DEFRA have announced the return of SFI payments, including agroforestry offers, for 2026. Prior to the pause in SFI last year there were two SFI offers for agroforestry:
- Maintaining very low density (30-50 trees/ha) in-field agroforestry on less sensitive land - £248 per hectare (ha) per year
- Maintaining low density (51-30 trees/ha) in-field agroforestry on less sensitive land - £385 per hectare (ha) per year
These offers have remained in the new SFI update, with an additional note that they saw "low/moderate uptake, but we expect this to increase over time". In addition two hedgerow related offers were removed:
- Maintain or establish hedgerow trees - £10/100m (both sides)
- Assess and record hedgerow condition - £5/100m (both sides)
The reason for removal of these is, in part, due to the low environmental benefit compared to the cost of the action. DEFRA also highlight that existing hedgerow management is still available and there are capital grants available for new hedgerow and tree planting.
Further details about available funding for agroforestry in England can be found on our policy pages.