Site water management (in agroforestry systems) on sloping lands, with special regard to keyline design

"Site water management (in agroforestry systems) on sloping lands, with special regard to keyline design" is the next topic of the seminar series on agroforestry, jointly organized by "Shen" NGO and the Agrarian National University of Armenia.

By increasing landscape structural diversity and soil rooting, agroforestry generally improves site water relations, as it facilitates water infiltration into the soil and decreases wind drying effects. In order to further optimize the infiltration of rainfall, keyline cultivation is a relevant concept that increases infiltration and delays the concentration of run-off.

The seminar will take place via Zoom on May 15, at 15:00, at the AgriTech Incubator. The language of the seminar is English, with simultaneous Armenian translation. Registration is online.

The speaker of the seminar is Dr. Philip Gerhardt. He has studied forestry at the Faculty of Forestry, Geo and Hydrosciences at the Technical University of Dresden, Tharandt, Germany, followed by a Ph.D. at the Institute of Silviculture of the BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria. 

With this background in Forest Sciences, he developed a concept of land use that left behind strict borders between forestry and agriculture, focusing mainly on functions. Hence, his key interest is to develop and establish resilient land use practices that produce a rich yield of food and other goods for humans while preventing erosion, building up the soil, removing carbon from the atmosphere, and creating much-needed habitats to sustain biodiversity.