General information and context: The Living Lab is located in Catalonia, in northeastern Spain, where traditional agroforestry landscapes coexist with emerging, modern agroforestry experiments. However, intensive farming in the lowlands and land abandonment in hilly areas have contributed to a general simplification of the landscape.
Main challenges (faced by agroforestry farmers): Adoption of agroforestry is hindered by limited awareness, unclear policies and a lack of public economic incentives. Farmers also face technical gaps and fragmented support networks.
Opportunities for development and scaling up of agroforestry: There is an emerging community of farmers, practitioners and researchers interested in agroecology and collaboration. A growing number of experimental and demonstration field trials generate first-hand knowledge. Family-sized farms remain relevant and show interest in eco-intensification options such as agroforestry. In addition, some public administrations and natural-capital companies are increasingly interested in supporting nature-based solutions.
Objectives / Innovations target: The Living Lab aims to test and demonstrate new agroforestry models adapted to Mediterranean conditions, while monitoring key ecosystem services related to soil, yield and carbon using innovative tools such as drones. It also seeks to explore business models linked to carbon and ecosystem services and to promote associationism and co-creation among stakeholders for practical adoption.
Demo Site 1
General information: This field trial covers 1.5 ha and is located in the municipality of Puig-Reig in Barcelona province with a Mediterranean climate at an altitude of 470 m a.s.l.. It consists of consists of hybrid walnut (Juglans x intermedia) and common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) for valuable timber production with winter cereal and/or a rotation of cereal, legumes and summer crops.
General farming approach: Conventional farming
Design of the agroforestry system and field trial: The field trial covers 1.5 ha and consists of three rows of hybrid walnut (Juglans × intermedia) and common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) for valuable timber production. Each row contains 30 trees planted in March of 2014. The system follows a split-plot experimental design to test pure vs. mixed tree compositions and the two spacing distances.
Expected benefits from the agroforestry system: Expected benefits include higher, more diverse and more stable yields due to complementarities between trees and crops, as well as reduced nitrate leaching.
Monitoring / Targeted ecosystem services: Monitoring of the field trial follows a two-level protocol. The first level covers soil organic matter, yield and soil water content. The second level includes phenology, crop water and nutrient status, light interception, root density and crop performance along the alley gradient.
Demo Site 2
General information: The second site covers 1.5 ha and is located in a peri-urban area of Solsona municipality in Lleida province with a Mediterranean climate at 670 m a.s.l.. It consists of hybrid walnut (Juglans x intermedia) and a few individuals of pear tree and narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia), with winter cereal and/or a rotation of cereal, legumes and summer crops.
General farming approach: Conventional farming
Design of the agroforestry system and field trial: The field was planted in March 2011 with hybrid walnut (Juglans × intermedia), along with a few pear trees and narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia), using a 4 × 4 m frame. In autumn 2025, prior to canopy closure, a severe semi-systematic thinning will be carried out to convert the system into a 12 × 8 m alley-cropping layout.
Expected benefits from the agroforestry system: The conversion aims to increase tree growth through crown release while achieving the final tree density required for valuable timber production with a target diameter of 50 cm. It will also enable annual income through intercropping, with the area remaining eligible for CAP payments as tree density will stay below 100 trees per hectare.
Monitoring / Targeted ecosystem services: Monitoring of the field trial follows a two-level protocol. The first level covers soil organic matter, yield and soil water content. The second level includes phenology, crop water and nutrient status, light interception, root density and crop performance along the alley gradient.
The business models will look at direct income streams through the sale of high-value timber and winter cereal and/or a rotation of cereal-legumes-summer crops, as well as value-added processing through the sale of products that could be marketed as agroforestry products (no official label yet available). Ecosystem services payments could include payments for carbon farming. Tourism and cultural services could be an income stream, offering educational visits and agroforestry demonstration tours. There is also potential to use the agroforestry system for beekeeping and livestock, depending on the crop/rotation. Indirect income streams through financing opportunities for agroforestry in Catalonia mainly come from the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), particularly through pillar one, as Catalonia’s deployment of measures for agroforestry from pillar two is uncertain.
