Serie R: The Conundrum of Tool Acquisition in Successional Agroforestry Systems

Bioekonomi

Rapporten "The Conundrum of Tool Acquisition in Successional Agroforestry Systems" har publicerats i Novias publikationsserie Rapporter 5/2024 i december 2024.

Introduction

Stacking multiple crops into the same space through successional agroforestry creates unique challenges for farmers looking to improve efficiency. Finding the right tool for a job can sometimes be challenging even for more simple cropping systems, let alone one predicated on the impermanence of species through relay cropping with perennials.

Here at Novia, we manage such a successional agroforestry system as a pilot project. Located in Kirkkonummi, Finland, the Lill-Nägels Agroforestry Pilot Project is designed such that all the species are in crop associations of one kind or another. Yet, even with our choice to mimic a larger scale implementation of these ideas by reducing cash crop diversity and systemizing their spatial arrangements, improving efficiency is not as straightforward as one might expect.

In this article, I will first discuss how we have approached the system design, some of the challenges that arise, and how a trial period with professional electrified tools was conducted to see whether they fit the bill for improving our work flow.

About the publication

Joshua Finch, Novia University of Applied Sciences
The Conundrum of Tool Acquisition in Successional Agroforestry Systems

Novia Publikation och produktion, serie R: Rapporter 5 / 2024
ISSN: 1799-4179
ISBN: 978-952-7526-44-6 (Online)

CC BY 4.0

Skribent:

Joshua Finch