Coordinated by Coventry University, AGROMIX brings together researchers, farmers and policymakers to explore the transition towards resilient farming, efficient land use, and sustainable agricultural value chains in Europe. Funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, this four-year project is led by 28 partners from 14 countries (10 universities, 11 multi-actor partners, and seven research institutes), using participatory co-design methods to promote and implement agroforestry and mixed farming in 12 pilot sites and eight long-term trial sites across the region. AGROMIX uses its field experience to develop knowledge platforms, interactive material such as mobile applications and serious games, economic models, and policy recommendations, integrating agroecology into current land management frameworks.

As part of the AGROMIX team we will investigate the diversity of birds, bats and spiders in mature silvo-arable and silvo-pastoral agroforestry plots (>10 years old) in comparison to forests and crops/pastures without trees. Birds and bats will be studied with autonomous sound recorders (AudioMoth) and spiders will be sampled using pitfall traps. Furthermore, we will assess predation pressure through the use of dummy caterpillars made out of plasticine. The eight selected long-term trial sites are located in England, Northern Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain and Italy. Sampling will take place in 2021 and 2022.

Manon Edo

Verena Rösch

Martin Entling

2020-2024

European Commission (H2020)

Coventry University (England)

AFBI (Northern Ireland)

Agroscope (Switzerland)

AGROMIX

Biodiversity, ecosystem services, agroforestry, agriculture, global change, spiders, birds, bats, Europe