Agroforestry Community Questions & Answers - Recent questions

What are the ecosystem benefits of agroforestry systems?

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 22:56:18 +0000

How do you recommend valuing ecosystem services that cannot be associated with a monetary value?

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 22:56:15 +0000

What potential tourism opportunities can different agroforestry systems provide?

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 22:56:12 +0000

Is AI already used somewhere in the AF area?

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:47:12 +0000

asked by a farmer in the Czech Living Lab

What are the currently available digital tools that can be used for AF?

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:46:02 +0000

asked by a farmer in the Czech Living Lab

how many trees do we need to plant so that the climate does not worsen

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:45:03 +0000

question asked by a farmer in the Czech Living Lab

When will all these nice digital tools be available?

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:43:55 +0000

question asked by a policymaker in the UK Living Lab: We desperately need these tools so the obvious question would be when might there be something available?

How can we map and monitor the number of hectares of agroforestry in The Netherlands?

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:41:50 +0000

asked by a policy-maker in the Dutch Living Lab

How do I convince nature organizations and government agencies that AF is good for both nature and agriculture?

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:40:19 +0000

question asked by a farmer in the Dutch Living Lab: How do I convince nature organizations and government agencies that AF is a good example that nature and agriculture go very well together, and can even strengthen each other?

How do I best connect my AF system to the environment?

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:37:53 +0000

asked by a farmer in the Dutch Living Lab

What are the best species for fodder hedges?

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:34:56 +0000

question asked by a farmer in the Dutch Living Lab

how do I keep my rows of trees thistle free ?

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:33:08 +0000

asked by a Dutch farmer in the Living Lab

Isn't there a risk in using digital tools for agroforestry?

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:30:29 +0000

Question asked by a farm advisor in the dutch Living Lab: I have a mixed feeling about digitization agroforestry; On the one hand I think/ hope that it can support the movement but on the other hand I feel a personal fundamental resistance to it. That has to do with past experience; Such systems regularly missed the mark. Because of the complexity of agroforestry and multiplicity of systems, I am afraid of this.

Is The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) a nitrogen fixing tree?

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 14:57:54 +0000

Despite being a legume tree, there seems to be disputable the nodulation ability that allow to fix atmospheric nitrogen. What scientific evidences are that support the carob tree as a nitrogen fixing tree?

When is it better to implement agroforestry as sustainable-agriculture-measure instead of others?

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 11:59:38 +0000

In what circumstances is it better (or less suitable) to implement agroforestry as sustainable-agriculture-measure instead of other measures (flower strips, organic farming, ...) and vice versa? And how do I decide this?

Which would be good characteristics of both crop and tree to be combined in an agroforestry context?

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 12:03:17 +0000

Agroforestry tool overview

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 08:10:59 +0000

Is there an online overview of digital tools and models for agroforestry?

Open Source Agroforestry Tools

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 20:58:48 +0000

Which open source tools and models currently exist with a focus on Agroforestry?

What type of agroforestry practices would be possible in northern Europe?

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 13:56:15 +0000

Agroforestry is mainly known from global South and Mediterranean areas. However, also in northern climates there might be possibilities. What type of agroforestry would be most beneficial for the environment, climate, biodiversity, communities in Northern climates?

Can implementation of agroforestry systems compensate greenhouse gas emissions from livestock?

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 12:42:05 +0000

What are unknown but epic “hidden gem” species for temperate agroforestry systems that one should definitely know of?

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 13:41:37 +0000

There are so many more species that are currently used in forestry and agriculture. What are relatively unkown but promising species for temperate agroforestry systems?

If I establish an agroforestry system, can I be sure to be given the permission of harvesting the wood in the long term?

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 13:39:03 +0000

How can i promote crop wild relatives on silvoarable agroforestry systems?

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 13:38:06 +0000

Is there a higher risk of increased weed pressure in alley cropping systems, and if so, how can I best control this?

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 13:37:41 +0000

How do I convince a farmer to plant an agroforestry system?

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 14:44:40 +0000

There are many reasons to plant an agroforestry system, but often it is hard to explain in a succesful way to farmers why they should do that. What are the most convincing arguments to use with farmers?

Can agroforestry work like a shifting cultivation? If so, could you give some examples?

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 11:05:58 +0000

Might moratoria on deforestation prevent me from returning from agroforestry to my current approaches?

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 11:04:43 +0000

Is agroforestry always good for biodiversity?

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 11:01:11 +0000

What are the costs, the benefits and what are the risks of transforming pastures into agroforestry systems?

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:58:54 +0000

How can I design my agroforestry system to get most biodiversity?

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:33:32 +0000

My situation is ...

What is the best tree density?

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 09:50:22 +0000

I want to benefit from the positive effects of trees, but avoid tree-crop competition, what is the best tree density for alley cropping systems? Or would it be better to have trees only in the hedgerows to limit tree-crop competition?

Is there an optimal sequence of planting when associating trees with perennial crops?

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 09:12:18 +0000

If I want to associate perennial crops (let's say grapevine), with fruit trees (let's say olive trees), in which order should i plant? Both at the same time? tree first (so that the beneficial effect of trees is already in place)? crop first (so that the tree adapts more easily to the presence of crops)?

What to do once trees will be harvested?

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 09:07:49 +0000

My question is about what happens after tree harvest at 2 temporal scales:

- right after harvest: Forestry harvest work is messy, workers leave a lot of branches everywhere on the ground, machinery makes deep tracks in the soil, the tree stumps might remain in the plot. How to clean the plot and make it suitable for agriculture ? What to do with the stumps?

- on the longer term, where to replant ? (on the same tree lines? at the same location of the old trees?) When to replant? (before harvest, right after harvest, after some time?)

How should I prune my trees/shrubs in a multistory agroforestry system?

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 08:05:11 +0000

What is the best forage mixture for shaded areas in silvopasture systems?

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 07:52:10 +0000

How can I start a profitable agroforestry farm?

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 07:50:44 +0000

What are some good share-tolerant tree/shrub species for temperate climate that have good economic return?

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 07:49:14 +0000

Should I plant agroforestry where there is lower or higher depth/quality soil in my farm?

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 20:13:42 +0000

In one hand forestry has been traditionally allocated to less quality soils and agriculture to higher quality soils. Will I get better land equivalent ratio if I plant agroforestry on higher or lower depth/quality soils?

Agroforestry tends to have higher Land equivalent Ratio (LER). Can you provide the main 5 reasons why?

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 20:08:51 +0000

Land Equivalent Ratio in terms of biomass, e.g. there is more biomass in 2 ha of agroforestry, than the sum of 1 ha of agriculture and 1 ha of forestry.

What is the financial value of (agroforestry) shade on animals?

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 20:01:01 +0000

I get Agroforestry provides shade for animals which is a high for animal welfare. But how much of this avoided stress is reflected on animal weight gain (thus more profitable)?

When was the European Agroforestry Federation founded?

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 19:23:44 +0000

What is the current extent of Agroforestry in Europe

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 19:03:18 +0000

What is the current landcover of agroforestry in Europe. I know its tricky in statistics to distinguish between land-use and land-cover, but what would be the a good estimate?