In December 2024, the implementation phase within the AFaktive project officially started. Since then, three AFaktive sites have been equipped with sensors. Two of them are so-called pioneer sites, i.e. Heesakkers farm in the Netherlands (pictures below), and the experimental filed of one of the project partners, the Belgian institute for agricultural research, Inagro.
Within the AFaktive project, the expression “pioneer site” means that a farm already has an established agroforestry system, mostly two or three years old. Even though one of the main goals of AFaktive is accompanying farms in the implementation of new agroforestry systems, it is – for scientific purposes – vital to also have already established systems in the AFaktive portfolio. In fact, the measurements concerning the impact of agroforestry systems on water balance are more reliable, when the system is already established. If the project partners only measured on newly established systems with young trees and saplings, very little impact would be measurable.
A third project site, at which the installation of measurement sensors has already taken place, is the Ohain farm in Belgium. On this site, trees ware already planted last autumn.
The installation of sensors on two more pioneer sites in Germany – Uherek farm and Galdbacherhof is scheduled for next week.
