On Friday, 29 May, Provincial Executive Member Hagar Roijackers of the Province of North Brabant officially inaugurated the Agroforestry Knowledge Centre Diessens Broek, established by farmer-owners Anouk Vingerhoets and Lucien Daas in Diessen.
This farm is one of two Dutch AFaktive pilot sites where soil and water measurements are currently being conducted. The inauguration provided an opportunity to brief the deputy and a number of other stakeholders on the AFaktive project, and several promising developments related to the further rollout of agroforestry in Central Brabant. This is also linked to the projects efforts to implement agroforestry at regional scale, i.e. going beyond the farm scale to achieve a more significant impact on the water balance at landscape level.
Guests were welcomed by Piet Rombouts on behalf of the AFaktive consortium and the Agroforestry Network Brabant. He outlined the various regional plans and projects concerning agroforestry. The programme also included a presentation by Silko Mergenthal on the CAP agroforestry subsidy scheme, followed by an overview of the plans and setup for the Diessens Broek farm, presented by Anouk Vingerhoets.
The event also marked the launch of a regional agroforestry network. Given the growing number of farmers actively engaged in agroforestry, the Agroforestry Network Brabant has decided to divide Brabant into three regions — East, Central, and West Brabant — in order to facilitate stronger connections and collaboration among practitioners living in the same defined geographical area.
The establishment of this knowledge centre is a welcome development, offering a tangible opportunity to showcase the diverse forms of agroforestry practiced in the region. Equally noteworthy is the ongoing research into business models and ecosystem services, including biodiversity, soil management, and water management.
