February 2023 | Amsterdam, Netherlands

DigitAF kick-off: the website is now live!

The 26 partners belonging to the DigitAF consortium are thrilled to announce the launch of the project’s communication through digitaf.eu. The project, fully written as Digital Tools for Agroforestry, aims at overcoming barriers to a widespread implementation of agroforestry practices in Europe.

Starting from a full understanding of the benefits of Agroforestry in terms of climate change mitigation, biodiversity, and farming sustainability goals, DigitAF will provide tailored, user-friendly, and open-source digital tools for everyone involved in the farming industry, from policymakers and farmers to final consumers.

The streamlined user interface allows partners, media, and other stakeholders to easily find the information they are looking for about DigitAF and Agroforestry.

Through the website, DigitAF partners aim at showcasing a broad overview of the project identity and activities. The website is foremost focused on:

• spreading the fundamentals of Agroforestry: what is Agroforestry, what are the most common practices of Agroforestry and what are the key benefits of Agroforestry
• letting users, both people directly involved in the project and stakeholders such as policymakers, farmers, and final consumers, have a bigger picture of what is experimented on the ground through the Living Labs network; come to that, people landed on the website can select a country to delve into each specific Living Lab  

The website will be regularly kept up to date with timely updates about DigitAF press releases, publications (including peer-reviewed scientific publications), and reports. Furthermore, in the short run, the strategy is also to make available:

• a section focused on sharing open-source and user-centered digital tools to facilitate the adoption of Agroforestry practices
• latest news, industry insights, and follow-up/research articles concerning Agroforestry
• upcoming talks, conferences, and webinars as regards both DigitAF and more generally Agroforestry
• advocacy and business opportunities aiming at maximizing public and private sector engagement and encouraging the adoption of DigitAF products and services

Meanwhile, people who want to stay in the loop can join the newsletter and therefore receive updates about the project.

Cross-European partnerships in one consortium

DigitAF consortium brings together 26 partners from 17 different countries and in particular:

• INRAE, project leader and coordinator. INRAE (Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement) is one of the world’s top institute for research on agriculture, food, and the environment;
• EURAF is the leader of WP1 (Work Package 1) focused on strengthening agroforestry and carbon farming policies: tools for policy-makers. The European Agroforestry Federation (EURAF) aims at promoting the use of trees on farms as well as any kind of silvopastoralism throughout the different environmental regions of Europe;
• EV ILVO is the leader of WP2 focused on optimizing agroforestry design and management: tools for practitioners and farm advisors. Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) performs multidisciplinary, innovative, and independent in order to reach economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable agriculture and fisheries;
• CRAN is the leader of WP3 focused on accounting agroforestry benefits: tools for beneficiaries in agroforestry value chains. It is also the lead partner of the Living Lab in the United Kingdom. Cranfield University is a key partner thanks to its expertise in the economic evaluation of agroforestry systems;
• AGROSCOPE is the leader of WP4 focused on bringing interactions between actors to a new level: Living Labs and a common agroforestry toolbox. Agroscope is the Swiss center of excellence for agricultural research, and is affiliated with the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG);
• reNature is the leader of WP5 focused on getting actors to act: dissemination, exploitation, and communication. reNature brings together knowledge about regenerative agriculture, impact monitoring, stakeholder engagement, and more to make the business case for regenerative agriculture around the world;
• The University of Pisa is the lead partner of the Living Lab in Italy. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE) is the oldest center for agricultural sciences in the world. The DAFE is in charge of four different university courses and the research activities are concerning agricultural and environmental economy, rural sociology, agricultural science, botany, genetics, food science, rural engineering, rural building, animal science, plant protection, and agronomy
• CZU and VUKOZ are the lead partners of the Living Lab in the Czech Republic. Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU) is a pioneer in the research and extension of agroforestry in the Czech Republic. VUKOZ covers complex landscape research on all levels, from ecosystems, communities, and populations to individual organisms;
• EFI is the lead partner of the Living Lab in Finland. The European Forest Institute (EFI) provides forest-related knowledge around three interconnected and interdisciplinary themes: bioeconomy, resilience, and governance;
• DeFAF is the lead partner of the Living Lab in Germany. DeFAF is committed to all concerns regarding the establishment, management, dissemination, and promotion of agroforestry systems
• LBI is the lead partner of the Living Lab in the Netherlands. The Louis Bolk Institute conducts research in the fields of sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and health in The Netherlands

Other members of the consortium are: ACTA (Association de Coordination Technique Agricole), CIRAD (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement), Coop Carbone, ELO (European Landowners Organization), ERDYN, GRAB (Groupe de Recherche en Agriculture biologique), ICRAF (International Centre for Research in Agroforestry), MVARC, Regen Farmer, Savanna Institute, SINERGISE, UEX (Universidad de Extremadura), UGHENT (Universiteit Gent), VENETO (Agenzia Veneta per l’Innovazione nel Settore Primario).

The website is launched thanks to the contribution of:

• MVARC, partner responsible for hosting, architecture, and backend management
• reNature, partner responsible for content development, PR, and social media
• INRAE, partner providing the logo and the visual identity of the website

About DigitAF

A consortium of 26 European and international partners committed to provide digital tools to boost Agroforestry in Europe in order to meet climate, biodiversity, and farming sustainability goals.

DigitAF makes the best of digital technologies to: collect data and evidence to support policy and decision makers for the implementation of agroforestry systems, improve communication and boost networking to reach different targets, and implement a tailored multi-actor approach directly engaging with stakeholders whose decisions impact the spread of agroforestry practices.

For any press inquiries, contact@digitaf.eu

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.