Agroforestry is the integration of trees or shrubs into crop and/or livestock systems. Interest in agroforestry is growing due to compelling evidence of its ecological and production benefits, including resilience to climate change. Knowledge is a primary barrier to agroforestry uptake, including both research and educational gaps in knowledge. Over a ten-month Treescapes fellowship, Millie co-produced research and educational priorities via an online survey, in-person interviews, and a multi-stakeholder workshop with over 50 participants from across the agroforestry sector - including farmers, foresters, researchers, policy makers, and NGOs.
227 research questions were received, which were shortened to a “top 40” list via a research prioritisation process. These questions are broad and international, spanning ecology, social science and policy. The interviews, which included a perception matrix, showed that knowledge about agroforestry funding and the long-term financial and legal implications of adopting agroforestry were major barriers. Co-produced solutions to these barriers included developing a long-term network of demonstration sites and an agroforestry advisor accreditation scheme, amongst other suggestions. These results can direct agroforestry research and educational programmes to facilitate evidence-based uptake of this promising agricultural system.
Dr Millie Hood is a transdisciplinary research fellow at the School of Agriculture, Policy, and Development, University of Reading. She trained in agricultural ecology in oil palm systems, but now conducts a mix of ecological and social research in arable and mixed systems in the UK. She is particularly interested in participatory research with farmers (e.g. farmer-designed ecological experiments) and agroforestry.