Developing Capacity to Scale Agroforestry

retreat focus

How might we strengthen Agroforestry value chains by building trust, risk-taking capacity, interdependence and a sense of shared purpose among key actors so we may move together toward increasingly impactful collective action?

Agroforestry is a critical component of efforts to build thriving planetary systems, and thanks to the great work of many we are seeing meaningful momentum across the country and around the world. And yet, in order for Agroforestry practices and products to become part of our mainstream food system we need to cultivate strong relationships, be increasingly creative in our approaches, and be prepared to take some big risks.

This retreat has been designed for industry advocates, agitators, and innovators who occupy critical nodes in the Agroforestry value chain, with an emphasis on finance leaders, food companies, and food growers. Our aim is to develop shared understanding, strong relationships, aligned vision, and actionable, courageous commitments that we can move forward together. 

Inspiration and Resources

 "A 100th Anniversary Marks the Start of a New Conservatory for  Eastern Agroforestry Species" in the Northern Nut Growers Association's "The Nutshell" publication, Issue 75.2, Summer 2021, pages 6-8. Northampton Agroforestry Conservancy (public space dedicated to preserve John Hershey’s agroforestry trees in perpetuity). Louise Bugbee 

A Roadmap for Participatory Chestnut Breeding for Nut Production in the Eastern United States

American agroforestry accelerates with new funding announcements

America's agroforestry renaissance

Can Farming With Trees Save the Food System?

Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute

"Protopia Futures" Monika Bielskyte. Medium.com

Recommendations for a Professional Agroforester Training Program to Advance Adoption in the US

Restoration Agriculture Interview with Mark Shepard

Santa Ana Native Plant and Tree Nursery

Stanford’s Measuring the Carbon (and Other) Benefits of Climate-Smart Forestry Practices

The Forest as Farm, Lyla June

The Lost Forest Gardens of Europe, Max Paschal

The Milpa Cycle and the Making of the Maya Forest Garden by Dr. Anabel Ford

The Rise of Perennial Agriculture

The Skarù·ręʔ (Tuscarora) Food Forest Project. Ethnobiology Letters.

"Thick as Thieves" with Samantha Bosco, PerennialAF Podcast episode on the queer and Indigenous ecologies at the heart(wood) of agroforestry

Tewa Women United - Healing Foods Oasis

UMCA 2022 Annual Report

Up From The Roots: Centering racial justice to build transformative agroforestry