UNHIDE Agroforestry - A Knowledge Exchange Latvia- Sweden 2023-25 - Report - Page 20
Lundens’ farm: Silvo-arable, Sweden
LUNDENS’ FARM east of Trollhättan, is run by
Anders and Annika Lunneryd and has been in the
family since 1942. Since 1999, the 270 hectares
have been KRAV-certified; no chemical pesticides
or artificial fertilizers may be used. Before then,
Anders recalls that “the instructions on the pesticides urged me to protect myself with a mask and
gloves. But hares and other animals in my fields
had no advance warning to cover up or hide.”
For a long time, he had been considering integrating trees into the fields to diversify production
and increase agricultural resilience—trees that
could continue photosynthesising even after the
cereals had been harvested, while also providing
habitat for birds and insects. The 14-hectare silvoarable agroforestry (alley cropping) system was
established by Anders and his son Sven in 2020
on a former cereal field, with 38 different apple
varieties grafted onto MM.111 semi-dwarf rootstocks.
The apple trees are expected to reach a height of
4–5 metres and will be pruned accordingly. So
far, the trees have required extensive watering.
When newly planted, the apple trees struggled
with wind-induced desiccation. In addition, the
spring of 2023 was unusually hot and dry, causing
stress that favoured pests such as aphids and codling moth.
At present, the ground beneath the trees is kept
free of vegetation to prevent voles from establishing. Once the trees are more established, the intention is to introduce understory vegetation, although
no specific decision has yet been made.
NEED FOR NATIVE SPECIES
SOURCED LOCALLY
Within agroforestry, the core idea is to mimic the
complexity of a living ecosystem in order to achieve
a self-sustaining food production system. If this functional “architecture” is oversimplified, we risk creating a monoculture—or an organic orchard design
that limits the benefits agroforestry can offer.
Agroforestry systems are characterised by multiple
layers and structural, species, and age diversity,
making them more resilient; this principle should
also apply to alley cropping systems. Within the
group, we discussed the Miyawaki (Tiny Forest) afforestation method, used to restore degraded land
