Farmers could turn more of the UK's farmland into productive agroforestry systems if they had access to trusted advice and real farm examples, according to new research from the University of Reading.

Agroforestry integrates trees into crop or livestock farming. Trees in fields support climate resilience, biodiversity and soil health while maintaining food output.

The researchers found that a key barrier to adopting agroforestry is that farmers don’t have the knowledge they need to implement and manage it. Many farmers want to see working examples of agroforestry in their area, before committing to new methods with long-term implications for farm management.

In a separate University of Reading study, also published this month, researchers modelled what would happen if agroforestry were scaled up across England and Wales. The research found that agroforestry could substantially boost domestic production of fruit, timber and biomass, all products that the UK currently imports in large quantities. However, this would come with trade-offs, as food production could fall by 3–45 per cent depending on tree type and density, with vegetables and cereals most affected. Livestock grazing systems would be least impacted.

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