The AF4EU project has played a major role in strengthening agroforestry as a pathway to economic, environmental, and social resilience—at a time when rural territories and agricultural businesses across Europe face increasing economic, political, and climate-related pressures.
Designed to promote agroforestry as a strategic land-use option, AF4EU worked to mobilise knowledge, connect rural actors, and support the development of new business models capable of enhancing sustainability within agricultural systems.
To widen participation and ensure that knowledge reached farmers, advisors, researchers, and administrative stakeholders, AF4EU established Regional Agroforestry Innovation Networks (RAINs) across Europe.
These networks collaborated for three years to collect data, analyse case studies, identify challenges and opportunities, and co-create tools designed to support agroforestry entrepreneurship at multiple scales.
Successful practices and scientific knowledge generated through the project are now being applied in diverse farming systems across Europe.
The core objective of AF4EU was to investigate financially viable business models and services based on integrated land-use systems, supporting a circular and sustainable agro-food chain—from primary production to consumption.
To achieve this goal, the project developed several key outputs using original research data as well as knowledge from previous initiatives:
AF Knowledge Cloud: a comprehensive agroforestry knowledge platform.
ALIVE Handbook: an interactive publication showcasing innovative farms and agroforestry value chains.
AFi-Bus DSS: a business decision-support tool combining market analysis and European policy context.
Agroforestry MOOC: a multilingual online education programme providing scientifically grounded training on agroforestry practices.
Across Europe, 33 agroforestry business cases were analysed for their economic, environmental, and social sustainability.
AF4EU was implemented by 11 partners from 10 European countries and funded under the Horizon Europe programme.
In Greece, AF4EU activities were coordinated by the interdisciplinary team of the Agroforestry & Forest Soil Science Laboratory (Department of Forestry & Natural Environment Management) and the Laboratory of Agricultural Engineering (Department of Natural Resources & Agricultural Engineering) at the Agricultural University of Athens.
Project actions focused on supporting the productive potential of mountainous Evrytania, highlighting opportunities for small family businesses in beekeeping, livestock farming, and agrotourism.
From 2023 to 2025, four RAIN meetings were held in Evrytania:
Karpenisi (June 2023)
Valaora (January 2024)
Stenoma (June 2024)
Karpenisi (March 2025 – final Greek RAIN meeting)
In total, 124 local farmers, entrepreneurs, and public representatives participated, contributing to data collection through structured interviews, questionnaires, and on-farm assessments.
In April 2024, representatives from all participating groups met in Karpenisi to exchange experiences and visit local farms, further strengthening links between research teams and rural communities.
On 3 December 2025, the final Greek project presentation was held with 60 participants, who actively engaged with the project team and tested the digital tools and learning resources developed by AF4EU.
These results demonstrate how agroforestry can reinforce the resilience of mountainous rural territories while supporting economic diversification, cultural identity, environmental protection, and innovative land-use planning in Greece and across Europe.
