What is Agro4esterie?
Agro4esterie is a resource project developing and testing modern agroforestry production systems on agricultural land in western Switzerland. The project works directly with participating farms to plan and establish systems suited to local conditions, while a research team documents their effects on soil, water, biodiversity, climate, and farm economics.
The project provides:
— Monitoring sites
Six years of implementation, eight years of scientific monitoring
The project operates across the cantons of Geneva (GE), Neuchâtel (NE), Jura and the Bernese Jura (JU/JB) and Vaud (VD). It works with more than 130 participating farms, all meeting Proof of Ecological Performance or organic standards, on sites spanning every agricultural zone from mountain through hill to lowland. These regions share a growing interest in agroforestry alongside a relatively limited base of established systems, which makes them well suited to coordinated study. The project runs from 2020 to 2027
— Project Aims
Balancing production and environmental protection
Modern agroforestry integrates perennial woody plants into farmland in a form compatible with mechanised cultivation. The project provides the technical consultation, financial support, and training intended to make these systems practicable on working farms.
— Scientific Monitoring
The monitoring programme
Select an image to read more about the indicators tracked across the project’s monitoring programme
— Publications & Data
Methods, data and reports
The project’s monitoring methods, datasets, and reports are documented and made available as the eight-year programme progresses. Scientific monitoring data is provided by Agroscope, with contributions from other research partners. Materials are released openly so that the evidence underlying the project remains available for review and reuse.
— The project on film
Agroforestry in practice
A short film showing how participating farms combine trees and agriculture on their land.
Contact and Assistance
Agro4esterie is intended to serve two audiences at once. For farmers, it offers structured support, training, and practical experience in establishing and managing agroforestry systems suited to local conditions; for researchers and advisors, it provides documented, long-term data on how these systems perform across a range of sites in western Switzerland. If you have any questions about the project, please get in touch.
Partners and Stakeholders
The project is funded by federal grants (PAI) and implemented in collaboration with various agricultural and scientific partners.
