Showcase Agroforestry

About Inagro

Inagro is a non-profit research and advisory institute for agriculture and horticulture located in Belgium. The core business of Inagro is the delivery of scientifically substantiated practical research and the transfer of knowledge to stakeholders. The scientific and technical staff of Inagro performs a comprehensive practice driven and oriented research programme in its own professional operational infrastructure and on-farm. Intensive collaboration with stakeholders enables implementation of those research results. Inagro transfers and disseminates knowledge through scientific and more vulgarizing publications, the weekly Inagro newsletter, open field days, demonstration days, platforms, workshops, symposia and events. Fast, direct and easily accessible communication with growers and stakeholders is a key mission of Inagro. With over 7600 registered members, Inagro has a very well-established and vast network of farmers and other stakeholders.

The showcase

The showcase of Inagro is a long-term research plot with agroforestry (location N50.905315, E3.133286). The agroforestry system is an alley cropping system of about 1.4 hectares, with a tree component of walnut (Juglans regia). The choice for walnut trees is based on the strongly increasing interest of farmers in these trees, their high economic potential and their suitability for application in agroforestry systems. The two-meter-wide strips underneath the walnut trees will be sown in with perennial mixes of grasses and herbs, with the aim of limiting management of these strips and attracting beneficial insects. The trees will be intercropped with arable crops and vegetables typical for the region of West-Flanders (Belgium), in a 6-year rotation (potatoes, celeriac/carrot, maize, leek/cabbage, winter wheat, field beans). The plot will be managed in a conventional way. The long-term monitoring will be focusing on environmental characteristics of the plot such as soil (nutrients, organic matter, pH, bulk density, texture, temperature, moisture, soil water suction…), microclimate (light conditions, windspeed, air temperature and rainfall), soil macro- and micro-biodiversity with focus on earth worms and ground beetles. Next to this the crop yield, crop quality, tree yield and management costs will be monitored carefully and will be used in the economic calculation of the agroforestry system.

Key persons involved

• Tom Van Nieuwenhove
• Eva Ampe
• Dieter Depraetere