REFOREST second Project Meeting and Policy Session on the Agroforestry sector in the EU

REFOREST second Research Meeting

The second Research Meeting for the ReForest project will take place on June 27 and 28th, 2023 in Barcelona. The overall objective of the ReForest project is to enhance the sustainability of food production in the EU by co-creating solutions to key barriers that hinder wider adoption of agroforestry by farmers.

During this meeting, the project partners and living labs will provide progress updates and engage in discussions within their respective areas of expertise. Brainstorming sessions will generate innovative ideas and detailed discussions will be held to analyse the achievements one year after the start of the project. The meeting will also focus on the strategic planning for future collaborations to ensure the continued advancement of the research throughout the duration of the project and beyond.

Policy Session: Agroforestry sector in the EU: Towards novel policies and financing frameworks

On 28 June 2023, 16:30-18:00 CET, the Policy Session “Agroforestry sector in the EU: Towards novel policies and financing frameworks” will take place in a hybrid format. The session will bring together representatives of relevant and well-known research organisations working on agroforestry in Europe. The policy session is organised under the framework of the Reforest project to connect experts in this field and enable them to share the latest development and knowledge on finance and policies applicable to the agroforestry sector in the EU.

Topics of the policy session

1. What are the latest development and knowledge on finance and policies applicable to the agroforestry sector in the EU
2. What is the role of agroforestry as a multifunctional system that can provide multiple environmental, social and economic benefits in EU policies? Are there any relevant initiatives for agroforestry?
3. What are the gaps in existing financing mechanisms (public and private) and policies for agroforestry and opportunities for improvement in Europe?
4. How can we accelerate effective and sustainable financing of the agroforestry sector at national and EU level and put the economic value of the ecosystem services and environmental benefits provided by agroforestry systems at the center of the financial focus?
5. How can agroforestry contribute to climate change mitigation through its possible future integration into carbon markets and the role of carbon farming at the EU level?
6. What are the expected changes to come and recommendations towards novel policies and financing frameworks in the agroforestry sector in the EU?

Agenda

Moderator: Consuelo Varela Ortega, Professor Emeritus at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and Member of the Executive Board of EMEA

Speakers:

• Enrique Doblas, Centro de Investigación Ecológica y Aplicaciones Forestales (CREAF)
• Andrea Casadesús Cabral, BETA Technological Centre
• Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat, European Forest Institute (EFI)
• Jaime Coello, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC)
• Gerry Lawson, European Agroforestry Federation (EURAF)
• Milan Elkerbout, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS

Organising committee

• Rym Ayadi, President and Founder of EMEA
• Martin Lukáč, Coordinator of Reforest Project
• Ivan Hajdukovic, Researcher, EMEA

Venue

EMEA, Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau, Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, 08025 Barcelona
Should you have any questions or need further information, please contact Ivan Hajdukovic at ivan.hajdukovic@euromed-economists.org

REFOREST is a Horizon Europe project funded under EU’s Land, ocean, and water for climate action from 2022 to 2026. The project aims to foster innovation, knowledge exchange and provide novel solutions to empower farmers in Europe to deliver multiple objectives such as food production, carbon capture, and biodiversity.

The partnership is composed by 14 partners from 10 European countries:

• Ceska Zemedelska Univerzita V Praze (Czu)
• Euro Mediterranean Economist Association (Emea)
• Provinciaal Extern Verzelfstandigd Agentschap In Privaatrechtelijke Vorm Vzw (Inagro)
• Kobenhavns Universitet (Ucph)
• Ogolnopolskie Stowarzyszenie Agrolesnictwa (Osa)
• Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn (Ubo)
• Trakiyski Universitet (Trakia Uni)
• Europroject Ood (Ep)
• Philipps Universitaet Marburg (Umr)
• Soproni Egyetem (Soe)
• Deutscher Fachverband Fur Agroforstwirtschaft (Defaf) Ev (Defaf)
• Farmtree Bv (Farmtree)
• The University of Reading (Uread)
• Organic Research Center (Orc)

The Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association plays a pivotal role in ReForest. It leads Work Package (WP) 5 on finance and policy, and also is in charge of the co-creation and capitalisation strategy and actions of the project under WP1. EMEA’s contributions aim to develop financing mechanisms for sustainable agroforestry business models and shape policy recommendations for their implementation at the EU level.