Soil Association Scotland’s Agroforestry in Action 2: Knowledge Transfer Programme

The aims of the project were to build on our 2021 ‘Agroforestry in Action’ (AIA) programme’s success, leveraging the knowledge acquired to continue building interest, increasing knowledge, and providing farmers, crofters and land managers with resources and information on the benefits and opportunities for agroforestry in Scotland; and to establish a Scottish Agroforestry Network.

The project’s objectives were to:

• Continue to increase interest in agroforestry amongst farmers and crofters as a viable land management practice for delivering multiple environmental and business benefits.
• Improve access to practical resources and information specific to agroforestry systems which are applicable in a Scottish context.
• Provide an on-going project legacy (beyond the lifetime of the project) of outreach support and e-learning to get Scottish stakeholders to plant more trees.
• Increase referrals to FAS specialist advisory service for Woodland Management and Conservation and FAS mentoring programme for new entrants interested in forestry and woodland.
• Work with key stakeholders including FAS, NFU Scotland, NatureScot, Rural Innovation Support Service Scottish Agroforestry Group, policy makers and research bodies (e.g. SRUC) to identify and overcome barriers/obstacles to agroforestry on agricultural land and promote options for different situations.
• Provide evidence to help inform policy making for best practice, further research, advisory services, grants, etc.
• Showcase the benefits and opportunities of agroforestry to a wider audience of rural stakeholders (e.g. local businesses, partnerships, landowners, community leaders) and the public.

If you’re looking for more resources then use the following links:

• How to practice agroforestry on your farm
• Agroforestry in Action virtual events recordings
• How farm and forest work together