Agroforestry

Project Lead: Connor Youngerman, Tracey Testo

Give Trees a Chance

Agroforestry describes a wide range of practices that integrate trees, forests, and agricultural production. These systems can be adapted to almost any site and condition, and can help farmers produce new revenue while buffering their operations from the challenges of climate extremes.

In response to increasing interest in agroforestry over the years, Cornell has created an extension program work team and a number of tools and resources to help farmers turn forested and marginal lands into productive contributors to farm revenue, produce multiple crops from the same piece of land in a symbiotic way, all while increasing biodiversity and improving soil health.

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History of Agroforestry at Cornell

Cornell University faculty, Extension, and other staff have been leading agroforestry research and education efforts for 100 years!

Events

  • Feed Us with Trees: Humans as a Keystone Species

    Virtual Event

    As a girl, Elspeth Hay learned that we humans are a blight on the natural world. Her lived experience confirmed this story time and again—until the day she learned that we humans can eat acorns. Suddenly, things began to shift. In her new book, Feed Us with Trees: Nuts and the Future of Food, Elspeth…

  • Introduction to Syntropic Agroforestry

    CCE Orange County & Hudson Valley Farm Hub are proud to present a talk on Syntropic Agroforestry, delivered by the system's creator, Ernst Götsch. Syntropic Agroforestry is an agricultural system…

    $80

Collaborators

  • The Cornell Agroforestry Program Work Team (PWT) is co-chaired by:

    Graham Savio, gs695@cornell.edu, Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County

  • Connor Youngerman, czy2@cornell.edu, Cornell Small Farms Program

  • Tracey Testo, tet35@cornell.edu, Agroforestry Resource Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension Columbia-Greene

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News and Updates

Planting Nut Trees on Your Farm

By Carli Fraccarolli | July 6, 2015

by Jerry Henkin If you want to plant nut trees, It’s important to research your land and the type of nut trees you want.  Check the soil for the correct…

Financial Implications of Selling Timber

By Carli Fraccarolli | July 6, 2015

The Right vs. the Wrong Way by Peter Smallidge   Timber in farm woodlots and rural woodlands may offer economic opportunities for the landowner.  In addition to best management practices that…

Weighing the Pros and Cons of Producing Birch Syrup

By Tara Hammonds | April 6, 2015

By Michael Farrell Although many people have heard that you can tap birch trees, very few have actually tried to produce birch syrup, and folks who have boiled down some…

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Cornell Agroforestry - Subscribe for Updates and Opportunities

This list-serve provides information and resources to connect small and mid-sized farmers to larger markets such as food hubs, grocery stores, restaurants, online marketplaces and cooperatives. Farmers, educators and prospective buyers are all welcome: