Addressing farmer-perceptions and legal constraints to promote agroforestry in Germany

Agroforestryis receiving increasing attention in Germany because of its capacity to address some of the negative consequences of intensive agriculture. However the actual uptake and maintenance of agroforestryby farmers remains low. The aim of this study was to identify the opportunities and obstacles to agroforestryin Germany and to identify potential measures which could address the obstacles and increase agroforestryadoption. Qualitative interviews with 32 farmers indicated that the legal framework and administrative burden associated with agroforestryin Germany was a major obstacle. The farmers recognised that agroforestryprovided environmental benefits, but these do not always increase farm profitability. Agroforestrywas identified as a viable alternative to conventional farming systems, especially in less productive areas, not profitable when managed in a conventional way. To enhance the implementation of agroforestrythe simplification of the legal framework is crucial. Modern agroforestryshould be better recognized by existing policy measures providing payments for environmentally friendly farming. Ultimately, an integrated approach for environmental benefits and production objectives is required, which is based on rewarding farmers for providing ecosystem services (ESs) and a stronger public involvement in sustainable land use practices. Rewarding farmers for ESs could increase the interest in agroforestryin highly productive areas, enhancing sustainable land use in the long term.