AGROforestry and MIXed farming systems — Participatory research to drive the transition to a resilient and efficient land use in Europe (AGROMIX)

Project Aims:

AGROMIX is a participatory research project which aims to drive the transition to a resilient and efficient land use in Europe. It focuses on practical agroecological solutions for farm and land management and related value chains. AGROMIX has six specific objectives:

1. Unlock the full potential of synergies in MF/AF systems
2. Develop and promote value chains and infrastructure for MF/AF produce.
3. Develop the MIX-A toolkit to co-design and manage MF/AF systems in practice
4. Identify and model transition scenarios
5. Develop policy recommendations and action plans for a successful transition

Maximise the impact and legacy of the project for building low-carbon climate-resilient farming systems

ORC's Role:

ORC is leading a task on value chain in the socio-economic work-package, and also contributing data from one of the six core research sites that form part of the key project objective to quantify biophysical indicators of agroecosystem resilience at the plot scale. The project will make use of data from the fully replicated agroforestry trial at Elm Farm, which combined short rotation coppice with silage and beef production, and from the long-established Wakelyns Agroforestry site in Suffolk.

Project leader and partners:

Project Coordinator: Centre for Agroecology, Water & Resilience, Coventry University (United Kingdom)

Project Partners:

• Belgium: Agroecology Europe; Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Wervel.
• Estonia: Estonian University of Life Sciences.
• France: The Organic Food and Farming Institute; National Institute of Agricultural Research.
• Germany: Trier University of Applied Sciences; University of Koblenz-Landau; Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research.
• Hungary: CEEweb for Biodiversity.
• Ireland: Teagasc – Agriculture and Food Development Authority.
• Italy: Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies; University of Pisa; Tenuta di Paganico Società Agricola; Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA); Veneto Agricoltura.
• Poland: Polish Agroforestry Association (OSA).
• Portugal: MVarc.
• Serbia: Network for Rural Development of Serbia.
• Spain: REVOLVE; University of Extremadura.
• Switzerland: Agroscope; Zurich University of Applied Sciences.
• The Netherlands: Wageningen University & Research.
• United Kingdom: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute; Cranfield University; The Organic Research Centre.

Previous Relevant Work: