Summary
Agroforestry is a land management system combining trees and agriculture, and provides social, environmental and economic benefits. Expansion of agroforestry, supported through agri-environment grant schemes, will help meet government commitments to increase tree cover in England.
This project will develop and test a monitoring and evaluation framework to measure the social, environmental and economic outcomes of agroforestry agri-environment schemes. The framework will quantify scheme impacts and improve future offers.
The project is multi-disciplinary project, involving social scientists, ecologists, modellers and economists from across Forest Research and Natural England.
Research Objectives
The key objectives of the project are:
- Develop and test a framework, including indicators and methods, for the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the environmental, social and economic impacts of agroforestry agri-environment scheme offers.
- Assess how agroforestry agri-environment scheme offers could contribute to policy ambitions relating to increased agroforestry cover and tree cover more generally.
- Collect baseline data from which change can be monitored.
Latest Update
Research activities
Our multi-disciplinary research team of social scientists, ecologists, modellers and economists from across Forest Research and Natural England will work to:
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Develop and test a monitoring and evaluation framework
Work is underway to review which environmental, social and economic indicators and methods are currently used in agri-environment scheme monitoring and evaluation frameworks. Indicators, methods and an initial framework will be developed, tested and refined. Expert and farmer input will be gathered throughout the research. The project will collect baseline data from which change can be monitored.
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Understanding the role of agroforestry agri-environment schemes in achieving policy ambitions
Case studies will explore the factors involved in agroforestry decision-making processes for land managers. Evidence reviews will be conducted to inform development of a framework for assessing value for money of agroforestry agri-environment scheme offers. Farmer and other expert input will be gathered throughout the research process.
General Content
Agroforestry is the integration of managed trees into the farming system while maintaining or enhancing agricultural productivity. Trees planted as part of agroforestry systems provide important shade for livestock, increase flood resilience, improve water quality, store carbon and enhance biodiversity.
The UK government has committed to increase tree cover in England to 16.5% by 2050 to help meet the goals set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan to tackle biodiversity loss and the climate crisis. Agroforestry has been identified as a mechanism by which this can be achieved whilst maintaining agricultural productivity.
In England, agroforestry is supported through the Environmental Land Management (ELM) agri-environmental grant scheme (AES) – a government-led initiative that provides financial support to farmers and other land managers to adopt environmentally beneficial practices.
Natural England and Defra have commissioned Forest Research to develop a framework for monitoring and evaluating the benefits provided through agroforestry scheme options.
This will improve the ELM agroforestry offers and identify and measure scheme impacts.
This multi-disciplinary project includes environmental monitoring, social science, and economic analysis.
Scoping study - Evaluating the social impacts affecting AES delivery
Scoping study – Evaluating the social impacts affecting AES delivery
