The Budgets Committee of the European Parliament adopted yesterday the pilot project titled “Towards an integrated European agroforestry sector. ”With a budget of one million Euro, this project will allow to launch new European initiatives paving the way for genuine ownership of agroforestry by farmers.
“The European Parliament has given new momentum to this innovative production system,” stated Alain Canet, President of the French Agroforestry Association. “Thanks to the pilot project, agroforestry, which is one of the greening elements of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), will not remain unheeded.”
The pilot project is meant to provide answers to the overall lack of information and support for farmers with respect to the various options of agroforestry applications. Raising awareness in the agricultural world about the multiple benefits of agroforestry, bringing available and state-of-the-art knowledge, involving farmers in improving agroforestry practices while sharing knowledge are among the objectives of the project. The financial envelope created by the European Parliament will contribute to building a common agroforestry culture, shared by all players including farmers, policy makers and the general audience.
After the vote in October by the European Parliament (Plenary Session) on the EU budget for 2014, the European Commission will have to decide on the ways to allocate funds. “I wish to warmly thank MEPs Michel Dantin (EPP), Gaston Franco (EPP), Eric Andrieu (S&D), Viorica Dancila (S&D), José Bové (Greens) and Bas Eickhout (Greens) for their support and involvement along the adoption process of the pilot project,” said Alain Canet.
Read more on ORC’s agroforestry work here
