Despite agroforestry being integrated more frequently into strategies, policies and funding, the policy framework for its widespread practical adoption remains inadequate. This is particularly true regarding AFaktive core topic, the intersection between agroforestry and water management. As a matter of fact, the legal and policy frameworks for land use and water management are, in most cases, neither interlinked nor transparent, resulting in conflicting objectives and incoherent instruments. This is one of the main insights from the newest AFaktive output, the study “Agroforestry and Water Management: An overview of current frameworks, strategies and key actors” conducted by the AFaktive partner Institute for Rural Development Research e.V. (IfLS).
After outlining the most relevant political and regulatory elements at the EU level, the study provides an overview of the agroforestry-water nexus within the regional context of the AFaktive project (Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt in Germany; Flanders and Wallonia in Belgium; and the Netherlands).
Regional chapters address the projections of expected climate change, agroforestry status quo, and provide insight into the state of water bodies. They also highlight national and regional legislation and political regulations.
Finally, the document examines the role of authorities, government agencies, NGOs and research institutions, and discusses the challenges and opportunities of better aligning agroforestry and water management – in the AFaktive project and beyond.
This document represents a first step in the AFaktive policy approach. The project consortium is planning the next steps to improve the agroforestry uptake (case studies are upcoming).