Mediterranean Agroforestry : A Field Manual for Silvoarable & Vitiforestry Systems

The knowledge you need already exists. Almost never in a single place.

I have spent over a decade designing and advising on agroforestry throughout the Mediterranean, and there is a recurring pattern on almost every farm I visit : information is scattered among research institutes, regional customs, technical manuals, and the hard-earned experience of individual farmers. The gap between what is known about Mediterranean agroforestry and what a working farmer can actually put into the ground is the most persistent obstacle to its spread.

This guide exists because that gap is unnecessary.

What it is

A 97-page field manual for landowners who want to integrate trees with vineyards, olive groves, or crops, without breaking what already works. It is not theory. It is the methodology I apply in my private consulting, complete with real figures, planting grids, schedules, and actual mistakes.

It is written for the Mediterranean on its own terms.

What you will find inside

• Fundamentals - what agroforestry really is (and what it isn't), how to read your plot: climate, soil, topography, indicator vegetation, and a self-assessment questionnaire.

• Design logic - the issue of planting grids, orientation, light and wind, managing competition for light.

• The 57-species matrix - coast and inland, pH, drought, time to harvest and market, with scientific and common names.

• Silvoarable systems - agroforestry in olive groves, diversified orchards, and alley cropping.

• Vitiforestry - design principles, three blueprint plans (1 ha, 5 ha, 15 ha), and the ten-year transition from an active vineyard.

• Phased implementation - Year 1 week by week, the planting calendar by species, and common mistakes along with their recovery.

• Financing - the architecture of the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) in plain language: eco-schemes, AECM, INVEST, and how subsidies stack up.

• Tools - calculators, checklists, pruning references, sourcing from nurseries and seeds.

• Visuals - 44 photographs and 10 diagrams of real systems in Catalonia, the Empordà , southern France, Tuscany, and comparison plots in Canada, India, and Reunion Island.

Who it is for

Landowners, winegrowers, olive growers, mixed farms, and anyone who inherits land and doesn't know where to start. Whether you are weighing the idea, planning a conversion, halfway through an installation, or tending to a system that hasn't yet delivered what you expected.

An honest note

The principles are enduring. The specific figures for costs, subsidies, and yields reflect the conditions of the Western Mediterranean at the time of writing and will change: cross-check them with updated local data before committing money or land. Every plot is different. Treat what is inside as a well-tested starting point, not a prescription.

Format

PDF, 97 pages. Instant download.

License

Personal use. You may print it for your own use on the farm. That said : I believe this knowledge needs to circulate. If you cannot afford a copy, or want to use it for community, educational, or non-profit purposes, write to me : pierre@ecoag.org