Agroforestry in livestock farming is a long-established practice that applies to wooded runs for pigs and poultry, pastures in “bocage” areas, silvopastoralism, the use of animals in perennial crops and fodder trees, etc. Agroforestry is a lever in livestock farming for climate change adaptation and is also a provider of services such as carbon storage, biodiversity, timber production, wood chips production for litter…
As part of its work, the livestock farming technical group of the “Agroforesterie(S)” Mixed Technology Network has created an interactive library that brings together the knowledge on agroforestry in livestock farming, produced by R&D organizations in France.

NiCC'El is a tool to characterize the level of interaction between crops and livestock on a farm and identify ways to improve it. Agricultural statistics generally define crop-livestock systems on the basis of farm structure, whereas the virtues of these systems depend on the interactions between the crop and animal units. A new method exists to qualify this level of coupling for ruminant farms. This indicator takes into account three dimensions of the farm: the use of land for animal feed, the autonomy of the farm in terms of food and litter, and the autonomy in terms of crop fertilization. We propose a simplified version in the form of a diagnostic tool that can be used on farms. The use of this tool helps them to better identify the possible ways to improve the interactions between the farm's units. We also show how the tool serves as a basis for reflection for other sectors to imagine a method for evaluating the level of coupling. For example, broiler systems have modified the criteria for feed autonomy to take into account the interactions between the farm and the feed factory

In free-range poultry production, the management of the outdoor run is firstly designed to provide comfort to the animals. However, other services can be provided, such as income increase, creation of direct and indirect jobs, or carbon storage and maintenance of biodiversity. In order to better consider them, these services need to be identified and quantified, which will allow a better reasoning of the outdoor run management. Developed by a group of experts, the service evaluation method, known as the BOUQUET method, focuses on free-range production units (meat, eggs and fat palmipeds). It was also discussed and validated with representatives of its potential users (farmers, technicians, advisers). The method considers 13 services divided into 5 categories which are evaluated with a set of 29 indicators. The assessment takes half a day throughout three steps: i) mapping with an aerial picture of the site, ii) interview with the farmer and iii) measurements on the outdoor run studied. After being entered into a calculator, data is then transformed in scores for each service and a global representation of results by category of services is proposed. The analysis of these results allows the farmer to have a reflective approach on the management of his outdoor run, to establish a dialogue with his advisers, and to discuss of an appropriate action plan according to his own constraints and expectations.

The "Agroforestry Planner" was developed in 2019 by the partners of the Consortium Agroforestry Flanders (www.agroforestryvlaanderen.be) as a result of insights gained through research, during co-creative farm guidance activities and by organising collective trainings on agroforestry. This online tool helps farmers, advisers and other users with the development of a concrete plan for the design of an agroforestry plot. The user is guided step by step through the various choices and aspects that deserve attention, from overall objectives and tree species selection to the actual plot design, interaction with other production components and points of attention regarding tree maintenance and management. Particularly for the tree species selection, an extensive selection table is provided, which helps the user in choosing the suitable tree species or variety for his or her situation. In the end, a report is created with an overview of all choices made, a check against regulation and subsidy options, and the most important points for attention for the specific context of the designed agroforestry system. The tool is currently only available in Dutch and has two main modules for arable alley cropping systems and for silvopastoral systems. The framework allows the development of new modules and adding new criteria and steps, of which a carbon calculation tool will be the next. It is considered a “simple”, user-friendly and dynamic tool which can be updated and extended at any moment. The Agroforestry Planner mainly aims at helping the end user in asking the right questions, in thinking about the most relevant criteria and aspects to be considered and hence setting the right direction for an actual plan. It hence serves as a supplement to, but not as a substitute for, customized advice and guidance for specific farm and environmental conditions.