Modern agroforestry, as a nature-based solution that combines trees and/or shrubs with traditional agriculture, can help to improve landscape water retention and thus contribute to protection against drought, erosion and flooding. In view of the need to ensure a more sustainable and resilient agriculture in response to climate change, the AFaktive project aims to develop, test and promote new approaches for improved water management in the landscape through the implementation of agroforestry systems.
Within the framework of the project, new hydrologically optimised plantings will be carried out on agroforestry-experienced pilot farms, which are to be scaled up with the help of additional demonstration farms. The model and demonstration sites serve to test and expand the implementation of agroforestry systems as an approach for improved water management from the farm to the regional level (e.g. municipality or water catchment area) and, on this basis the development of suitable planning tools. The IfLS's main work within the project involves policy analyses and the co-design of instruments to support agroforestry and water management approaches at local, national and EU level, including working with political decision-makers to improve the legal and administrative framework for agroforestry systems.
Lead Partner of the project is the Institute for Applied Material Flow Management (IfaS) in Trier/Birkenfeld. The project is funded by the LIFE programme of the European Commission and involves a total of eleven partners from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands (to the AFaktive project website).
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Project partner:
Institute for Applied Material Flow Management (IfaS) (Lead Partner)
Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (EV ILVO)
Association for Agroforestry in the Walloon and Brussels regions (AWAF)
Institut für Technologietransfer an der Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft des Saarlandes (FITT)
Hydrotec Ingenieurgesellschaft für Wasser und Umwelt
Inagro, Provinciaal Extern Verzelfstandigd Agentschap In Privaatrechtelijke Vorm VZW
Royal Eijkelkamp B. V. | Products for soil and water research
Rombouts Agroecologie
Waterschap De Dommel
Forestry Service Group (FSG)
Project no.: | 257 |
Categories: | Research | Sustainable land use | |
Client: | European Commission – LIFE SAP Climate Action |
Executing Organization: | Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS) |
Duration: | 2023-2028 |
Contact person/s at IfLS: | Dr. Holger Pabst, Simone Sterly |
