The final report on a Cranfield University study for Defra on 'Evaluating the Productivity, Environmental Sustainability and Wider Impact of Agroecological compared to Conventional Farming Systems' has just been published. There is some consideration of agroforestry in the report. Find the report here.
Details of environmental packages for English farming
Defra have announced details of funding for environmental measures in England starting in 2024. These include increased payment rates for the Sustainable Farming Initiative and Countryside Stewardship agreements, and an increased number of actions on offer in the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS). Premium payments will be introduced for 21 high priority actions, 6 of these involving agroforestry.
Farming Innovation Programme
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has announced another round of funding for the large R&D Farming Innovation Programme will open on 15th January 2024. One of the industry subsectors eligible for funding is 'bioeconomy and agroforestry'. Click here for further information.
Agroforestry Show 2023 - Films online
Films of the 2023 Agroforestry Show, organised by the Soil Association and the Woodland Trust, are now available to view. View here
Forest ecosystem collapse
A team of experts across Europe have carried out a horizon scanning exercise to identify issues that are likely to have an impact on UK forests. Catastrophic forest ecosystem collapse received the highest score. More information
Trees Outside Woodlands
Chichester District Council has announced it has received a share of the additional £2million provided by DEFRA for the Trees Outside Woodlands project. Chichester District Council, which has been involved in planting trees as part of the project since January 2021, will be including 'Trees on Farms' in the second phase. More information
State of Nature Report 2023
A report on the state of nature in the UK has recently been published by a group of organisations involved with nature conservation and evidence collection. The key finding is that there has been a 19% decrease in abundance of species since 1970.
Tolerance to ash dieback
Scientists have discovered the first ash tree in the UK tolerant to ash dieback (caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus). The discovery of this tree, in Norfolk, opens up the possibility of breeding for tolerance to the disease in future. Click here for further information
REFOREST project
A large EU Horizon project on agroforestry, REFOREST (Agroforestry at the forefront of farming sustainability in multifunctional landscapes in Europe) has commenced. The project, which aims to promote agroforestry, has 14 partners, and the UK is represented by The University of Reading and the Organic Research Centre. More information