Agroforestry Futures

Project Summary:

UK nature-based solutions, such as tree planting, must engage with the agricultural sector, given that agriculture uses more than 70 per cent of the land in the UK and is a major emitter of greenhouse gases. Meeting the UK’s tree planting targets and reducing agricultural emissions may require converting current agricultural land to alternative land uses.

Agroforestry, where trees are deliberately combined with agriculture on the same piece of land, is one alternative land use that maintains food production but can also drive down emissions, deliver key ecosystem services, and create and improve rural livelihoods.

However, the environmental and societal benefits of agroforestry can only be realized through widespread adoption by key stakeholders, including farmers and land managers. This study will investigate the development of agroforestry, or the growing of trees alongside crop and livestock farming on the same land, in rural areas and surrounding towns and cities in the UK.

Researchers aim to understand what society wants in the future from UK forests, whether we can adapt our trees and forests to tackle climate change, the impact of agroforestry on ecosystems, and how best to engage farmers and other stakeholders in the process.