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The Portuguese agro-forestry sector faces many challenges. Since the 80s (XX century), the agricultural sector has been considerably reduced and rural areas abandoned. In addition, wild fires impacted Portuguese forest large areas due, among others, to extensive monocultures of pine and eucalypt, particularly in the Centre and North regions. Moreover, the nematode spreading pest affects maritime pine strongly, with premature trees clear felling as a control measure. Nevertheless, the forestry sector has still a strong impact in the Gross Domestic Product, being of strategic importance for Portugal. Considering this scenario, strategies promoting the diversity of products that can emerge in the agro-business sector needs to be nourished and, particularly, some Mediterranean species are usable by forest and farmer owners to increase their income. Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) displays potential to be successfully businesslike cultured in several regions of Portugal and southern Europe, because it is well adapted to our climate and soils. A. unedo has been used by local populations for fruit consumption and spirit production, but remains largely a neglected crop (NUC). In recent years, organizations such as FAO have developed efforts to increase those species interest. Besides economic relevance some NUCs, such as A. unedo, are well adapted to harsh environments and their culture may have positive ecologic effects in agro-forestry systems, pioneering marginal soils, and potentially used as fire break lines, hence reducing fire impacts. To overcome the underuse of this species, our team has been networking several research lines, trying to provide farmers with high-quality trees. These efforts were complemented by practical demonstrations and lectures in meetings, newspapers, Agriculture and Forestry Fairs and by interviews in the radio and TV to foster stakeholder’s attention and general public. Plus trees were selected, cloned and maintained in vitro or in clone banks. Twenty-seven individuals were fingerprinted with 5 crosstransferred microsatellite markers. Plus trees fruits quality was evaluated and more trees were selected following farmers advice. The first mycorrhization assays results indicated that plant growth in the field can be improved since blossom comes up earlier, hence prompting fruit production. These results have interested stakeholders, such as “Confraria do Medronheiro” (a group of strawberry tree producers from Portugal Center Region), “Silvapa; Buxa e Pinga and Mendes & Mendes, Lda (Schnaps companies from Portugal Center Region) and producers associated with the In_agri project (hereafter In_agri). Based on the acquired experience we want to move forward and for this project our purposes are: 1) studying the genetic structure with sampled individuals from populations distributed range wide in the country, 2) understanding the matting system and the reproductive biology of the species, 3) improving propagation methods to clone selected trees and subsequently deliver a reliable protocol to the nursery business, 4) developing A. unedo tetraploid lines, 5) studying flowering, fruit maturation and fruit quality; 6) studying conservation strategies to keep a stock of the selected plants in vitro, 7) improving mycorrhization by inoculation of A. unedo plants with edible fungi, 8) evaluation of the spirit quality, and 9) evaluating the economic impact of the new products commercialization in the agro-forestry sector and the organization of a producers’ group. The main outcome of this project will be the development of more productive trees easier to propagate and ready to be delivered to farmers and stakeholders, together with the information about the species use as a fruit fresh consumption, as spirit quality and production, as well as edible mushrooms. The mass propagation methods improvement and the conservation strategies optimization, the understanding the species matting system and genetic structure, crucial steps for further breeding, and the production of tetraploid plants (more productive in many species) are ARBUTUS additional goals. Finally, we want to step forward the starting point, the producers, and the ending point, the commercialization. In the former, a producer group organization we will be promoted. In the later, ARBUTUS innovative approach will be a product improvement (strawberry tree fruits), largely forgotten by the agro-forestry sector. To achieve this point, the tree quality will be improved and the quality of the fruits will be validated by scientific methods. The dissemination of information strategy for this species through the participation in national and international fairs and in business meetings with potential exporters will help in gathering future stakeholders. The sector companies and associations’ involvement and the young researchers’ inclusion are other aspects of the project that must be emphasized.