Agroforestry Map of Europe – a database and map for direct user engagement

Agroforestry practices such as alley cropping, forest farming, silvopasture, riparian buffers, and windbreaks, often were considered quaint or dated farming systems. However, in the light of climate change and more than three decades of agroforestry-focused science, these practices have vaulted into the public consciousness like never before and are now a modern and innovative answer to the question of farm resilience. This is true in two ways: 1) farms can adapt to rapidly changing climatic conditions and mitigate anthropogenic greenhouse gasses through carbon sequestration; and 2) these systems are proven technologies that enhance on-farm and landscape aesthetics as well as the ecological and sustainable economic integrity concerning the future orientation of agriculture. To spread the concept of agroforestry as a promising land-use system and convince farmers by learning from the experience of their peers, this is seen as one important outcome from the projects REFOREST and DIGITAF. The aim was to develop the Agroforestry Map of Europe, which brings a unique visual database to summarize, visualize, and explore the various forms of agroforestry. The variety of stakeholders, farms, educational/information organizations and interested parties (the ones currently thinking or planning agroforestry systems), are collected through activities in LivingLabs in eleven countries within Europe. While the regional approach using the native language as GUI is essential, standardized categorizations and a uniform database structure together with the use of botanic names and English translations allow for a uniform display of an EU map. By using the latest programming technique, an advanced online map was created and its use promoted among national agroforestry associations. To capture the experience of various mappings, an interactive online document to develop the map categories was set up and commented on by the participants. Furthermore, the resulting map features several improvements, both for the user as well as for the administrators. To conclude, the Agroforestry Map of Europe will enhance the user experience through a straightforward GUI and various possibilities for searching, filtering, and viewing. It marks a significant contribution to make this form of land-use more visible across Europe, allowing practitioners to find examples in their neighbourhood or across Europe. At the same time, the data collection allows for a more detailed analysis of the variety of agroforestry. Politics may draw insights relevant for current and future policies like the CAP, the CRCF, the national implementation strategies of the nature restoration law and other activities under development. This abstract is based upon work from projects REFOREST (https://agroreforest.eu/) and DIGITAF, (www.digitaf.eu), funded by the European Union´s Horizon Europe Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101060635 and No.101059794.