UNHIDE Agroforestry - A Knowledge Exchange Latvia- Sweden 2023-25 - Report - Page 22
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We also noted the unfortunate fact that shrubs are
not eligible for “tree farming” subsidies under
current Swedish subsidies. Many shrubs—such as
alder, sea buckthorn, mountain currant, aronia,
sloe, goat willow, and other Salix species—would
be well suited to a Nordic-adapted alley cropping
system. They are easy to propagate from cuttings
and provide numerous ecosystem services without
shading out annual crops.
A well-rooted soil—covered with organic matter
from decomposing litter and leaves, and supported
by a perennial ground layer—also improves water
retention and infiltration while reducing evaporation. The optimal scenario is that, over time, root
systems extend beneath the alleys, connecting the
entire field. Such complexity of root structures is
crucial for the efficiency of mycorrhiza: the fungal
networks that receive part of the plants’ surplus
energy and, in return, connect roots of different
plants into large networks. This enables communication and the exchange of nutrients across greater
soil surfaces and depths. Chemical pesticides and
fertilizers used in the system would damage these
underground fungal threads.
A WELL ROOTED SOIL
SPREAD-OUT DIVERSITY
The system has 20-metre-wide alleys, a spacing
adapted to the farm’s 8-metre-wide seed drill, and
4-metre-wide refuges. As shown in the photographs, there is considerable space between the
apple trees.
Furthermore, spreading out apple varieties has
been shown to reduce rates of apple scab, according to comparisons between organic orchards and
the Wakelyns Agroforestry system in England.
In such a system, a greater diversity of root structures in the tree lines would more effectively loosen the soil, improve the topsoil, and strengthen
soil microbial life.
“In each hedge we have eight apple species, two of each, randomly spread out
along the tree lines. This makes it more
edges—such as blackthorn, European hornbeam,
sycamore, hawthorn, mountain ash, and Swedish
whitebeam—would further benefit biodiversity,
especially as these species rarely occur in plantation forestry.
Since 2024, planting trees to produce food, feed,
or other ecosystem services in combination with
annual crops on arable land has been eligible for
subsidies in Sweden. Trees may not cover more
than 50 percent of the total area of a field block.
Nurse trees are permitted and may be moved
within the system, but cannot enter through natural
regeneration. As agroforestry is not a static system
but one in constant ecological and management
cycles, interacting with surrounding landscapes,
it remains unclear how these regulations will be
applied in practice.
