Poplar agroforestry: a re-evaluation of its economic potential on arable land in the United Kingdom

Abstract This paper presents a re-evaluation of the economic potential of poplar based agri-silvopasture on good arable farmland in the United Kingdom. Two developments have made this necessary. Firstly, the recent availability of fast growing Belgian poplar clones, including ‘Beaupre’, ‘Primo’ and ‘Ghoy’, and secondly, the introduction of grant assistance for agroforestry under the Woodland Grant Scheme and Better Land Supplement. The analysis has been undertaken using a spreadsheet based agroforestry model, PopMod, developed at the School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor. It compares the viability of monoculture agriculture with an agroforestry system using traditional poplars such as ‘Robusta’ and the Belgian clones ‘Beaupre’ and ‘Ghoy’. It is conducted under three grant scenarios, considers the effect of a 20% reduction in all agricultural prices and uses both net and gross margin accounting for the agricultural component. The results indicate that with the adoption of net margin accounting for agriculture, the introduction of grants, and the prospect of significant real reductions in agricultural prices, poplar based agroforestry is now a viable land use option on good arable land. The availability of fast growing Belgian cultivars makes this especially true.