Hedgerows and isolated trees play a role in Europe

Agroforestry is a sustainable land use system that is directly supported by the Greening and in the Pillar II of the CAP (Measure 8.2). It can be also indirectly recognized in other parts of the CAP such as the cross-compliance or conditionality, where environment preservation is promoted. Cross-compliance applies to Pillar I but also to most environmental payments being part of the Rural Development policy (Pillar II) since CAP 2007-2013. Farmers receiving CAP funds have to comply with (i) Statutory Management Requirements (SMR) and (ii) standards for maintaining the land in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC). Current SMRs are related to environment, climate change, and good agricultural condition land linked to (1) water (SMR1: Nitrate Vulnerable Zones), (2) biodiversity (SMR2: wild birds and SMR3: habitats), and (3) public: food and feed animal regulations among others and agroforestry can help to fulfil these environment goals. Agroforestry is indirectly contributing to those GAEC related with (i) water such as GAEC 1 (establishment of buffer strips along water courses), GAEC3 (Protection of ground water against pollution), (ii) soil and carbon stock related to GAEC 4 (Minimum soil cover), GAEC 5 (erosion), GAEC 6 (maintenance of soil organic matter), but more directly to GAEC 7 related with the landscape and the retention of the landscape features, because landscape features are related to hedges, trees in line, in group or isolated.