The conference was less about the well-known advantages of agroforestry systems and more about the possibilities and ways in which they can be designed more multifunctionally and cooperatively on the field. We were there and learnt a lot from interesting lectures, posters and talks about the diversity, complexity and resilience that this sensational form of land use brings with it in economic, social and ecological terms.

During three excursions on the first day, the participants visited several example farms in the region that practise regenerative agriculture and produce regional organic products from it. The topics ranged from orchard and timber production to grazing concepts with geese in orchards and sheep in vineyards. 
During our visit to the Domäne Hochburg estate, we were able to see for ourselves how well the 340 geese are doing on the 3.4 hectares of meadow orchard where they are allowed to graze during the day. They fertilise the meadow with their droppings, while the trees provide them with shade. The geese gladly accept the offer on this sunny day. The system was originally set up as a conservation garden for old apple varieties, some of which are native, such as the "Aujäger" or the "Ulmer Polizeiapfel". The apples are processed into partly varietal juices and sold ex farm via vending machines and in shops in the surrounding area. The goose meat is offered in cooperation with a small slaughterhouse in the neighbouring village for St. Martin's Day and Christmas. A goose can reach an average slaughter weight of 5 kg (!).
In addition to the breathtaking view from the Staatsweingut Freiburg, our second excursion stop, of the Rhine plain, the Vosges and the vineyards of the Kaiserstuhl, we were particularly impressed by the sheep running around among the vines. This was a trial site of the research project "Win-win in the vineyard" of the Rottenburg University of Applied Sciences. The aim is to revitalise historical extensive forms of use while at the same time increasing land efficiency due to dual use and regional value creation of not only wine but also wool and meat in a land use system. The sheep also act as "lawn mowers" and keep the vines free of unwanted shoots, weeds and the grape zone. Last but not least, this form of multiple use provides environmental services such as microhabitats, soil building and erosion control.

After a joint dinner and conclusion of the first with plenty of exchange and networking, the second conference day started with a presentation by Dr. Ravi Prabhu, Vice Director of the international agroforestry NGO CIFOR-ICRAF. He brought some examples of uplifting and community-based agriculture in his home country India. Prabhu predicted that without the agroecological transformation of the "big framework", namely the policy and support structures, no real regeneration of the respective national land use systems could be expected either. Prof. Klein from the University of Freiburg then spoke about the reaction of bees to pesticide-contaminated plants during pollination. Flowering strips that are as diverse as possible along rows of trees or in their undergrowth are important elements for promoting the biodiversity of agroforestry systems. At the end of the plenary session, Jan Große-Kleinmann, a convinced young farmer, shared his practical experience with the establishment of an agroforestry system on his farm in Münsterland. In the further course of the forum, the visitors were able to learn about practical experiences with implementation, political and legal (funding) strategies, education and knowledge transfer as well as the ecosystem services of agroforestry systems in four expert sessions.

Agroforestry had a big stage in Freiburg! We will take home enriching discussions, new impulses and contacts for the promotion of this regenerative land use in Saxony and Central Germany. Thank you to all organisers and participants who made this exchange on this platform possible!

Full documentation of the event will be available on the DeFAF website soon!

OLGA conference poster (in German) "Monitoring von Mikroklima, Gehölzstruktur und Biomassewachstum agroforstlicher Systeme an Fließgewässern"

Have you ever heard of IANS? The abbreviation stands for Interdisciplinary Agroforestry Network Saxony, whose constituent meeting took place on 16th of August 2023 in Nossen at the Competence Centre for Organic Farming of the Free State of Saxony. An interdisciplinary group of 16 people discussed the tasks, thematic starting points and competences that the network can initially provide. The future role of the working group is to provide information, networking and advice to interested farms and communities that are thinking about and can imagine establishing and managing an agroforestry system. We are pleased to be part of the network with OLGA and to join forces in supporting agroforestry in Saxony. More information about the network's activities, outreach and effects will follow!

In Kooperation mit NAHhaft e. V. haben wir Anfang Juli 2023 mit Köchinnen und Köchen aus der Kita- und Schulverpflegung leckeres aus Hülsenfrüchten gekocht und uns darüber unterhalten, wie diese noch stärker Eingang in die Kita- und Schulverpflegung finden können und warum das bisher noch nicht passiert ist. Im August-NAHhaft-Newsletter hat unsere Kollegin Lene Frohnert einen Artikel über den Verlauf und die Ergebnisse des Workshops verfasst, den wir hier mit Euch teilen möchten: Bio kann jeder - Kochpraxis mit Hülsenfrüchten in der Kita- und Schulverpflegung

Sie möchten Ihre Produkte an Großküchen in der Region liefern? Sie bieten als (Groß-)Händler ein Regionalsortiment, das bisher nur wenige Kantinen kennen? Ihre regionalen Produkte sind bereits lange in der Gemeinschaftsverpflegung im Einsatz? Dann beteiligen Sie sich bis 15.09.2023 an der Umfrage der Sächsischen Agentur für Regionale Lebensmittel (AgiL) zu regionalen Lieferstrukturen für Gemeinschaftsverpflegung in Sachsen.

Mehr Info

Last week we developed visions for a regional legume value chain in Dresden and Saxony in 2045 together with people who are committed to a sustainable and regional agriculture and food economy. In terms of content, we moved between existing social, technical, economic, environmental and political problems in designing the value chain, and concerns, hopes and wishes of the actors, as well as their relationships and dependencies on each other.

On the basis of these findings and the participants' evaluation of given future scenarios on cultivation conditions, processing, distribution and the social value of pulses, we developed two future visions for a functioning value chain for pulses using a map of the Dresden region and Lego Serious Play.

Model and experimental farms distributed throughout the region and a coordinated integration of diverse varieties into the crop rotation form the basis for a year-round regional supply of pulses in 2045. Canteens, restaurants and private households benefit from consumer-oriented marketing forms in the city - from the farm shop, subscription box, food hub and 24/7 pick-up boxes to the vegetable stall at the weekly market! These are equipped with a CO2-neutral sophisticated logistics system "Farm2Fork". Research, education and communication about the ecological, climate and nutritional value of legumes is happening on a grand scale. Legumes are (again) an integral part of our regional diet!

We would like to thank Lenard and the Chair of Technical Design at TU Dresden for the opportunity to organise a workshop at the COSMO Science Forum. It was a great experience and lots of fun! We really enjoyed the delicious finger food made with pulses and love by the Palais Café.

What is the importance of pulses for you? How often a week do you enjoy them - as a dried whole fruit or processed into spreads, meat substitutes, vegetable drinks, etc.? Would you like to see a future with more legume products? If so, which would you prefer? Write us your thoughts: projekt-olga@dresden.de!

Photos: Lenard Opeskin, Anke Hahn

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!