Why do we need new systems for the production of chestnut?
Agroforestry with chestnut (Castanaea sativa Miller) is a traditional land use system in the eastern part of the Lugo province in Galicia, North West Spain. Although chestnut groves are rarely intercropped (due to the low understorey production) or grazed (due to the fear of tree damage), the groves create a finegrained mosaic of land uses including cropland and forests. However, where high slopes make chestnut harvesting unprofitable, pig grazing does occur during the autumn and winter. Chestnut woodlands are also one of the best habitats for the commercial production of edible mushrooms.