Last Thursday, 27.06.2024, the ReForest project organised was a webinar to introduce the innovative FarmTree Tool, a digital solution aiming to transform the agroforestry planning and implementation practices across Europe. The event attracted a diverse audience including farmers, advisors, researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders deeply invested in the future of agroforestry from all over the world.
After a couple of introductory words on the side of the project’s communication manager, Ms Galina Ivanova, prof. Ing. Martin Lukac, PhD, the ReForest project coordinator, provided an overview of the project emphasising the historical context and modern relevance of agroforestry. He highlighted the challenges faced in integrating trees back into agricultural systems, emphasising the numerous benefits of food production and ecosystem services.
Following his insightful presentation, Steffie Rijpkema, MSc, Coordinator of the Innovation Team in FarmTree BV, introduced the FarmTree Tool. The tool integrates data from ReForest Living Labs and other open sources to facilitate the design and evaluation of agroforestry systems. It incorporates site-specific data such as location, plot design, climate conditions, soil composition, etc. to generate detailed projections of agroforestry scenarios.
Marina Alarcón, MSc, an Agroforestry Impact Quantification Expert at FarmTree, presented real-world applications of the tool. She showcased examples from ReForest Living Labs, demonstrating how the tool can predict the long-term performance of agroforestry systems across production, financial, and agro-ecological dimensions.
An interactive slido session allowed participants to engage with the presenters, and Marina facilitated a discussion on the functionalities and digital solutions needed by diverse European agroforestry practitioners, gathering their valuable feedback and insights.
Webinar participants received temporary access to the FarmTree Tool’s temperate agroforestry species database, enabling them to explore the tool’s potential for their specific contexts.
The webinar highlighted the transformative potential of the FarmTree Tool and the ReForest project in promoting sustainable agroforestry practices. The tool now supports eight European languages, making it accessible to a wider audience. The FarmTree Tool’s database has also expanded to include over 400 relevant agroforestry species, calibrated for different geo-regions, with an additional 80 temperate species recently added.
For those who missed the webinar, a recording is available on the ReForest YouTube channel.
Download Overview of ReForest project (M. Lukac, project coordinator) Presentation
Download FarmTree tool (Marina Alarcón, Steffie Rijpkema) Presentation
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