Combining trees with crops or livestock on the same land has the potential to mitigate climate change. As a resilient agricultural practice, agroforestry (AF) can sequester carbon, preserve biodiversity and contribute to food security by diversifying agricultural production. The EU-funded DIGITAF project will promote AF systems. Specifically, it will co-develop digital tools tailored to the needs and concerns of AF target groups, including policy actors, practitioners and actors involved in the AF value chain. The project will implement six Living Labs in different countries to ensure an end-user-centred multi-actor approach. Bringing together 25 partners from 20 countries, DIGITAF will cover the entire AF value chain. It will contribute to farm sustainability, climate change mitigation, biodiversity preservation and soil conservation.
Starting from a full understanding of benefits of Agroforestry in terms of climate change mitigation, biodiversity and farming sustainability goals, DigitAF provides tailored, user-friendly and open-source digital tools for everyone involved in the farming industry, from policymakers and farmers to final consumers.
We will develop knowledge and tools to:
• Support policy actors at regional, national and European level in order to design more efficient and effective policies to support agroforestry adoption and monitor their impact on biodiversity, climate change mitigation and agricultural sustainability
• Support farmers in designing and managing agroforestry systems in order to optimize agronomic, economic, social and environmental performances
• Allow actors in agroforestry value chains in order to verify and market benefits, including enhanced biodiversity, carbon sequestration, soil health
• DigitAF also supports consumers looking for food of high nutritional quality and farmed respecting the environment.