— Project Info

Agro4esterie in Detail

Agro4esterie develops modern agroforestry systems and tests them on working farms, supporting agriculture in meeting its objectives for soil, water, climate, and biodiversity while maintaining farm productivity.

Overview

Agroforestry combines woody perennials, like trees and shrubs, with crops or livestock on the same parcel of land. The approach is associated with reduced soil erosion, increased organic matter, improved water availability, expanded habitat for biodiversity, and the storage of carbon in trees and soil. Interest in western Switzerland has grown in recent years, yet adoption remains limited, in part because modern systems are demanding to plan, establish, and maintain.

Project duration

An 8-year project, running from 2020 to 2027:

  • 6 years of implementation, from 2020 – 2025
  • 8 years of scientific monitoring, from 2020 – 2027

Monitoring & research

The project is open to farms in Geneva (GE), Jura and the Bernese Jura (JU/JB), Neuchâtel (NE), and Vaud (VD) operating under Proof of Ecological Performance (PER / ÖLN) or organic standards. Its target is for 140 farms to establish agroforestry on an additional 280 hectares, without a resulting reduction in farm income.

Scientific monitoring runs across all participating farms for the full eight years. The team tracks soil quality, biological soil activity, birds, pollinators and hoverflies, weed pressure, habitat suitability and carbon storage, comparing agroforestry plots against the wider farm where possible.

— Visual comparison

Before and after planting

Drag the slider to compare a site at planting with the same site once the trees are established.