Wakelyns agroforestry farm was established in 1992 by Professor Martin Wolfe and since 2019 has been run by his sons, David and Toby. The farm has been a long-term study site for research by the Organic Research Centre. Key research areas include bioenergy production, tree-crop interactions and total productivity, functional biodiversity, and sustainability.
Farming system
Silvoarable
Size
22.5
ha
Temperature
6-13.8º
C
MAT*
606
mm
MAP**
Treatments
-
Components
Trees
Crops
Design
Farm trial 4 silvoarable systems
* MAT: Medium Average Temperature
** MAP: Medium Average Precipitation
Aim
To provide scientific evidence and practical demonstration that alternative ways of food production are not only possible but advantageous.
“We are proud of our long-standing association with this experiment because it has pioneered the concept of resilience through diversity and is now helping to catalyse widescale adoption of agroforestry in the UK.”
Colin Tosh Organic Research Centre
Building on the existing legacy of research findings, experimental work under Agromix is now seeking to understand how to measure climate change resilience and model the adaptation potential of different scenarios of farm management practice in the future.”
Henry Lowth Organic Research Centre
Key findings
Crop diversity: synergies between agricultural productivity and ecosystem services can be optimised through enhanced species diversity, including diverse fertility-building leys and integration of herbaceous and tree crops.
Biomass for decentralised energy production and soil improvement: biomass production from short rotation coppice, in-field trees and hedgerow management can meet domestic heating needs in a sustainable and cost-efficient way and also improve soils when added as ramial woodchip.
Discover our eight agroforestry and mixed farming trial sites
Döring T et al (2013) Using legume-based mixtures to enhance the nitrogen use efficiency and economic viability of cropping systems. Final Report for DEFRA-funded Legume LINK project LK09106. https:// orgprints.org/24662/1/PR513.pdf Döring T et al (2015) Comparative analysis of performance and stability among composite cross populations, variety mixtures and pure lines of winter wheat in organic and conventional cropping systems. Field Crops Research 183: 235-245 Lemieux G, Germain D. (2000) Ramial Chipped Wood: The Clue to a Sustainable Fertile Soil. Publication 128. Département des Sciences du Bois et de la Forêt, Québec, Canada Organic Research Centre (2019) The SustainFARM Public Goods Tool v1.0 Smith L (2009) Wakelyns Farm Energy and Emissions Audit. The Organic Research Centre. Smith J (2019) SustainFARM Public Goods Tool: Instruction Manual v1. https://tinyurl.com/SusFarmPG Smith J Crossland EM, Wolfe, MSW (2016). Silvoarable agroforestry: an alternative approach to apple production? 12th European International Farming Systems Association Symposium ‘Social and technological transformation of farming systems: Diverging and converging pathways’. Harper Adams, UK Smith J et al (2017) Lessons learnt: silvoarable agroforestry in the UK. Report for H2020 project AGFORWARD. https://www.agforward.eu/index. php/en/silvoarable-agroforestry-in-the-uk.html
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