#Agroforestry may be just what #Maine needs for agricultural growth

By Marina Schauffler
Published on: January 24, 2021

Excerpt: "Agroforestry, an age-old concept, could provide a path to Maine’s future. Part of the #RegenerativeAgriculture movement, it involves an integrated approach to cultivating #trees with #crops and – sometimes – #livestock. These diversified farm systems nourish #SoilHealth and #wildlife while offering more resilience in a warming world — locking up atmospheric carbon, absorbing floodwaters, and sheltering crops and animals from high winds and #ExtremeHeat.

" 'Diversity is really key to sustainability for small farms and the ecology of farms,' said vegetable farmer Max Boudreau of Winslow Farm in Falmouth. He sees many landowners and #homesteaders 'putting these principles into practice,' but said agroforestry is still 'a foreign concept' in farm service agencies.

"Being interdisciplinary, agroforestry challenges the siloed world of natural resource management. It is routinely ignored in college curricula and by technical service providers, said Meghan Giroux, an agroforestry researcher, technical service provider and practitioner in Vermont. Her nonprofit, #InterlaceCommons, seeks to fill that void by training farmers – including Boudreau – how to implement and maintain agroforestry practices.

"Boudreau was one of the 20 farmers selected among 92 applicants from around the Northeast for a free, agroforestry 'field consultancy' this year. Farmers are eager to learn about agroforestry’s potential to diversify income, and there’s growing consumer demand for its products – from nuts and uncommon fruits (like #honeyberry and #PawPaw) to #mushrooms and #MedicinalHerbs.

"Yet policymakers routinely tell Giroux there’s 'no interest in agroforestry,' she says. 'There’s no institutional will to move these practices forward primarily because people don’t understand them.'

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture has supported agroforestry since the 1990 Farm Bill and does exceptional research, Giroux feels, but “a knowledge-exchange issue” prevents guidance from reaching most landowners. A network of trained farmers could help support and train peers – a process that happens informally, Boudreau says, in the permaculture community, a related landscape design approach modeled after natural systems.

"Research has already demonstrated that #NoTill agriculture improves crop yields, reduces costs and improves soil health. Even more economic and environmental benefits could flow from cultivating crops in a layered, integrated mix of annuals and perennials more reminiscent of natural plant communities."

Full article:
https://themainemonitor.org/sea-change-agroforestry-may-be-just-what-maine-needs-for-agricultural-growth/

#SolarPunkSunday #NoMonoculture #Polyculture #AgroEcology #FoodForests

Faced with the criticism that unbred plants cannot produce sufficient food, Arne Victor Garvi created a concept called Wild Perennial Polyculture. By creating an economy based on this concept, the idea was to prove that people can, in fact, live from these plants, that are nowadays known as Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS).

#lostcrops #polyculture #plantbreeding #foodproduction #wild #perennials

Collectif agricole Les Joies Sauvages recherche associé·e·x·s 👩‍🌾 👨‍🌾 en #Limousin

- "Nous sommes un #collectifagricole de 6 personnes, objectif d’être 8 ou 9
- Projet la reprise d’une #ferme en #polyculture #élevage, en #agriculture #bio prévue pour début 2027.
- La ferme est située à Champsac, en #HauteVienne.
- Ateliers : #bovinlait avec transformation, #paysanboulanger, #maraîchage et #cantine à la ferme.

https://lesjoiessauvages.substack.com/p/recherche-associeexs?r=58l7l7

#agriculturepaysanne

#RegenerativeAgriculture Goes Mainstream

by Jan Lee Jul 10th 2025

"The world’s hottest year on record may also mark the beginning of the end for carbon-intensive, conventional farming. Several factors have converged to bring regenerative practices into the mainstream, while a new study demonstrates that farmers can produce just as much food while improving land productivity by transitioning away from conventional practices.

"#RegenerativeFarming first hit headlines as part of '#LivingSystemsThinking' in the 1960s, later gaining interest among health-conscious foodies when the concept was popularized by food author #MichaelPollan. Today, techniques such as #CoverCropping and integrated pest management are being embraced not only by #environmental activists but also by multinational food companies. The difference is that now, this approach is celebrated for its practical effectiveness in maintaining a consistent food supply in an era of #ClimateChange-driven supply shocks."

Read more:
https://earth.org/regenerative-agriculture-trends-and-impacts/

#FoodForAll #SolarPunkSunday
#Agroecology #RegenerativeFarming
#Intercropping #Polyculture #Resiliency #FoodSystems #ClimateChangeFarming

#RegenerativeAgriculture has its roots in #Indigenous farming

Strategic Intelligence
Fri, October 10, 2025

Excerpt: "While regenerative agriculture is growing in business settings as a method of reducing agricultural impact, and as an emissions reduction method, indigenous farmers have been responding to environmental stimuli and promoting non-intensive farming methods for millennia. Indigenous groups and farmers are the best guardians of the world’s #ecosystems."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/regenerative-agriculture-roots-indigenous-farming-142900539.html

#SolarPunkSunday #Agroecology #RegenerativeFarming #Agroforestry #Intercropping #Polyculture

#Philippines #AgroEcology highlight from @AgroecologyMap

"Kuatro Marias' Agroecology Farm, located in San Narciso, Victoria, Oriental Mindoro, is a pioneering model of sustainable agriculture in the Philippines. Established in 1998, the farm operates on the principles of agroecology, focusing on harmonizing agricultural productivity with #environmental #stewardship. With a mission rooted in #biodiversity protection and #sustainable resource use, the farm avoids synthetic chemicals, instead leveraging natural cycles to nurture its crops, livestock, and aquaculture systems. Its name symbolizes balance and sustainability, honoring the four elements and the proprietor’s four daughters.

"The farm showcases an Integrated Diversified Organic Farming System (#IDOFS), where crops, livestock, and aquaculture coexist in a symbiotic relationship. This includes a #FoodForest with diverse trees like #ube and #cinnamon, a pond supporting #tilapia and other fish, and naturally fed chickens and hogs. A unique #SeedBank ensures the preservation of genetic diversity while minimizing waste. These practices not only enhance productivity but also build resilience against climate change and natural disasters, embodying agroecological principles that prioritize soil health, ecological balance, and community well-being."

Learn more:
https://agroecologymap.org/l/kuatro-maria-s-agroecology-farm
#agroecologia #agroécologie #agrarökologie #permaculture #permacultura #permakultur #agroforestry #agrofloresta #agroforesterie #agroforstwirtschaft #sustainability #sustentabilidade #foodsystems #farming #agriculture #regenerative #SolarPunkSunday #PolyCulture