July 4, 2019 Project deliverable Open Access

Learning by doing and sharing, a way to improve agroforestry knowledge creation and exchange among practitioners HD

Léo Godard

Knowledge transfer is one of the key axes for the development of innovative practices such as agroforestry. Agronomy, ecology, tree management, etc. are already particularly complex fields of expertise when undertaken separately, so composite subjects such as agroecology or agroforestry require an even deeper understanding of interdependent varying factors and interactions between components at the system level. Theoretical approaches cannot provide the whole set of skills needed; it can lead to forgetting crucial points for sustainable agroforestry development at plot, farm, and landscape scale. Knowledge creation and exchange therefore must be implemented in a context-specific approach and be farmer-centered. One such example is the methodology used within the Agr'eau regional development programmes and implemented at awater catchment level in France. The aim of this initiative is to encourage collaborative development of optimal farming practices, taking a landscape approach to soil, water, and resource management.