Imagine trying to plant a forest and a crop on the same land without knowing if the trees will steal all the sunlight or water. This project builds a digital 'flight simulator' for farmers to test different planting layouts on a computer first. It helps them predict exactly how much carbon they'll save and how much money they'll make before they ever dig a hole.
Farmers avoid agroforestry because they cannot predict the economic impact or technical feasibility of planting trees with crops. There is also a lack of tools to prove and sell the environmental benefits like carbon sequestration.
A set of open-source digital decision support tools and an IT architecture that combine simulation models with field data to optimize agroforestry design.
If you are a software provider dealing with a lack of specialized tools for mixed farming — this project developed open-source digital tools and IT architecture that allow users to optimize the design and management of agroforestry systems. This enables the creation of marketable applied tools for field and farm scale management.
If you are a verification firm dealing with the difficulty of quantifying soil health and carbon sequestration — this project developed tools to verify and market agroforestry benefits. This allows for more accurate assessment of carbon farming related policies and environmental performance.
If you are a farm owner dealing with the technical uncertainty of integrating trees into crop fields — this project developed simulation models and decision support tools. These tools help increase technical feasibility, productivity, and economic performance of the land.
Based on available project data, the tools are being co-developed as open-source, meaning the core logic is shared, though downstream marketable versions may be developed.
Yes, the project uses 6 Living Labs across Europe and involves 33 partners to ensure the tools work across different regional and national scales.
The project emphasizes open-source tools and the FAIR principles to boost usage and applicability for downstream marketable applied tools.
The tools support policymakers in implementing efficient agroforestry and carbon farming policies and monitoring their impact on biodiversity and climate.
The project runs from 2022-07-01 to 2026-06-30, with the first 36 months focused on establishing Living Labs and identifying user needs.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward research and technical expertise, with 12 research organizations and 7 universities. However, there is a significant commercial bridge with 6 industry partners and 8 SMEs, representing an 18% industry ratio. This mix suggests the project is well-positioned to move from scientific simulation to practical, marketable software tools.
Contact INRAE (France) for technical specifications on the digital tool architecture.
Contact us to identify which of the 6 Living Lab outcomes match your regional agricultural profile.
