Designing your agroforestry system with the FarmTree Tool – a case study from the UK Living Lab

Event Date : March 11, 2025

Event Time : 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Event Location : Online

Agroforestry holds immense benefits for farms, the environment, and society at large. Yet, its widespread adoption faces significant challenges, including the uncertainty surrounding expected environmental and profitability outcomes.

Drawing insights from data collected from ReForest Living Labs across Europe, the FarmTree Tool emerges as a digital solution to this challenge. This software-based model, accessible through an easy-to-use online interface, and connected to a scientific species database, empowers land users to craft virtual agroforestry systems and anticipate their performance across production, financial, and agro-ecological dimensions. The tool allows to flexibly design unique agroforestry systems in an online environment (in terms of species composition, arrangement, and management), and offers a comprehensive overview of the farming system performance.

The FarmTree Tool integrates site-specific data such as:

• farmer information,
• plot design and management,
• climate conditions,
• soil composition,
• and species unique characteristics.

By synthesising these inputs, the tool generates modelling projections for the envisioned agroforestry scenario over a defined period of time.

The Cockle Park Farm, part of the UK Living Lab, is one of the farms within ReForest that has been analysed with the FarmTree Tool. The upcoming event presents the application of the FarmTree Tool for this Living Lab. It shows how the FarmTree Tool can be a valuable instrument for farmers, advisors, researchers, policymakers, and all stakeholders working in agroforestry within the ReForest and European context..

Key webinar topics and themes include:

• Overview of the ReForest project: Living Labs data generation for Farmer and Policy Support (Prof Ing Martin Lukac PhD, ReForest project coordinator)
• A UK Living Lab case study: Cockle Park Farm – its objectives, design and challenges (Janie Caldbeck/Will Simonson, Organic Research Centre; James Standen, Cockle Park farm manager)
• FarmTree Tool a digital solution for designing, comparing, and reporting impact of agroforestry systems (Steffie Rijpkema, FarmTree)
• The FarmTree Tool in the Living Lab UK case: how can the FarmTree Tool be used to estimate vegetation cover, biomass production, yields and carbon (Steffie Rijpkema, FarmTree)
• Interactive session and Questions

As a webinar participant, you will get temporary access to temperate agroforestry species with your FarmTree Tool registration for free, to explore the potential of the tool for your context!