Agroforestry at the forefront of farming sustainability in multifunctional landscapes in Europe

Project Information

REFOREST

Grant agreement ID: 101060635

DOI

10.3030/101060635

Project closed

EC signature date 7 June 2022

Start date 1 July 2022

End date 30 June 2026

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 3 333 691,25

EU contribution

€ 3 333 691,00

Coordinated by

CESKA ZEMEDELSKA UNIVERZITA V PRAZE
Czechia

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - REFOREST (Agroforestry at the forefront of farming sustainability in multifunctional landscapes in Europe)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In Europe, traditional agroforestry practices, defined as integrating trees with farming, have long been overshadowed by modern agricultural systems. Yet, the urgent need for sustainable food production, carbon capture, and biodiversity conservation has renewed interest in these methods. Over the course of the ReForest project so far, we have been working to empower farmers across Europe to adopt agroforestry, tackling key barriers and fostering innovation.

Using an open science approach, we are working to bridge knowledge gaps, advance digitalisation, and develop an interactive platform for stakeholders. Through Living Labs and close collaboration with stakeholders, we have co-created metrics, financial tools, and efficient monitoring systems, positioning agroforestry as both attractive and economically viable for farmers.

As the project nears completion, its holistic approach, combining education, ecosystem service enhancement, and policy and financial innovation, has laid the foundations for a sustainable learning model, which we are implementing on our engagement platform.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The ReForest project has achieved several significant milestones in advancing agroforestry in Europe and is now approaching its final stages. The fully functional co-creation and engagement platform is being promoted to a wide range of stakeholders and serves as a central hub for community building and knowledge exchange. It actively integrates actors from other projects in agroforestry and agroecology, with a strong ongoing collaboration with the DigitAF project.

The project has successfully completed the Agroforestry Co-creation Guidelines and Factsheets, engaging all partners in community-building. These Factsheets, available in multiple languages via the platform, are directly accessible to farmers, advisors, and other practitioners. The innovation network and ongoing networking impact assessments demonstrate ReForest’s commitment to collaborative effort and locally adapted innovation.

The conceptual graphical model of agroforestry systems has been raod-tested, and work is underway to develop a dynamic management tool for tracking innovation impacts, now being adapted to individual Living Labs. Establishing the Living Labs has provided a strong foundation for data collection, knowledge typology reports, and socioeconomic value chain assessments. The agroforestry models used in the project are now fully parameterised with data from the Living Labs, ensuring context-specific and accurate simulations.

Development of the FarmTree Tool with climate projections, biomass-to-carbon indicators, biodiversity indicators, and multilingual support is nearing completion, enhancing the ability to assess agroforestry systems. In parallel, progress in dataset creation, neural network training, and remote sensing tool development is improving the prediction of carbon capture and biodiversity potential, we have successfully launched agroforestry carbon and biodiversity prediction tool.

The project has also developed a blueprint for agroforestry finance in Europe and is testing several business models to support the establishment and scaling of agroforestry enterprises. Further advances in mapping value chains, adapting the Public Goods Tool, and exploring consultancy business models add depth to the project’s outputs. Overall, ReForest’s achievements highlight agroforestry’s potential to integrates food systems, agriculture, forestry, and rural development for long-term sustainability.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The ReForest project has delivered progress well beyond the current state of the art, with a strong emphasis on developing essential tools and practical innovations to increase the attractiveness of agroforestry in Europe. The fully functional co-creation and engagement platform serves as a central hub for community building and knowledge exchange, enabling stakeholders from across Europe—and from other agroforestry and agroecology initiatives to interact, share insights, and collaborate.

The FarmTree Tool has been successfully adapted to temperate European conditions, including tree species characteristics, management practices, and site-specific climate data. Non-experts can use the model to assess the impacts of climate projections, biomass-to-carbon conversion, biodiversity metrics, and more, with multilingual support ensuring broad accessibility. This adaptation provides a powerful, user-friendly decision-support system for understanding tree–crop interactions and guiding farm and policy decisions.

In the technological domain, the project has created extensive datasets combining remote sensing and ground data, enabling the development and field testing of automated workflows that recognise and describe agroforestry features such as trees, shrubs, and crop plots. The neural network training dataset, comprising a curated repository of remote images from agroforestry case study sites, has been instrumental in ensuring that the methodology is scalable and widely applicable.

On the financial side, ReForest has developed a hybrid financing model for agroforestry that blends public funding, private investment, and results-based payments. In collaboration with DeepRoots, we have also created an agroforestry consultancy business model, offering integrated technical, financial, and implementation support to landowners and enterprises. These combined advances provide the foundation for scaling agroforestry adoption across Europe in a financially viable way.

ReForest Project Logo