Agroforestry refers to the association of trees and crops or animals on the same agricultural plot. It is an ancestral practice, widespread throughout the world and dormant in the West due to the rise of agricultural machinery and phytosanitary products, which has led to an intensive cultivation requiring systematic removal of trees. These practices include field crops, livestock (sylvo-pastoralism), perennial crops such as vines and arboriculture.

The vitiforestery is the agroforestry applied to the viticulture and therefore the association of the plantation of trees with the cultivation of the vine. Agroforestry in viticulture could offer various advantages, notably through ecosystem services such as the improvement of biodiversity including soil, mitigation of climate excesses, carbon storage, the recovery of additional biomass, timber production. There are different types of development: rows of trees interspersed between rows of vine, shrub hedge bordering a plot or interspersed between islets of vine, isolated trees planted within the row of vine. Different tree or shrub species or different distances between tree lines and row of vines may be selected based on the operator’s objective. (1)

The competition between trees and vines must be taken into account. This competition can be for water, soil nutrients or light. A French study shows that trees interspersed with vines have no direct effects on the nutrition of vines (2).

The association of trees in a vineyard plot will lead to changes in the micro-climate of vine plants:

• The shade of the trees has an effect on the radiation received by the vine. This particularly impacts the first or first 2 rands north of the tree row. (3)
• The trees will also change the air circulation: the reduction of turbulence is effective over a distance of 2 to 4 times the height of the tree in the axis of the prevailing winds. The presence of isolated trees, particularly when they are bare at the base, can contribute to increase turbulent flows and lead to a decrease in summer temperature peaks, and a reduction in the duration of foliar humectation (Thèse Juliette Grimaldi, 2019).
• Changing the water cycle in the vicinity: Recycling of deep water resources to the atmosphere occurs, resulting in increased relative humidity and cooling of the air. The water is trapped by moisture condensation (dew) and the rain is intercepted (3-5mm). (1)

In agriculture, a plot in agroforestry is considered from 100 trees per hectare. However, in viticulture, it is advisable to plant a low density of trees (30 to 40 per hectare). In this case, there is no competition over the first 10 years of co-planting based on the results of the Vitiforest project (no effect on the vigour and composition of the grapes). (4)

Few technical and economic references are available for agroforestry systems, let alone applied to viticulture. Four types of economic impacts are highlighted: (i) the cost of planting and maintaining trees, (ii) additional costs for the maintenance of the vine, (iii) profits from the valorization of trees or their products, and (iv) environmental amenities and services, comparing a monoculture system and an agroforestry viticultural system. (4)

Finally, vitiforestry meets, from a societal point of view, the growing needs of consumers to have a quality product, with a minimal impact on natural resources.

(1) IFV, 2018. Itinéraires n°28 – Agroforesterie et viticulture.

(2) Assessment of biodiversity and agronomic parameters in two Agroforestry vineyards. Josépha  Guenser, Emilie  Bourgade, Marc  Vergnes, Thierry  Dufourcq, Séverine  Mary . E3S Web Conf. 50 01013 (2018) DOI:10.1051/e3sconf/20185001013

(3) Grimaldi, Juliettz and Fieuzal, Rémy and Pelletier, Charlotte and Bustillo, Vincent and Houet, Thomas and Sheeren, David Microclimate patterns in an agroforestry intercropped vineyard: First results. (2016) In: 3ème congrès européen de l'agroforesterie - EURAF 2016, 23 May 2016 - 25 May 2016 (Montpellier, France). https://www.repository.utl.pt/bitstream/10400.5/17543/1/EURAFIIIConf_Grimaldi_J_et_all_page_191_194.pdf

(4)  Bourgade, E., Alonso Ugaglia, A., Bustillo, V., Dufourcq, T., Grimaldi, J., Guenser, J., Montagne, V., Ranjard, L., 2020. VITIFOREST : Évaluation de l’impact de l’arbre agroforestier en contexte viticole 79, 471–497.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343017155_VITIFOREST_Evaluation_de_l'impact_de_l'arbre_agroforestier_en_contexte_viticole

(5) Bellassen V., Cardinael R., Mézière D., et al., 2019a. Développer l’agroforesterie dans les parcelles cultivées. In: Le potentiel de l’agriculture et de la forêt françaises en vue de l’objectif d’un stockage de carbone dans les sols à hauteur de 4 pour mille. (Coord. S. Pellerin), INRA.