Reading Uni set to lead agroforestry study in UK
Scientists at the University of Reading are set to lead the UK portion of a new study into agroforestry.
The Europe-wide ‘Reforest’ programme, which is backed by UK Research and Innovation under the Horizon Europe Guarantee, is aiming to show farmers that planting trees between crops can boost food production and achieve net zero in the next decade.
According to the University of Reading, more than two-thirds of land in the UK is used for farming. If half of all UK farms adopted agroforestry methods, farmers would achieve net zero by 2037 on arable farms, and by 2044 for livestock.
Laurence Smith, a University of Reading lecturer in agricultural business management, who is leading the UK part of the project, said: “Farmers are increasingly under pressure to farm for food, wildlife and carbon, all in the same space and at the same time.
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"This might seem difficult, but we’ve shown that planting trees on farms alongside other crops could be the answer. There is already good evidence showing how agroforestry is helping farmers to fight back against climate change.
“Yet only a handful of farmers across Britain and Europe have begun farming with trees. Our project plans to find out what’s stopping them, and provide some practical solutions to help more farmers to give agroforestry a go.”
UK Research and Innovation’s Horizon Europe Guarantee is a scheme which provides funding to researchers and innovators who are unable to receive Horizon Europe funding while the UK is in the process of associating to the programme.
Reforest is aiming to share best practice to make agroforestry more attractive for farmers and landowners in the UK and Europe, bringing together 14 partners in 10 European countries and funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe research programme, a €95.5 billion programme aiming to tackle climate change.
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