Agroforestry
Agriculture in the
3d Dimension
More and more farms are integrating agroforestry into their own cultivation practices
Agroforestry is a highly underestimated tool to counteract global warming and to achieve many positive side effects. Agroforestry is a land use system in which trees are combined with crops or livestock on the same area, creating positive ecological and economic interactions between the different crops.
Agroforestry systems differ in the combination of:
-
Trees with arable crops (silvoarable systems),
-
Trees with livestock (silvopastoral systems)
-
Trees with agriculture and animal husbandry
(agrosilvopastoral systems)
Within these categories, there are many different forms of agroforestry systems. Typical for all types of agroforestry is the conscious use of synergies between woody and arable crops. In addition to the cultivation of particularly fast-growing tree species such as poplars, trees for the production of valuable timber and fruit trees also play an important role in agroforestry systems.
Fast-growing tree species have the advantage that they develop their positive effects very quickly, such as:
-
Erosion protection
-
Improved microclimate
-
High CO₂ sequestration
Fast-growing trees also represent a low-threshold entry into agroforestry for many farmers, as they do not have to commit to a specific agroforestry system for many decades. As in nature, pioneer trees create favorable conditions for gradually integrating other tree species into the system.
The ecological synergies of agroforestry systems also arise from the extensive, particularly species-rich edge structures.
As a plus, farm productivity can also be increased: In French agroforestry systems, a total area yield of 140% was measured, compared to growing arable crops and trees as separate blocks next to each other.
VIVO Carbon assumes financial responsibility for the realization of your agroforestry system
We have developed a financing model that offers farmers an almost risk-free entry into agroforestry. VIVO Carbon is financially responsible for the success of the tree plantings. The farmers are largely exempt from financial risk, but carry out maintenance measures on the trees within the scope of their individual possibilities. They receive a share of the proceeds and have the opportunity to build up additional specialist knowledge. In this way, VIVO Carbon creates conditions for farmers in which agroforestry projects are successful in every respect.
Cooperate with VIVO Carbon
By 2040, agroforestry has the potential to offset more than 25% of the remaining CO₂ emissions in Germany. (37 out of 150 million tons of CO2 annually)
This only takes into account the CO₂ bound by wood growth, not the additional climate effect that arises, for example, from the substitution of CO₂-intensive products such as concrete. To achieve this goal, around 10% of Germany's agricultural land (1.7 million hectares) would have to be planted with fast-growing trees - which enables synergies with the environment, climate protection and food production.
Agroforestry practices are available and provide large quantities of universal raw materials that are essential for a future bioeconomy and the needs of our civilization. CO₂ should not only be incorporated into living, productive ecosystems, but later also permanently stored in buildings and products, e.g. as a wood building material.
We want to see more agroforestry on agricultural land!
We are convinced that this form of land use will be of great importance for agriculture and the climate, and at the same time we are frustrated by the number of hurdles that stand in the way of large-scale implementation.
We finance our offer not only through the proceeds from the timber harvest, but also through money from donations and the sale of climate protection credits. By choosing a non-profit company structure, we can also use funds for the implementation of agroforestry systems that have not previously been available for financing. In this way, we mediate between companies, foundations and private individuals who want to invest in climate protection and agricultural businesses that are willing to plant agroforestry systems. We are also happy to put you in touch with companies in the vicinity of agricultural businesses that are looking for ways to invest in regional and measurable climate protection in agriculture.
On our project page you can find an insight into the implementation of our previous agroforestry systems.
This is how we finance our agroforestry systems:
Our offer is made possible by various sources of funding:
-
Donations and climate protection credits - Support from companies, foundations and private individuals
-
Proceeds from timber harvesting - Income from marketing the harvested wood
Our non-profit organisation enables us to use funds for the implementation of agroforestry systems that could not previously be used for financing. We connect farms with companies that want to invest in regional, measurable climate protection. Contacts to interested companies - especially from the neighbourhood of the farms - are always welcome!
Our project page provides an insight into the implementation of our agroforestry systems to date and the cooperation with farms in various federal states.
Our project page provides an insight into the implementation of our agroforestry systems to date and our cooperation with farms in various federal states.
