Agroforestry is well-suited to the landscape of southern Appalachia. Learning and implementing practices here highlights ecosystem services such as wildlife habitat benefits, attention to human cultural, health, and aesthetic benefits, and commercial opportunities of diversifying farm and land enterprises with forest products. The agroforestry practices of focus at the NC State Forest Farming Demonstration site are forest farming, food forests, riparian buffers, and some alleycropping.

Working in sloping, wooded sites precludes the use of large farm equipment, which decreases production efficiency. And although the forest environment helps conserve moisture, if we do need to irrigate it is labor-intensive. But overall, if you can develop clear production plans and a reliable market, agroforestry - and forest farming in particular - is a rewarding way to bring sloping or forested land into a diverse farm management system. One may prefer working in the woods on a hot summer day to sweating under the sun in an open field!

Forest products occupy a niche market compared to other agricultural crops, with a patchwork of established and developing markets. The slower pace of plant growth and longer crop maturity times make cash flow challenging. We see successful operations use creative marketing strategies or vertical integration. Accessing reliable, research-based resources is imperative to the success of agroforesters in Appalachia and beyond. Hands-on instruction, consistent and seasonal experiences at the demonstration site, mentorship, and train-the-trainer formats are well-suited for our stakeholder community.