Contract Period : 01/05/2026 - 30/04/2028
Main Funder : Funded by ADOPT, part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.
ORC Staff Contact : Dr Colin Tosh
This project will test how fruit and nut trees can be successfully grown within an upland cattle-grazing system at Gowbarrow Hall Farm in Cumbria. Working with Ings Farm Biohub and the Organic Research Centre, the project will combine productive tree planting with practical water-management features such as swales and infiltration areas. It will look at how this approach can improve farm resilience, support biodiversity, protect soils, reduce runoff and create new income opportunities for upland livestock farms. ORC will help monitor biodiversity, water quality, soil function and the economic performance of the system. The findings will be shared through reports, field days and farmer networks to help other livestock farmers understand whether similar agroforestry systems could work on their own farms.
Resilient Uplands: Diversifying Grazing Systems through Fruit and Nut Agroforestry will test how fruit and nut trees can be successfully integrated into an upland cattle-grazing farm at Gowbarrow Hall Farm in Cumbria.
Many upland livestock farms face growing pressures from extreme weather, rising costs, changing farm policy and limited opportunities to diversify income. This project will explore whether agroforestry can offer a practical way to strengthen farm businesses while also improving soil, water, biodiversity and climate resilience.
The project will establish productive tree rows within grazed pasture, using species such as apple, pear, hazel, medlar and gage. The design will build on the experience of Ings Farm Biohub in Yorkshire, where farmer Dr Vincent Walsh has developed an upland agroforestry and water-management system. At Gowbarrow, this approach will be adapted for cattle grazing, with robust tree protection against livestock and deer.
The trial will also include simple water-management features, such as swales and infiltration areas, to slow runoff, hold more water in the landscape and support tree establishment. Cattle grazing will continue alongside the trees, allowing the project team to understand how the system works under real commercial farm conditions.
The Organic Research Centre will support the project by monitoring biodiversity, water quality, soil function and the economic performance of the system. The project aims to understand whether this type of agroforestry can help upland farms diversify income, improve grazing conditions, store more carbon, reduce water-related risks and create better habitats for wildlife. The findings will be shared through field days, open reports, practical guidance and farmer networks, helping other livestock farmers assess whether similar systems could work on their own farms.
The Organic Research Centre is a research subcontractor for the project. ORC will help refine the trial design and lead the monitoring and evaluation work, so that the agroforestry system can be assessed under real farm conditions.
ORC’s work will include biodiversity baselining, water-quality sampling, soil and ground-condition monitoring, tree survival tracking, and observations of how cattle interact with the new tree rows. ORC will also lead the economic evaluation, looking at the costs, benefits and wider value of adding fruit and nut trees to an upland grazing system.
As part of the project, ORC will help produce the evidence base, including monitoring data, a whole-system assessment and practical findings for farmers. ORC will also support knowledge exchange through open-access outputs, Agricology materials, field days and sharing results with farmer, adviser and policy networks.
On 15th June 2026 Colin Tosh and Giulia Kessous were baseline sampling (soil, plant, bird and insect biodiversity) land at Gowbarrow Hall Farm in the lake district that will be converted to fruit and nut agroforestry.
This project builds most directly on ORC’s Horizon Europe ReForest work, particularly the North of England Agroforestry Living Lab. Both Gowbarrow Hall Farm and Ings Farm Biohub have been involved in this living lab, giving ORC an existing relationship with both project partners and a strong understanding of their agroforestry systems.
The project will extend learning from ReForest by adapting the Ings Farm Biohub fruit-and-nut agroforestry and water-management model for a cattle-grazed upland system at Gowbarrow Hall Farm. It will also contribute new evidence on tree establishment, livestock integration, biodiversity, water management and economic performance in upland agroforestry.
Related ORC projects and activities include:
