoting biodiversity.
  • Transparent Reporting: Communicate your farm's environmental performance to consumers, investors, and policymakers.
  • Landscape Projections: Generate customised landscape projections to bolster watershed management and combat drought and heat stress.
  • Governance Support: Navigate the complexities of agroforestry governance, tapping into FarmTree's tools for online performance sharing and accessing incentives such as environmental subsidies.

How to Use the Results: For farmers and experts, FarmTree is a one-stop solution for transforming agricultural landscapes into thriving ecosystems. By harnessing scientific rigour and user-friendly technology, FarmTree empowers practitioners to make informed decisions that drive profitability while safeguarding the environment. FarmTree can be accessed at www.farmtree.earth.

Objective: Despite the known benefits of agroforestry in enhancing ecosystem services and farm productivity, we aim to create ‘go to’ site for farmers looking for current information and practical tools for designing and managing AF systems effectively.

Result: The ReForest project has developed a comprehensive Knowledge Inventory (KI) that equips European farmers with the latest resources to design and manage effective agroforestry systems. This KI includes a curated collection of practical tools, case studies, and research outputs, enabling farmers to easily access and apply the best available knowledge to enhance their farming practices. 

Benefits and Practical Recommendations:

  • Agroforestry practices: this land use improves farm productivity, and enhances ecosystem services like carbon capture and biodiversity. 
  • Actionable Tools: Each resource has an associated page which, along with technical information, and a brief description of what the resource contains, helping a user assess the relevance of the resource for their needs.
  • Innovation and Efficiency: With the KI, farmers can innovate by integrating tree management into their crop and livestock operations, potentially reducing costs through improved resource use and enhancing overall farm resilience.

How to Use the Results: Farmers can access the KI through REFOREST’s online platform, which serves as a hub for networking, sharing best practices, and accessing practical tools. This platform supports ongoing learning and adaptation, allowing farmers to continuously update their knowledge. ReForest’s KI is a valuable resource that simplifies the adoption of agroforestry for farmers, making it easier to integrate trees into their farming systems. For more details and to access the KI, visit www.agroreforest.eu.

Contacts

Project email

Project coordinator

  • Ceska Zemedelska Univerzita

    Project coordinator