The Center for Technology and Research at the University of Applied Sciences Dresden is looking for a  Research Associate in the project "Strip-Till One-Pass" from 01.07.2023 on. More information about the requirements and general conditions of the position can be found HERE.

It is now widely recognized that agroforestry can make a significant contribution to the design of sustainable land management. However, support for agroforestry systems within the framework of agricultural subsidies in Germany is still not enough. For this reason, the professional associations Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft e.V. (AbL) and Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft e.V. (BÖLW), together with the Deutscher Fachverband für Agroforstwirtschaft e.V. (German Association for Agroforestry), have written an open letter to the ministers and senators for agriculture and the environment of the federal and state governments. With a total of 99 co-signing associations and institutions, the letter shows broad agreement with the demands formulated in the letter, which relate, among other things, to the currently existing bureaucratic hurdles such as the utilization concept and distance regulations.

Press release of DeFAF e. V. (German)

Direct link to the letter (German)

With an intense smell of rapeseed in the air and a skylark concert, we were active in spring sunshine on the land of farmer Marion Herrmann in Sieglitz near Lommatzsch to rid some trees of weeds in the agroforestry system planted before Easter.

Five parallel strips were planted, each consisting of five rows of trees. The outer two strips were planted with four different performance varieties, which are now being analyzed in the growth process. The varieties planted were "Vesten" (Populus deltoides x P. nigra), "Bakan" (P. trichocarpa x P. maximowiczii), "Dender" (P. deltoides x (P. trichocarpa x P. maximowiczii) and "Matrix 11" (P. maximowiczii x P. trichocarpa). These fast-growing tree stands can be used for regional energy as well as raw material production after a several years growing season. The middle single strip was planted with wild cherry/bird cherry (Prunus avium ssp. avium), Norway maple (Acer platanoides), and littleleaf linden (Tilia cordata). These deciduous hardwoods are used for long-term cultivation for the production of valuable timber, which can be sold to the timber industry as veneer or solid wood after about 40-60 years.

The task in this work assignment was to clear the value timber stands of regrown weeds around the plantings. Removing them by hand with a hoe was a tough job in the dry clay soil, but with combined efforts it went faster than expected! Probably there will be a second weed control action in spring, after that it will be no longer necessary and the trees are big enough.

Thanks to the organizers BUND Dresden and Landwirtschaftsbetrieb Herrmann! We were glad to be there!