AGFORWARD best practice leaflets

Resource explained

The AGFORWARD research project has focussed on promoting agroforestry practices in Europe that will advance sustainable rural development. Material providing guidance on agroforestry innovation and agroforestry best practices has been produced as part of the project. This series of leaflets (produced by Philippe Van Lerberghe from the Institute of Forestry Development in France and reviewed by various member of the AGFORWARD team), provide valuable guidance to farmers on how to plan, create and manage an agroforestry system. The leaflets focus on objectives for developing an agroforestry system (using alley cropping as an example), site selection, selecting tree species and planting material, planning the layout and spacing of trees, tree protection, land preparation, and tree planting, and tree pruning and management to maximise revenue.

Findings & recommendations

• The AGFORWARD project aims have included identifying, developing and field-testing innovations, improving the benefits and viability of agroforestry systems in Europe, and evaluating innovative agroforestry designs and practices at a field, farm and landscape scale.
• Although the focus is on successfully establishing and managing trees on arable farms, many of the practices are relevant to trees on livestock farms and agroforestry with permanent crops.
• In addition to the best practice leaflets, 46 ‘Agroforestry Innovation leaflets’ have been produced and can be accessed here.

Header image: CCP spring wheat trials at Wakelyns Agroforestry, July 2016 CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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