ReAgt4Oeko: Agroforestry for more resilience in organic farming - farmers-led research network (2026-2031)

The practice-led research network aims to utilise the resilience potential of agroforestry for organic farming. A network of 20 organic farms with already established agroforestry systems in three regions of Germany (northeast, middle, south), research is to be carried out into how the ecological and economic resilience of organic farming to climate change can be increased through agroforestry. 

The questions were already 
aligned with practical farms during the initial conceptualisation phase. In crop production, the objective is to increase the soil and plant health and their yield effect. In the field of animal husbandry, the reduction of heat stress and the improvement of nitrogen distribution on the land for grazing cattle and laying hens, as well as the utilisation of leafy fodder, are of particular interest. Empirical knowledge and practice-oriented monitoring complement scientific analyses. All information is integrated and then economically analysed. Results on economics, ecosystem services, scalability, conflicting objectives and best-case analyses lead to the further development of existing open source tools for planning in consultancy and practice. The inclusion of advisory service in the projects ensures the mutual transfer of practical knowledge and project results for the farms, practice-relevant research questions and reflected solution concepts. The transfer includes a regional, collegial exchange of knowledge between the farms, thematic hubs and an upscaling via practical formats and materials, which are both made freely accessible on a permanent basis and widely disseminated and continued through the involvement of multipliers. The network is being set up using impact-oriented, participatory methods and is geared towards sustainability from the outset through close cooperation with around 20 associated partners from the fields of networking, research, consultancy and transfer.