In Ireland most (>75%) of the land is in agriculture and of this only 9% is cropped, the rest being pastoral. Tree cover is low: 10% in Ireland and 6% in Northern Ireland (NT). Pasture is largely managed intensively, biodiversity is low and nutrient leakage is a major problem. Farms are small by UK standards. The mean is 35 ha in NI and 29.5 ha in Ireland, Part of the solution to the current income problems must come from offering a suite of land use options which offer diversified business opportunities within a context of a sustainable future. It has been proposed (McAdam 2005) that silvopastoral systems can offer one such option.
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