Members of the Food Systems Research Centre recently returned from a visit to Armenia and Georgia, aiming to foster a novel collaboration in agroforestry research. The visit included discussions with NGO, private and academic partners, such as Shen and the Armenian National Agrarian University in Armenia, or Elkana in Georgia, as well field visits to gain a better understanding of the current agroforestry systems in these countries. With agroforestry being a relatively new concept in these countries, despite traditional systems observable on the ground, we are confident that a fruitful research collaboration will gain force in the upcoming months and years.

The interest in the topic was highlighted also by the interest in the seminar by Prof. Dietrich Darr on ‘Concepts, Design, and Ecosystem services of Agroforestry Systems’ at the Armenian National Agrarian University, which was widely attended, and even featured on the Armenian news!