The Techno-Agroforest: Status, Prospects and Constraints for Geospatial Technology in Temperate Agroforestry Systems
Agroforestry —the intentional integration of agriculture and forestry production— has emerged as an agricultural practice with the potential to enhance soil health, sequester carbon, improve water quality, and create more resilient farming systems, yet adoption across the United States remains limited. This proposal will investigate how geospatial and precision agriculture technologies can be harnessed to better support the adoption and effectiveness of these complex agroforestry systems in the U.S. Such a marriage may seem paradoxical, with agroforestry often emphasizing low-input practices and local knowledge, while precision agriculture development and applications have largely focused on industrial field crop monoculture systems. With care, this technology can be appropriately and effectively utilized in agroforestry systems. This project will address this critical need by assessing the current landscape of geospatial technology applications in temperate agroforestry systems, identifying barriers to their adoption, and exploring how these tools might be leveraged to support agroforestry practices.
This grant is made possible by the Goldsmith Research Fund, a gift from Carl H. Goldsmith (W ‘88).
Elliot Bullen
Project Manager, PennPraxisElliot Bullen is a project manager at PennPraxis. He is also a masters student in Landscape Architecture in the Weitzman School of Design.
Thomas Parsons
Director, Center for Stewardship Agriculture and FoodThomas Parsons is the Marie A. Moore Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics at the School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center. He directs the Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food at PennVet.
