ACORN is a digital decision‑support tool developed by ILVO and Agroforestry Flanders as part of the AFaktive and DigitAF projects . It helps farmers and advisors explore the possibilities of alley‑cropping systems and supports the transition towards more sustainable farming practices.
User manual:
English version | Nederlandse versie
Demo video:
English version | Nederlandse versie
Agroforestry— and alley cropping in particular — is becoming increasingly relevant as farmers search for climate‑resilient and sustainable practices . Research has demonstrated positive effects on crop yield and quality, but the key question remains:
What does this mean for my farm? ACORN translates experimental research data into farm‑level simulations, giving farmers practical insights when considering a transition to agroforestry.The tool guides the user through a clear and intuitive workflow:
The tool simulates the yield and quality of five major crops — winter barley, winter wheat, silage maize, grain maize, and potato — over a ten‑year rotation .
It accounts for two types of effects caused by the tree rows:
For each year in the rotation, the tool compares the simulated alley‑cropping yields with those of a sole cropping system. This allows users to quantify annual and cumulative economic losses linked to reduced crop production.
In addition to yield, the tool also presents quality parameters :
Currently, the tool supports two tree species:
The goal is to expand this list with additional species in future versions. For each supported species, the tool predicts timber production over the same ten‑year period . The total wood volume is divided into biomass wood and high‑quality wood, and each category is assigned a market value. This enables users to estimate the economic return from the woody component of the alley‑cropping system.
By combining crop losses, timber production, and market prices, the tool generates a clear economic comparison between sole-cropping and alley‑cropping systems.
This integrated economic assessment helps farmers and advisors understand the trade‑offs and long‑term profitability of adopting alley‑cropping practices.
This tool is intended for:
The simulations are based on data from peer‑reviewed research and ongoing own empirical research :
The simulations are based on published experimental data (e.g. Pardon et al., 2018; Pardon et al., 2025). This means that certain assumptions are made.
Users should interpret results as indicative trends rather than exact predictions . The tool is designed to support exploration and comparison , not to replace detailed farm‑specific measurements .
Click on any polygon edge to rotate the field. The clicked edge will be aligned to the left side of the screen. This lets you orient the field so it matches the fixed vertical tree rows.
When the field is correctly oriented, press the button below.Click the button below to start the simulation of the alley-cropping system.
The results are presented across three dedicated pages: