AGF2: Maintain low density in-field agroforestry on less sensitive land
What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.
This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.
Duration
3 years
How much you’ll be paid
£385 per hectare (ha) per year – the hectarage can include:
- the area used to grow agroforestry trees
- the areas between the trees, used for arable or horticultural crops, grassland or other eligible environmental land management scheme actions or options
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there’s an established low density in-field agroforestry system that’s maintained, so there’s a combination of both:
- trees (including shrubs)
- arable or horticultural crops, grassland for forage or areas used for other eligible environmental land management scheme actions or options
The purpose of this is to:
- reduce soil erosion and flooding
- improve water and air quality
- provide shelter for crops and livestock
- contribute to carbon capture and storage
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on an eligible in-field agroforestry system on less ‘sensitive’ agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
- an eligible land type (read section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’)
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
‘Sensitive’ land includes:
- sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) or other sensitive areas which are listed in the guidance on forestry environmental impact assessments (forestry EIA)
- priority habitats such as species-rich grassland - you can find a list of priority habitats on GOV.UK
You may find it helpful to use the Forestry Commission’s SFI Agroforestry map to identify land that’s less sensitive (shown as ‘sensitivity: low’).
To be eligible for this action, the in-field agroforestry system must:
- contain established trees – these can be at any stage of maturity, including newly planted saplings if they’ll be left to become mature trees
- be grown on semi-vigorous or vigorous rootstocks if they are fruit trees – these will usually produce trees at least 4 metres tall
- be very low density
For the purposes of this action, ‘low density’ means that across the area you enter into this action in each land parcel:
- there’s an average of 51 to 130 trees per hectare, usually planted in rows or a grid
- the trees are spaced in a way that means you do not need to apply for a forestry EIA
Eligible land
| Eligible land type | Eligible land cover | Compatible land use code |
|---|---|---|
| Arable land used to grow crops | Arable land | Land use codes for arable crops or leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops |
| Temporary grassland | Arable land | TG01 |
| Arable land lying fallow | Arable land | FA01 |
| Improved permanent grassland | Permanent grassland | PG01 |
| Horticultural permanent crops | Permanent crops | TC01 |
Eligibility of protected land
| Protected land | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) | Ineligible – you must not enter any area that’s designated as an SSSI into this action |
| Historic and archaeological features | Ineligible – you must not enter any area with an historic or archaeological feature into this action |
Available area you can enter into this action
Total or part of the available area in a land parcel.
Rotational or static action
This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.
What to do
You must maintain the low density in-field agroforestry system in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. This includes:
- replacing dead trees, where necessary to make sure the density continues to be an average of at least 51 trees per hectare across the area you enter into this action in each land parcel
- protecting the trees from grazing livestock and pests, such as deer and rabbits, to prevent serious damage
- managing weeds around the base of establishing trees
- pruning and shaping the trees once they are established
When to do it
You must do this action from its start date, throughout each year of its 3-year duration.
How to do it
It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:
- follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
- do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim
Advice to help you do this action will be published before applications are fully launched from summer 2024. It will not be part of this action’s requirements.
Evidence to keep
You must keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:
- field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
- photographs and other documentation
If it’s not clear that you’ve done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, we may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if we ask for it.
Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action
You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action. Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.
| Scheme | Action or option codes |
|---|---|
| SFI 2024 actions | AHW1, AHW3, AHW6, AHW7, AHW8, AHW9, AHW10, AHW11, AHW12, BFS1, BFS2, BFS3, OFA1, OFA6, OFC1, OFC3, OFC4, OFM1, OFM4, OFM5, SOH4, WBD3, WBD4, WBD5, WBD6, WBD7, WBD8, PRF1, PRF2, PRF3, PRF4, SOH1, SOH2, SOH3, CAHL1, CAHL2, CAHL3, CAHL4, CIGL1, CIGL2, CIGL3, CIPM1, CIPM2, CIPM3, CIPM4, CLIG3, CNUM1, CNUM2, CNUM3, CSAM1, CSAM2, CSAM3 |
| SFI 2023 actions | AHL1, AHL2, AHL3, AHL4, IGL1, IGL2, IGL3, IPM1, IPM2, IPM3, IPM4, LIG1, LIG2, NUM1, NUM2, NUM3, SAM1, SAM2, SAM3 |
| CS options | AB1, AB2, AB3, AB6, AB7, AB8, AB9, AB10, AB11, AB13, AB14, AB15, AB16, GS2, GS3, GS4, GS5, HS6, SW1, SW2, SW3, SW4, SW5, SW7, SW8, SW9, SW10, SW13, WD3, WT1, WT2, OP1, OP2, OP4, OP5, OR1, OR3, OR4, OT1, OT3, OT4 |
| ES options | No ES revenue options |
| SFI pilot standards | No area-based SFI pilot standards |
If an action or option cannot be located on the same area, you may be able to do it on a different area in the same land parcel - Read section 6. ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ for more information.
You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:
- SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
- SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
- CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
- the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard