Agroforestry: introducing woody vegetation into specialised crop and livestock systems

The report presents the findings of the EIP-AGRI Focus Group on Agroforestry: Integrating woody crops into specialised crop and livestock systems. Agroforestry is the practice of integrating woody vegetation with crops and/or livestock systems. These practices are recognized as sustainable land use measures to overcome climate change. Agroforestry can act as a tool to mitigate climate change in both reducing sources and increasing sinks but also to adapt to climate change as it increases plot and farm resilience while reducing vulnerability to climate change in both agricultural and forestry lands. Agroforestry practices have the potential to be regenerative, improve and increase ecosystem services at the local and landscape level, and to improve farming productivity and profitability. These practices can be applied to create profitable systems, while capturing carbon, improving biodiversity, controlling erosion, and improving water resource management. The report presents the challenges, opportunities, existing practices and ways forward to further develop agroforestry systems in Europe.