Global climate change the associated increase in extreme weather events, as well as a structural transformation in the former Central German mining region, pose severe challenges for regional economy and society. In the light of these challenges, the project DiP-SMART Agroforst aims to realize the ecological and economic value of woody structures in the landscape of southern Saxony-Anhalt. Agroforestry systems, i.e. the synergetic cultivation of woody plants and agricultural crops on the same area or in the immediate vicinity (i.e., on the edge of agricultural sites), offers in-depth ecological benefits (e.g. protection against extreme weather conditions), but also the economic diversification of farms. Thus, landowners and managers (farmers and foresters, municipalities, private actors) are able to manage their land in a more climate-resilient way and develop an important basis for the production of bio-based raw materials (e.g. for the chemical industry in Central Germany).
 
The project hence focuses on the illustration, analysis and further development of individual process chains in the overall view of the value chain – from landowners to advisory institutions for wood maintenance and harvest to processing and utilization companies and political decision-makers. Another main focus is on the investigation of the suitability of digital instruments (e.g. decision support systems, measurement technology, remote sensing) for the description and modeling of individual material flow processes in the wood-based bioeconomy. The project thus addresses various problem areas of structural transformation in southern Saxony-Anhalt.
 
Project structure and working packages

DiP-SMART Agroforst is divided into three complementary project areas and consists of interlinked working packages (see figure below). The key component is the development of the “SMART Agroforst” decision support and information system. In individual working packages, the DiP SMART-Agroforst project aims to cooperate closely with the other DiP projects DiP-FaiReSyst (Junior research groups) and DiP-iQ-Hanf.