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Netherlands

AGROFORESTRY in NETHERLANDS

The mayor systems:

        • Silvo pastoral systems: a combination of productive grassland and cattle with trees or shrubs (this also includes the old cultural landscapes);
        • Row-growing or alley cropping systems: combinations of arable farming, field-grown vegetable growing or fruit and trees or shrubs;-
        • Food forests: cultivation systems made up of several vegetation layers for the production of a wide range of fruit, nuts, seeds, vegetables and herbs.

AGROFORESTRY ASSOCIATIONS in NETHERLANDS

  • Agroforestry Nederland:

- Agroforestry Netherlands Foundation (also known as EURAF Netherlands) is a network of researchers, companies and organizations involved in the development of agroforestry in the Netherlands.
- 20 paying members; researchers, farmers, public and others
- Newsletter (300 persons)

  • Agroforestry Zuid-Nederland/Network Brabant:

- Regional network of 75 farmers

- Several projects to develop agroforestry systems

  • Stichting Voedselbosbouw Nederland:   

- The foundation stands for the development and exploitation of new and existing food forests in the Netherlands

- Board of 5 (founders)

- Newsletter

A lot of smaller organizations and private initiatives around food-forests (> 1000);:

- www.permacultuurnederland.org

- www.brabantsemilieufederatie.nl/project/voedselbossen

- https://eetbaarnijmegen.nl/in-nijmegen/voedselbossen/

Other relevant projects about agroforestry in Netherlands:

  • Masterplan Agroforestry Netherlands. Agroforestry and Food-forestry Master Plan. It wanta to remove bottlenecks and to develop opportunities to make a scaling up of agroforestry possible in the Netherlands (aim; 25.000 hectares in 2030). An initiative of Agroforestry
  • Farmlife. The project FARM LIFE aims to contribute to climate change adaptation. Established agroforestry on 32 hectares in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. Led by Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences.
  • National “Action plan Forest and Wood” of Wageningen University. A plan to plant new forests with 25 % agroforestry. Pilots; agroforestry in chicken orchards, planting agroforestry in regional projects. 

AGROFORESTRY POLICIES in NETHERLANDS 

AF in Holland offers opportunities for fulfilling social tasks, nationally and regionally, but also within various agricultural sectors. There are still limitations due to laws and regulations. In terms of policy, agroforestry is not legally recognized.

The existing agroforestry initiatives encounter problems that have to do with current agricultural and nature policy. Agroforestry is currently not recognized as an agricultural system in the Netherlands, while the current European policy (CAP) does. Plant subsidies are even available that are not used in the Netherlands (via measure sheet 8, article 23; EURAF, 2019).

In many cases, existing laws and regulations in the Netherlands are therefore a stumbling block. Landowners who plant trees on agricultural land run a large financial risk because of the possible devaluation of the land. In the province of Brabant work is being done to find solutions in the Nature Protection Act; in combination with an exemption from the replanting obligation. A new crop code is also being argued that gives farmers the opportunity to take this path. The Agroforestry Master Plan is committed to developing more space for planting trees on agricultural land for the other forms of agroforestry.

Experiences also emphasize that the lack of knowledge, competences and expertise with regard to the adaptability of agroforestry systems is also a substantial obstacle

At the same time, agroforestry lends itself perfectly as a framework for the development of a reimbursement system for ecosystem services, such as the capture of carbon and the enhancement of biodiversity. This is yet developed fully. 

RELEVANT AGROFORESTRY WEBSITES in NETHERLANDS

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