Why agroforestry has a vital role in all our farming futures

To produce food sustainably, we depend on biodiversity, healthy soils and water.

Adding trees to your land stacks nature benefits on top of farming benefits to create gains across the board and build resilience into the business.

Agroforestry is the deliberate integration of trees and shrubs into farming systems.

Most farms already have trees, perhaps as hedgerows or shelterbelts. Managing features like these can help the farm benefit from the economic and ecological interactions of having those trees working for the business.

© WTML/Secondsight

Embracing agroforestry in the South West

We’ve worked closely with hundreds of farmers across the UK to understand their business and objectives, and provide bespoke, practical support and expert advice.

Together, we’ve made sure tree planting enhances their food production and business resilience as well as nature’s recovery. Through this scheme alone, UK farms have planted over 450,000 trees so far.

Among them are three South West farms that have planted trees to boost browsing, control mob grazing, improve water management, offer shelter and shade for livestock, and increase biodiversity. They’re already seeing results and are encouraging other farmers to explore how agroforestry could benefit their business.

Their planting has been funded by our partnership with Sainsbury’s.

Fifth generation dairy farmer Anthony Gothard supplies milk to Sainsbury’s and has planted over 2,000 trees on his land.

“We’ve planted trees in conjunction with the Woodland Trust and Sainsbury’s for a multitude of reasons,” Anthony explains.

“We’re now predominantly dairy and we’ve worked together with the Trust to put in a series of silvopasture options, from woodland to tree alleys. I do feel I’m just a custodian and I want to leave this place in a better way than when I started.”

Jem Gladwell and David Snowdon are organic beef farmers in Devon, alongside farmers Becky and Russell McKee.

They saw agroforestry schemes offered by the Trust as a good opportunity to add more trees to their farm and a positive action during a time of constant change.

“We need to look at agroforestry being part of all our farming futures,” Becky says. “It’s such an integral part of our landscape and as we’re having more difficult climate changes, it’s a good tool to have on our farm.”

Henry Andrews, a Devon beef farmer, also recommends the approach. During a hot summer, the cows in his agroforestry system had a better live weight gain of one and a half kilos per day compared to those not in agroforestry systems. 

“I think agroforestry in the UK is going to be key to survival of livestock and to arable farming,” he says. “It isn’t a trade-off to farming and running a successful farm.

“If a farmer is considering it, there’s no real downsides to it. In the five to six years I’ve been doing it, it’s been so, so beneficial for my farming enterprise.”

Watch the full interviews to hear more on how trees are already delivering benefits for these businesses.

Making agroforestry mainstream

Agroforestry will be the exclusive focus of the Trust’s partnership with Sainsbury’s over the next four years.

The partnership is creating an incredible legacy – since we started working together in 2004, we’ve planted over 5 million trees with Sainsbury’s.

Together, we’re leading the change to make trees on farms mainstream. That means building a more sustainable, resilient food system to cope with more extreme weather events, alongside supporting nature’s recovery to create a greener, healthier future for all of us. 

Watch the film to learn more about our partnership with Sainsbury’s and our aspirations for agroforestry in the UK.

Start your next agroforestry project

Our Trees for your Farm scheme offers advice and funding to boost productivity and achieve environmental benefits with trees on your land.

Eligible projects of 500 trees or more can receive up to 100% funding for trees and protection, including a site visit to your farm and a tailored agroforestry design plan to benefit your farm business. We’re currently taking applications for planting between November 2027 and March 2028.

Email plant@woodlandtrust.org.uk with details of your farm business, the type of planting you’re looking to do and your objectives for planting, whether that’s shelter, soil health or water management.

Alternatively, explore more about agroforestry, including other available schemes for landowners.