UNHIDE Agroforestry - A Knowledge Exchange Latvia- Sweden 2023-25 - Report - Page 4
biological pest control — have proven to return.
In 2016, a comparative study was conducted
between the 2.5-hectare Ketelbroek Food Forest
in the Netherlands, established in 2009, and a
corresponding area at the De Bruuk nature reserve,
a Natura 2000 protected site with old forests,
thickets, and open, species-rich grasslands. The
question was to what extent the food forest could
accommodate native flora and fauna, by examining
birds, moths, and ground beetles. The research
concluded that the young food forest hosted more
breeding birds, and significantly more moths and
ground-dwelling beetles.
2. GARDENS, FARMS AND FORESTS VISITED
SWEDISH CRISIS PREPAREDNESS WITH NON-INDUSTRIAL AGROFORESTRY
For most owners and managers of the gardens,
farms, and forests visited in Sweden, food security
and crisis preparedness are underlying motivations
and driving forces behind their activities and inter-
Pastures with magnificent oaks, Småland, Sweden.
est in agroforestry.
At Väversunda berry orchard, an “emergency forest garden” with nut crops was established by Tor
Nyberg in the early 1990s, drawing on experiences from crisis prevention through tree planting,
rooted in a lifelong engagement with the Swedish
aid agency We-Agroforestry. At Östergård Farm
in southern Småland — a region dominated by
spruce plantations and severely affected by Hurricane Gudrun in 2005 — Anders Rydén manages
undergrowth in his production forest using grazing cows. He emphasised the importance of having forest grazing systems in place to avoid emergency slaughter when fodder is scarce following
dry summers. At Stora Juleboda Farm, we learned
how foraging in edge zones saved the farm financially during a year when spring frost destroyed
the apple harvest.
LATVIAN
SELF-SUFFICIENCY
The Unhide project offered brief glimpses into
