Further information on funding for in-field agroforestry has been released by Defra earlier this week. This includes details on offers as part of the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) scheme which aim to provide longer-term support for farmers and land owners. Four new offers relating to agroforestry are include:
- CAGF1: Manage high density in-field agroforestry
- CAGF3: Manage medium density in-field agroforestry
- CAGF2: Manage low density in-field agroforestry on more sensitive land
- CAGF4: Manage very low density in-field agroforestry on more sensitive land
On the surface these seem similar to the existing in-field agroforestry payments available through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme. Will Simonson (Organic Research Centre) has provided a further breakdown of how the new CSHT offers compare with the SFI offers. Two notable differences include a longer agreement period, 10 years instead of 3, and the requirement for an approved agroforestry plan and EIA (if applicable) for these schemes.
Full details of all the payments and offers relating to agroforestry by Defra can be found in our policy section.