Speakers: Professor Jim McAdam, IAF and QUB, Dr Lindsay Whistance, Organic Research Centre UK. IAF Director Clive Bright, Maureen Kilgore ( IAF) William Frazer (GrowIN) and Helen Keyes (GrowIN). Farmer panel: Rossa Gibbons, James McCrossan. Hosted by the Irish Agroforestry Forum with Professor Jim McAdam and Dr Lindsay Whistance, the webinar was packed full of valuable, evidence based insights. The discussion covered the many benefits of silvopasture systems for animal welfare, biodiversity, soil health and productivity. It also tackled some of the questions people had about how planting trees might affect land value or increase flies.This webinar was produced in collaboration with GrowIn and funded under the Woodland Support Scheme provided by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.

Oxford Real Farming Conference 2022 discussion with Josiah Meldrum, David Wolfe, Amanda Wolfe, Henrietta Inman, Maisie Dyvig, Holly Gregson, Rachel Perry, Chloe Tatum ORFC 2020 included a moving tribute to the agroforestry pioneer, Professor Martin Wolfe, founder (with wife Ann) of Wakelyns in Suffolk - the oldest agroforestry site in the UK. Everyone cheered as David, their son, confirmed its organic agroforestry would continue. Two years on, Josiah Meldrum, long- term Wakelyns friend and collaborator, will talk with today’s Wakelyns team about using all the resources from this abundant farming system as it diversifies to become more sustainable in all senses. Not only can this biodiverse method of farming, food, materials and energy production help to mitigate climate change, but with the integration of stacked enterprises with a common core value of localisation, its positive effect in the face of our current ecological, economic, social and cultural crisis is greatly increased. Putting place, people and purpose at the centre of their work, hear them share their learning, welcome more enterprises, and explain how this holistic approach could inspire others. #ORFC22 https://orfc.org.uk/

Oxford Real Farming Conference 2022 discussion with Ben Raskin The benefits of agroforestry to farming systems are becoming more widely accepted but most farmers are not making the most of their woody assets. Separation of farming and forestry in both policy and the marketplace have contributed to this, as has the abundance of cheap fossil fuels. The political and economic landscapes are changing and this is creating opportunities for building farm enterprises based on trees. This session will look beyond the fruit and nut potential to explore a range of options for on and off farm markets for timber and other woody products, such as growing your own fence posts, using woodchip for livestock bedding, or milling your own timber for building. We will also explore the potential for farmer collaboration in processing and marketing. This will be an interactive workshop session, so come engaged with suggestions and questions. #ORFC22 https://orfc.org.uk/

In this the second part of the film, some of Sweden's and England's pioneers in Agroforestry explain how our food production can play a key role in restoring ecosystems, creating food security, new jobs and an improved quality of life. Part 1: https://youtu.be/H83jeIFT4Xw Hur kan vi tillgodose våra mänskliga grundbehov samtidigt som vi stärker hälsan i de ekosystem som vi är en del av? I denna del 2 av filmen berättar några av Sveriges och Englands främsta pionjärer inom Agroforestry hur vi genom vår maproduktion kan få en nyckelroll i att läka ekosystem, skapa matsäkerhet, jobb och ökad livskvalitet. paypal.me/paradigmshiftfilm www.paradigmshiftfilm.com http://wakelyns.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/skogstradgardsbloggen/ https://euraf.isa.utl.pt/welcome https://www.agforward.eu/index.php/en/ https://www.agroforestry.se https://www.amazingcarbon.com/PDF/JONES-LiquidCarbonPathway(July08).pdf

Combining trees with crops or livestock is more productive, better for wildlife and healthier for the planet, but only 3% of the UK’s farmland currently practices agroforestry: https://soilassociation.co/3iTZjIa Find out how we’re working with farmers to achieve our goal of over half of UK farms having agroforestry systems in place by 2030 in this documentary video, featuring our Head of Horticulture and Agroforestry, Ben Raskin. This film was created as part of Soil Association’s involvement in the FABulous Farmers project (https://www.soilassociation.org/farmers-growers/supporting-you/the-future-of-organic/fabulous-farmers). The project aims to support farmers to transition to more agroecological practices on their farms. It is funded by the European Regional Development Fund for North West Europe, Interreg. #SoilAssociation #Agroforestry

Agroforestry, which integrates forestry and farming, can provide multiple benefits, and planting trees on farms could help meet UK tree planting targets. In Wood For The Trees part 7, Tom Barnes of Vastern Timber visits Vallis Veg, a small farm in Somerset, to see how they've benefited from growing trees on the farm. Tom is MD of Vastern Timber, a family owned sawmill specialising in British timber. He's working with film-maker Charly Le Marchant to make a series of short films considering the future of British forests. In this film Tom discusses agroforestry at VallisVeg.co.uk, a small farm in Frome, Somerset. At Vallis Veg, Chris Smaje and Cordelia Rowlatt, with their team, have planted thousands of trees on their farmland. In less than twenty years, they have established willow to help manage flooding, alder and hazel as wind protection and for firewood, fruit and nut orchards, a market garden, a woodland campsite, and a thriving co-operative forest school based in the newly established woodland. Chris Smaje is author of Small Farm Future, and he writes passionately about farming, politics, social and environmental issues on his very popular blog, SmallFarmFuture.org.uk Tom talks to Cordelia and Chris about why they chose the trees they planted, and how agroforestry could bring benefits to farming and forestry. Filmed in December 2020, between lockdowns, and within covid safety guidelines, by Charly Le Marchant. A Pocketfull of Acorns Production. #woodforthetrees #forestry #carbonsequestration #agroforestry #treeplanting #vallisveg #smallfarmfuture #localfood #agroecology #edibletreecrops #trees 00:00 Agroforestry: The Benefits of Growing Trees on Farms 01:03 Percentage of agricultural land use in UK, relationship between agriculture and forestry 02:08 Intro Chris Smaje author of Small Farm Future and Cordelia Rowlett Vallis Veg 02:23 Why are trees important in the agricultural landscape? 03:04 Vallis Veg; rethinking the local food system and integrating trees into the landscape 04:10 Shared Earth Learning Coop; education and forest schools 04:29 Chris and Cordelia on Agroforestry at Vallis Veg, practical uses of trees and edible crops 08:48 Can an agroforestry approach help us to meet the governmental targets for tree planting? 09:48 Why is now the time for an agroforestry revolution? Climate Change, Rewilding, Local Food Production 10:43 ELMS (Environmental Land Management Schemes) and local food production 11:36 Hope and fears for UK agroforestry and local food production 12:36 Policy suggestion: Carbon Tax 13:32 Small Farm Future by Chris Smaje 13:50 Summary and lessons learnt