To achieve this, the project co-designs and tests targeted knowledge interventions with farmers and intermediary organisations such as advisory bodies, farmer networks, and community groups. These interventions aim to increase awareness of threats to tree health, build practical skills for resilience-focused land management, and encourage more proactive, long-term decision-making about trees on farms. By working directly with farmers and their support networks, the project seeks to bridge the knowledge–action gap which currently means farmers know what tree health issues might exist, but not how to take action on these on their own farms, foster farmer-champions who can share good practices, and ultimately enable more widespread integration of tree health and resilience measures into everyday farming systems.
Main aims and objectives
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Understand farmer perspectives – Explore what motivates or prevents farmers from adopting tree health and resilience practices.
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Identify barriers and enablers – Examine economic, social, and informational factors influencing decisions about trees on farms.
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Co-design interventions – Work with farmers and advisory networks to develop and test knowledge-sharing tools and practical guidance.
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Promote awareness and skills – Build farmer confidence in managing threats like pests, diseases, and climate change impacts on trees.
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Foster farmer-champions – Support peer-to-peer learning so experienced farmers can inspire others to adopt resilient practices.
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Integrate resilience into farming systems – Encourage long-term, sustainable management of trees as part of farm planning and land stewardship.
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Close the knowledge–action gap – Translate research findings into practical, scalable solutions for the farming community.
