Agroforestry is a major area of agricultural development supported by various international bodies such as the FAO and the European Commission, and has been identified as a priority by INRAE, which has a number of partnerships at the national level.

In this context, the Agroforestry field group was created in 2021 and brings together 12 researchers from six INRAE Scientific Divisions. Its aim is to develop a cross-disciplinary approach to the existing industry groups, which are classified by type of agricultural production.

The group's objectives are the following:

• To take stock of the R&D forces active on this theme and to analyse collaboration networks
• To formulate proposals for new research to be carried out, ranging from biophysical disciplines such as physiology and agronomy to socio-technical aspects, at different levels of interaction and spatial scales
• To integrate these studies into a more general analysis of the factors favouring transitions between current forms of agriculture and agroforestry systems.

The development of agroforestry will require the setting up of a supply chain, both upstream, with the supply of planting materials and equipment, and downstream, with the creation of specific outlets for its products and services, along with specific advice and support systems. This structuring is a work in progress and needs to be supported by appropriate research.

The Agroforestry group interacts with the Agroforestry RMT (https://rmt-agroforesteries.fr/presentation-du-reseau/).

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