Agroforestry – planting trees and hedges on farms – was once the norm, but as farms industrialised and basic payments encouraged us to see them as 'things that got in the way of machinery', the idea of integrating trees into farmland fell out of favour. Despite this trend to remove trees from within fields, more than one-third of woodland in the UK is on farms.
All that is changing. The multitude of benefits from integrating trees into farming is becoming more evident.
To match this surge in interest, we’ve developed a selection of resources to help farmers and land managers plan, plant and manage trees within their own particular farming system.
Improve your knowledge and start planting trees
This short online course is all about agroforestry and farm woodlands in practice, increasing your understanding of how to get started and giving you the confidence to take the first steps. This course will provide an introduction to the opportunities and options for agroforestry and farm woodlands. The course fee is £15.60 + vat which covers the cost of our administration costs.
By the end of the course you will understand:
- What agroforestry systems and farm woodlands are;
- The different type of agroforestry systems that are practical for the UK;
- The on-farm and wider environmental benefits of agroforestry systems and farm woodlands;
- The key elements of effective agroforestry and farm woodland design;
- Some of the financial benefits of agroforestry and farm woodland systems;
- Some wider supply chain and market opportunities for agroforestry systems and farm woodlands; and
- How to begin to develop plans for an agroforestry system and farm woodland.
What does the course consist of?
The course is made up of five easy to complete modules.
- An introduction to agroforestry and farm woodland benefits and opportunities
- How to take forward your agroforestry and/or farm woodland plans
- Understanding agroforestry - system design and management
- Understanding farm woodlands - design and management
- Understanding the economic case for agroforestry and farm woodland
What will I need to complete the course?
- Typically, the course will take about 2 hours to complete in one sitting, but modules can be paused and re-accessed as many times as you like over a three month period.
- For this course, we are using the web-based learning management system called Litmos, so is available to anyone with wifi and a basic laptop or desktop setup.
Any queries?
Please contact the Soil Association Producer Support team by emailing producer.support@soilassociation.org
