As part of an Erasmus+ cooperation partnership, we are part of the EU-funded project “SAFFT4EU – Food Forester Training: Species-rich agroforestry, food forest and forest garden training for Farmers in the EU” since December 2025.

The aim of the project is to enable practitioners from the fields of agriculture and vegetable farming to understand, operate, and further develop species-rich forest garden systems (food forests). These agroforestry systems stabilize yields, promote biodiversity and humus accumulation, improve soil health, reduce soil erosion, and store water. In this way, they combine economic efficiency with ecological responsibility.

The training course combines practice-oriented online modules with on-site workshops in four European countries (Germany, Bulgaria, Portugal, and Austria). The content is taught in the respective national languages and covers all relevant topics: from ecological principles, plant, and soil knowledge to management and marketing.

Together with five other partner organizations, we are pooling our knowledge to share best practices. Participants acquire practical know-how that they can apply directly to their farms—for regenerative agriculture, sustainable food production, and a future-proof European agricultural sector. The materials are expected to be published in 2027.

Partner Organizations

We are delighted that this project is being jointly developed by the following partner organizations:

• Balkan Ecology Projects, Bulgaria

• DeFAF = Deutscher Fachverband für Agroforstwirtschaft e.V., Germany

• Nahrungswald e.V., Germany

• Österreichisches Waldgarten-Institut, Austria

• vErde regenerativ e.V., Germany

• Wild Forest Garden, Portugal

The website www.SAFFT4.EU will regularly feature updates on the progress of the Food Forester Training.