Agroforestry Research Trust

The Agroforestry Research Trust is a charitable organization and nursery based at the Dartington Hall Estate in Devon, dedicated to researching and promoting agroforestry, forest gardening, and the productive use of woodland and perennial plants in food and farming systems. Founded by Martin Crawford in 1992, the trust maintains an internationally renowned two-acre forest garden and agroforestry research site serving as a demonstration and educational resource for visitors from around the world. The trust conducts applied research on temperate agroforestry species, evaluating the performance, uses, and ecological role of trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and ground-cover plants in multistory growing systems. It publishes research findings, books, plant databases, and an online resource library widely used by farmers, researchers, and land managers internationally. The Agroforestry Research Trust also operates a mail-order nursery specializing in unusual edible and useful perennial plants, making agroforestry species accessible to practitioners across the UK. Through its research, education, and nursery activities, the trust contributes to the development and wider adoption of agroforestry as a sustainable and productive land-use system.