Agroforestry has been permitted since 2002 as a standard practice for French landowners and farmers. Grants are available for planting the trees, and the crop payments are available for intercrops, on a "cropped area basis". The tree-planting grant is the same as for a forest plantation (a percentage of the total cost of planting and tending the trees during the first 3 years; the usual rate is 40%). Crops planted between the trees are eligible for CAP payments, but it is not possible to get these on a silvoarable plot obtained from clearing a forest, or planted on a parcel that was not eligible for CAP payments prior to tree planting.
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Traditional agroforestry landscape in the Dauphin, France. The trees are widely spaced and are isolated or planted in rows or clumps, but always in close vicinity to arable crops. - Fabien Liagre - Agroof |
In addition, a farmer that manages an agroforestry plot may apply to a specific agri-environmental scheme (second pillar of the CAP). The reason for this scheme is to promote agroforestry by compensating additional costs compared to a standard agriculture plot. The measure is contracted on a 5-year term, and two options are available: one for creating a new agroforestry and one for tending an existing silvoarable plot. This measure was approved by the European Union. However, the current reform of the CAP will induce large changes to this regulation. Will agroforestry still be allowed to farmers after January 1, 2005?
Adapted from article reproduced from: Dupraz, C. et al. 2004. Implications Of Legal And Policy Regulations on Rural Development: The Challenge Of Silvoarable Agroforestry In Europe. IUFRO Division 1 Conference: Meeting The Challenge: Silvicultural Research In A Changing World, Montpellier, France.