UNHIDE Agroforestry - A Knowledge Exchange Latvia- Sweden 2023-25 - Report - Page 7
Pastures with magnificent oaks, Småland, Sweden.
storms, pests and biodiversity loss, the gradual
depletion of fossil energy is likely to reshape how
we meet our basic needs. As energy becomes an
increasingly limiting factor, agriculture will need to
return more energy than it consumes (EROI — Energy Returned on Energy Invested), favouring systems
grounded in solar flows and biological processes.
In this context, low-intensity regenerative livestock
systems and the central and stabilising functions of
woody perennials in food producing landscapes are
not expressions of nostalgia, but practical adaptations. As reliance on fossil fuels and heavy machinery declines, animal labour, their capacity to convert
grass into food, and the long-term food security provided by trees may regain structural importance. Producing food from living ecosystems that are strengthened through use thus becomes less an ethical
preference and more a response to emerging biophysical constraints.
and comforting feature, - a tree that hosts more species than any other tree here, buffers large volumes
of water, and provides shelter, food, and mycorrhizal
collaborations. In Sweden, we rested in the shade of
magnificent oaks in ancient, species-rich pastures. In
Latvia, we learned how sacred oak forests were cut
down and burned during Christianisation, and how
Latvian folk songs have preserved love and respect
for oaks — still embracing pastures and homesteads
from above with their canopies, and from below with
their roots, on both sides of the Baltic Sea.
Enjoy /Maja & Anders.
Participants from Latvia: Māris Narvils, Robert Daigins
Anna Bole-Williamson, David Williamson, Inese Upe,
Agnis Graudulis, Dagnija Lazdiņa and Ilze Mežniece.
Seen in this light, agroforestry is not a single solution, but part of a broader shift. Our vision of future
landscapes embraces a diversity of nature-based
systems, inspired by the vitality and resilience found
in food forests and woodland pastures.
During the road-trips, veteran oaks were a recurring
Leo Sjöstrand and Katarina Holmdahl.
