AGROMIX, a sister project of MIXED, focusses on agroforestry and its positive benefits for society as a whole. In this context, a policy summit on agroforestry took place yesterday in Brussels, organised by Agroecology Europe and the AGROMIX consortium. The focal point was the political framework conditions and how these can be improved for agroforestry. The IfLS was represented as part of two projects.
On the one hand, we had the opportunity to contribute our results from MIXED and compare them with those of other agroforestry projects: although there are good approaches in a few countries, e.g. in the form of investments or area measures, agroforestry still tends to be a niche activity. There is also room for improvement in the areas of education and knowledge transfer as well as economics and value creation. The question of a practicable definition still remains unresolved.
On the other hand, there was enough time to maintain existing networks and establish new contacts (e.g. CIFOR-ICRAF, EURAF). In AFaktive, our second agroforestry project, we would like to broaden the perspective to include water retention and regional approaches. Yesterday's discussions provided important insights for us and our partners to address this topic in greater depth.
Contact persons at IfLS: Holger Pabst (pabst[at]ifls.de)
