COLLABORATION FOR SUCCESSFUL AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS

Most existing agroforestry systems on UK farms have been established by the farmer who is also the landowner or tenant. However, many farmers lack both (a) the time and the specialist knowledge to plant and care for trees and (b) the capital to invest in trees, especially when setting up a new farming enterprise. In addition, trees are a long-term investment and the uncertainty of tenure and differences of opinion between farmers and landlords are both known disincentives to establishing new agroforestry systems on tenanted land. Dartington Estate in south west England is delivering agroforestry in an innovative way not seen in the UK before, through a multi-tiered arrangement of land owner, farm tenant and tree license holders. What makes this unusual, and exciting, is that by enabling several different businesses to work together farming the field The landowner, Dartington Estate, has created an approach to agroforestry that overcomes some of the barriers which have prevented a wider uptake of agroforestry in the UK.