Tag: Agroforestry

Agroforestry in the Uplands - a new short film

The Soil Association have just released a new short film Agroforestry in the Uplands which focuses on why trees and hedgerows on upland farms are good for livestock, the environment, biodiversity, soil health and the…
Posted in News, News and events
Read More

Podcast: How trees can increase livestock's welfare and productivity

ORC's Senior Livestock Researcher Lindsay Whistance features on a fascinating recent Regenerative Agroforestry Podcast. Through Lindsay's extensive knowledge of silvopasture, she enables us to see agroforestry from the animal’s perspective. Trees can provide livestock with…
Posted in News, News and events
Read More

How can agroforestry contribute towards biodiversity conservation?

How can agroforestry contribute to the achievement of future targets and what policy environment can support it? We explored this question in a recent webinar (October 20th) with a panel representing the latest research, on-farm…
Posted in News, News and events
Read More

How to source and use woodchip for the farm and garden: A talk and Q&A with Ben Raskin

Join Ben Raskin, author of the new book The Woodchip Handbook, for this webinar to learn about the many uses of woodchip both in regenerative agriculture and horticulture. Ben is Head of Horticulture and Agroforestry…
Posted in Events, News and events
Read More

Countryfile: Devon silvopasture trial

BBC One's flagship country lifestyle magazine Countryfile will feature the Devon silvopasture research that is planned to last for 12 years and which involves a group of livestock farmers trialling three different silvopasture designs created…
Posted in Events, News and events
Read More

2nd Climate-smart and resilient farming webinar: let's talk about Resilience in Agricultural Landscapes!

On 10th of November 2021 the three research projects funded under the EU Horizon 2020 call on climate-smart and resilient farming (LC-SFS-19-2018-2019): MIXED, STARGATE, and AGROMIX will meet again to discuss about Resilience in Agricultural…
Posted in Events, News and events
Read More

Northern Real Farming Conference

Conference: 17-24 November, online or local events Gathering: 2-3 December in-person in Lancaster Highlights with ORC involvement include: Nov 17 2021: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm GMT Webinar Organic no-till with living mulches – the…
Posted in Events, News and events
Read More

PhD opportunity. Tree species choice in agroforestry systems: do mycorrhizal associations affect soil microbiomes and crop yields?

This project, at the Department of Biology, University of York, is part of the NERC ACCE Doctoral Training Partnership. About the Project Agroforestry systems have the potential to play an important part in maintaining ecosystem…
Posted in News, News and events
Read More

40 years of industry-leading organic research celebrated

Originally established as the Elm Farm Research Centre in 1981, over the last forty years the organisation has delivered pioneering research that has helped transform the organic sector in the UK and beyond. During this…
Posted in News, News and events
Read More

NEW REPORT: The Promise of Agroforestry (LWA)

The Landworkers' Alliance have released a new report which takes a close look at eight different agroforestry projects in the UK, highlighting the benefits of these agroforestry systems as well as teasing out some the lessons…
Posted in News, News and events
Read More

Defra-funded workshops to structure ELM policy for agroforestry – come and have your say

The Agroforestry ELM Test is the principal project helping to structure post-Brexit Environmental Land Management (ELM) policy for agroforestry, and is led by the Organic Research Centre, with partners from the Woodland Trust, Soil Association,…
Posted in Events
Read More

How can agroforestry contribute towards biodiversity conservation?

In October this year, national representatives will gather for the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15). During which they will work to review progress in the…
Posted in Events, News and events
Read More

ORC Bulletin 134 on its way!

And Bulletin 122 available for free download

Posted in Inform, News, News and events
Read More

New report explains why UK farmers still aren’t planting trees on their land

A Defra-funded systematic review by a team of progressive UK farming and woodland advocacy organisations points the way to increased adoption of agroforestry by farmers post-Brexit. An influential new report written by researchers at the…
Posted in News, News and events, Press Releases
Read More

Agroforestry for the transition towards sustainability and bioeconomy

The fifth European conference on agroforestry, EURAF 2020, was held online recently (17th - 19th May 2021) and ORC was represented by Colin Tosh, Will Simonson and Lindsay Whistance. This conference was postponed in 2020…
Posted in News, News and events, Research
Read More

Agroforestry Design Masterclass (2 Day Intensive)

Looking to integrate trees into your farming business this coming planting season but don’t know which trees to plant, how many, or where? Unsure about fencing, or how to market your tree products? Discover the…
Posted in Events, News and events
Read More

Silvopasture field lab on Farming Today

BBC Farming Today visited Andy Gray one of the farmers participating in the new Innovative Farmers Silvopasture field lab. " A field lab being run by Innovative Farmers - a not-for-profit group which links up…
Posted in News, News and events
Read More

Farm Woodland Forum 2021 annual meeting: Agroforestry in Brexit landscapes

In the light of the UK government's ambitious tree planting targets - what is the role for agroforestry? Draft agenda: Role of agroforestry and hedges in UK climate targetsDefra’s agroforestry vision, response to tree strategy…
Posted in Events, News and events
Read More

Making hedgerows pay their way: the economics of harvesting field boundary hedges for bioenergy

A new paper on our hedgerow work as part of the SustainFARM project has been accepted for publication in Agroforestry Systems and is now online: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10457-021-00631-9 Smith J, Westaway S, Mullender S. et al. (2021) Making…
Posted in News, News and events, Research
Read More

New paper on managing understoreys in agroforestry to promote natural enemies

A new open access paper 'Management to Promote Flowering Understoreys Benefits Natural Enemy Diversity, Aphid Suppression and Income in an Agroforestry System,' co-authored by Jo Smith (now ex ORC) with the University of Reading and…
Posted in News, News and events
Read More

Ten minutes with Colin Tosh

Would you like to get to know the ORC staff, learn more about what they are working on at the moment and find out what inspired them to pursue a career in organic research? To…
Posted in General, News, News and events
Read More

Farmers and researchers are teaming up in the first ever farmer-led study into the benefits of agroforestry

Farmers in the UK, for the first time, are getting the chance to co-design research to determine the benefits of integrating more trees on their farms. A farmer-led agroforestry project launching this month will spend…
Posted in News, News and events
Read More

Preparing the Evidence Base for Post-Brexit agriculture in Scotland - Case studies on alternative payments

This report led by the Organic Policy, Business and Research Consultancy, with ORC, SRUC and IEEP on the future public good agricultural policy options for Scotland including organic farming, agroforestry and rewilding has now been…
Posted in News, News and events
Read More

Farewell to Sally Westaway

This week we say goodbye to the wonderful Sally Westaway. Sally has worked within the ORC’s agroforestry team on a range of projects since 2013. The last 7 years have been so much fun and…
Posted in News, News and events
Read More