Agroforestry for organic poultry and pig production in Denmark
Description of system
Velfærdsdelikatesser® (welfare delicacies) is a new initiative within organic meat production in Denmark. The initiative is seeking to promote natural and diverse livestock production (including the use of local breeds) on small organic farms. The meat is then sold directly to consumers in distinctive. The initiative offers potential for agroforestry systems where pigs and poultry are combined with fruit and vegetable production.
If you would like to know about the activity of this group, please contact Dr. Anne Kongsted (anneg.kongsted@agrsci.dk)
Initial stakeholder meeting
Five stakeholders and one journalist attended an initial meeting on 18 September 2014. The objective was to identify the challenges of implementing agroforestry in organic pig and poultry production in general, and on organic small-holder farms in particular. The key positive benefit of agroforestry was seen to be animal health and welfare, biodiversity and wildlife habitat, and the diversity of products. The burden of labour and administration, and issues of complexity were seen as negative issues. Possible research themes included marketing, system design, and how agroforestry relates to planning law and the common agricultural policy.
Download the initial stakeholder report
During the follow-up discussions, it was decided not to proceed with any further innovations or experiments with this stakeholder group. However the group at Aarhus University, as part of their research with pig producers, will be developing best practice guidelines for integrating trees in pig systems.