This beautiful testimony by pioneer Martin Wolfe, sadly deceased in 2019, shows the different facets of agricultural management in an agroforestry system. Ecological and economic aspects, weed management, possibility of chain shortening in terms of energy and food.

Created in 2009 by French agroforestry consultancy Agroof. Becomes more topical by the day. Wervel translated this 65-minute documentary into Dutch.

Agroforestry is an umbrella term for agricultural systems that consciously reintegrate the tree into the farm in combination with crops and/or livestock because of the ecological and economic interactions between the various components in the agro-ecosystem. It requires good design that maximizes positive interactions and minimizes negative ones. The goal is multifunctional agriculture, ecological intensification, more efficient use of sunlight, soil and water, and increased resilience.
Agroforestry is part of an agroecological strategy.

In 2017, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) started the project "LEGCOMBIO: Creating added value in organic agriculture through sustainable combinations of crops with poultry". In this project we investigated how the same parcel of agricultural land can be used more efficiently (optimizing production) and more sustainably through the thoughtful combination of crops for the production of food, wood and/or biomass with a free-range for (organic) poultry. The use of space by the chickens, the impact on soil quality, the impact on crop yield, plant quality and health, economic feasibility / added value, management and the legislative framework were examined through a deskstudy and two experimental setups. A summary English report is available online.

In September 2017, the operational group 'P'orchard: agroforestry for outdoor pigs' was launched. Within this project, Inagro, ILVO and a number of committed pig farmers started working together on agroforestry to set up outdoor pig runs. Each of the farmers strove to market a local, sustainable and high-quality product via a short chain in order to restore the relationship between consumer and producer. Unlike conventional pig farmers, they had a free-range meadow where the pigs could root without restriction.

The purpose of this pocket manual (only available in Dutch) is to provide an overview of the knowledge and experience as we have it available in Flanders today. It is a snapshot, based on the intensive work of the Consortium Agroforestry Flanders between 2014-2019. It is a summary of the information contained in a set of scientific papers, thematic project reports, the online knowledge hub, knowledge sheets, testimonies from practitioners, excursion reports and much more. Each section of this guide therefore systematically refers to more detailed sources of knowledge, for those detailed sources of knowledge for those who are looking for more.

Together with ILVO Flanders and Bioforum Flanders, Wervel compiled 17 portraits of organic farmers on agroforestry. The result is the brochure Trees for Resilience (60 pages).

Expert Wim Govaerts explaining mineral deficiencies in cows and devising strategy to include fodder trees as mineral providers.

Integrating forage trees on your plots and in your operations involves a lot. Which tree and shrub species are healthy for my animals? In what proportions should I provide those species to achieve a balanced diet? How should I plant the trees on my plot? Should I provide tree protection? How can I provide tree feed? These are some of the many questions that starters with fodder trees have. With this 1st excursion, part of the project 'Fodder trees for bio-ruminants', we looked for answers to these questions by starting from a natural context. What behaviour do ruminants naturally display in an environment with trees and bushes? And how do they use these woody elements to benefit their well-being and health?' From observation of natural behavior, the translation can then be made to an agricultural context. This approach was also reflected in the program of this excursion. In the morning part, the focus was strongly on observing ruminants and their behavior in a very natural context. In the afternoon we already made the first bridge to the more modern livestock farming.

The CCBT project 'Fodder trees for organic ruminants' invited growers for an excursion to two Dutch cattle farms that can be considered pioneers in the field of fodder trees. From these colleagues with some 10 years of 'fodder tree experience', we looked for inspiration for application on our own farms. What positive (and negative) experiences do they have? How did they approach it? How do they see the future? The emphasis was on exchanging experiences between the participants and the experts present.

Curious what we saw? Then be sure to check out this photo report.

The nitrogen crisis was already announced by ex-EU agriculture commissioner Sicco Mansholt in 1990. The solution to it was worked out and proven a few years later by Wageningen University & Research, especially the late Jaap van Bruchem. Reduce feed concentrates, reduce fertilizers, go for mixed farming, which stimulates soil life. Farmers started working with it, it still seems to work. Both for farmers and for the environment. With results like that, the #EUFarm2Fork ambitions seem like low-hanging fruit.

Top

crossmenuarrow-up linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram