Autor(es):
Palma, J.H.N. 
; Graves, A.R. ; Burgess, P.J. ; Herzog, F. ; Moreno, G. ; Bertomeu, M. ; Dupraz, C.
Data: 2007
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/2098
Origem: Repositório da UTL
Assunto(s): agroforestry; silvoarable; arable; forestry; modelling; biophysical; farm-SAFE; Yield-SAFE; walnut; poplar
Descrição
Silvoarable agroforestry could promote use of trees on farms in Europe, but its likely effect on
production, farm profitability, and environmental services is poorly understood. Hence, from
2001 to 2005, the Silvoarable Agroforestry for Europe project developed a systematic process
to evaluate the biophysical and economic performance of arable, forestry, and silvoarable
systems in Spain, France, and The Netherlands. A biophysical model called “Yield-SAFE”
was developed to predict long-term yields for the different systems and local statistics
and expert opinion were used to derive their revenue, costs, and pre- and post-2005 grant
regimes. These data were then used in an economic model called “Farm-SAFE” to predict
plot- and farm-scale profitability. Land equivalent ratios were greater than one, showing
Yield-SAFE predicted that growing trees and crops in silvoarable systems was more productive
than growing them separately. Pre-2005 grants in Spain and The Netherlands penalised
silvoarable systems, but post-2005 grantswere more equitable. In France,walnut and poplar
silvoarable systems were consistently the most profitable system under both grant regimes.
In Spain, holm oak and stone pine silvoarable systemswere the least profitable system under
pre-2005 grants, but only marginally less profitable than arable systems under post-2005
grants. In The Netherlands, low timber values and the opportunity cost of losing arable land
for slurry manure application made silvoarable and forestry systems uncompetitive with
arable systems under both grant regimes.
