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Small woody features (SWF), as field boundaries, hedgerows, or riparian buffers, are crucial for agricultural landscapes and, frequently, disregarded. In combination with agricultural land uses they are considered agroforestry systems (AF_SWF), but their spatial distribution and detailed location of SWF types are insufficiently known in the EU as to support agricultural policies or enhance the development of farming practices for biodiversity conservation or productivity management.

In addressing this, the LUCAS 2015 dataset was analysed across EU member states to identify, characterise, and determine the extent and distribution of AF_SWF classes and the variety of SWF types in agricultural lands. Additionally, a comparison between AF_SWF and common agroforestry systems (AF_C), such as silvopastoral, silvoarable, grazed or intercropped permanent crops, and kitchen gardens was conducted …