03.08.2023
As part of the AF4EU project, the first meeting of the Regional Agroforestry Innovation Network (RAIN) in Saxony-Anhalt took place on 24th July 2023. The team of the Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) welcomed 20 stakeholders to the workshop in the ecovillage Sieben Linden in Beetzendorf.
Participants included farmers, agricultural advisors and representatives from the private sector, the state administration and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, as well as multipliers such as the German Agroforestry Association (DeFAF) and other associations. After lively discussions about the AF4EU project and its activities during the workshop, the participants explored the agroforestry plots of the Freundeskreis Ökodorf e.V.. The first stop was a diverse and complex agroforestry system that includes a combination of various fruit trees with horticulture, various perennial crops and a tree nursery. The group then visited the larger silvoarable system, which consists of a combination of arable land and strips of trees and hedges for nut and fruit production. The system promotes humus formation and a favorable microclimate through the inclusion of pioneer plants and fast-growing woody plants.
What is AF4EU?
The EU project "Innovation Network for Agroforestry Business Models" (AF4EU) aims to promote agroforestry through the development of an interactive and innovation-driven agroforestry network. The eleven regional innovation networks in ten different countries will promote the exchange of successful practical experiences within and between European regions as a basis for the main results of the project. The results of the regional networks will then be integrated into a knowledge platform.
If you are interested in joining the Regional Agroforestry Innovation Network (RAIN) in Saxony-Anhalt and participating in future network meetings, please contact af4eu@zalf.de.
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