are you a farmer or landowner interested in exploring the benefits of
agroforestry but don't know where to start the Savanna Institute is here to
help by implementing agroforestry practices
on your land you are helping to build a resilient community ecology and economy
learn how you can diversify your income and cultivate the future of Agriculture
and land management in the Midwest with agroforestry If we can mimic nature and try
and stay out of her way we can make a difference it's a long term investment
that you need to be committed a farm family can make a very good living on as
little as ten acres there is no natural system without animals so we're trying
to mimic that biodiversity we would see in nature the perennial crops that we
have put in place here they can potentially live for thousands of years
that's sustainable we're farming with trees agroforestry is the intentional
integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to
create environmental economic and social benefits there are five main
agroforestry practices that farmers across the Midwest are adopting these
practices help farmers leave a legacy that preserves and protects their land
for future generations while diversifying income increasing
productivity conserving natural resources providing habitat for wildlife
and creating a beautiful landscape at the Savanna Institute we have a series
of infographics that you can download for free on our website inside you can
learn about some of the benefits challenges and opportunities in agroforestry
practices like forest farming the cultivation of specialty crops under
existing forest canopies silvopasture the intentional integration of trees
pasture and livestock managed as a single system
windbreaks strips of trees and shrubs designed to enhance crop or livestock
production while providing conservation benefits riparian buffers strips of
permanent vegetation alongside a stream lake or wetland alley cropping the
cultivation of crops in the alleys between regularly spaced rows of trees
or shrubs all of these practices can be applied on your farm bringing you
diverse sources of revenue and healthier farmland we spoke with some of the
Midwest pioneers in agroforestry to find out why they practice agroforestry on
their farms and this is what they had to say my goals are to have an easy system
to manage that is profitable by itself because I like the money that's kind of
nice number two thing is is that when I go to bed at night out of the pecan
trees where I left it and when I get up in the morning it's the same place you
can't go good food out of dead soil you got to have biologically rich soil and
that's what our farms are there's always some apples though that fall on the
ground and some that are damaged to the point that they can't be processed and
two use those we've decided to add animals into the system so we're turning
all of the orchard blocks into paddocks for rotational grazing
we have chestnuts and hazelnuts and grapes and elderberries and currants and
raspberries and mulberries propagating themselves all by themselves in this
system we don't have to plant the next generation the next generation plants
itself now if you can walk away from your farm and it plants itself and it
continues to thrive in your place that's a regenerative system if you're
gonna have a good food system you have to integrate and work with nature so on
this farm you'll see lots of different biodiversity whether it be the insects
or the animals or the fruits or the vegetables the crops that we grow the
natural areas that maple some people might look and see as being weeds those
aren't necessarily weeds they might be something that helps to work with our
farm it has really grown to a huge industry
that's actually moving agriculture these days and the marketplace they're a
long-term investment it takes a lot of years to get invested and get them in
production but once they get in production they'll definitely outlive me
at the Savanna Institute we make it easy for you to find the materials and
make the connections that you need to adopt agroforestry practices today you
can find more information on alley cropping forest farming riparian buffers
silvopasture and windbreaks at savannainstitute.org
Savanna Institute laying the groundwork for widespread agroforestry in the
midwest