Agroforestry On Your Farm
Agroforestry is a practice of farming that combines trees and livestock or crops together. This may be in the form of hedgerows, tree clumps or strips, trees planted round the edges of fields, or even bringing livestock into existing woodland.
Below are short documentary films, practical resources and articles you’ll find helpful when thinking about implementing agroforestry systems on your farm.
Film: Agroforestry in the Uplands
Through the eyes of three farmers, in Devon, Brecon and Perthshire, this short documentary explores the benefits of agroforestry on upland farms.
Trees and hedgerows provide shade and shelter for livestock, but they also improve soil health, capture carbon and encourage wildlife and biodiversity.
Agroforestry systems also makes financial sense for farm businesses.
Free Agroforestry Handbook
For practical advice on system design, case studies, the economic case for agroforestry and market opportunities
Agroforestry and Farm Woodlands e-learning
Learn about system design and management and how to get started
Film: Agroforestry in the UK
Combining trees with crops or livestock is more productive, better for wildlife and healthier for the planet, but only 3% of the UK’s farmland currently practices agroforestry.
Find out how we’re working with farmers to achieve our goal of over half of UK farms having agroforestry systems in place by 2030 in this agroforestry documentary video.
Regenerative Forestry
Working collectively to manage forests is better for our climate, nature and people ...
Trees and Woodland in the Farmed Landscape
A farmer-led approach to agroforestry and Farm Woodland
Trees and woodland in the farmed landscape
A diverse and resilient agroforestry and farm woodland economy
The case for regenerative farm-scale forestry
A farmer led approach to the regenerative management of farm woodlands as a farm-scale forestry enterprise
Benefits of Agroforestry on your Farm
Find out how agroforestry helps you to:
improve soil health
keep water sources clean
sequester carbon
mitigate floods
increase biodiversity
increase productivity
improve animal welfare
reduce inputs
Three silvopasture tree planting designs to suit your farm
Designs for shelter belts, regular spaced strips and open grazed clustered wood pasture.
Could Trees Supplement Forage?
Dr Lindsay Whistance, livestock researcher at the Organic Research Centre, asks whether you could look to trees to supplement your forage needs in winter.
Agroforestry definitions
Silvo-pastoral agroforestry: grazing animals under trees. The animals enrich the soil while the trees provide shade, shelter and fodder for the animals.
Silvo-arable agroforestry: crops grown beneath or between trees, often in rows which are large enough for a tractor to tend to the crops without damaging the trees. This is farming in 3D, the trees and the crops occupy different levels above ground, below ground where the tree roots will reach down deeper than the crops.
