Biodiversity
About half of Germany’s land area is used for agriculture and about a third for forestry. Agriculture therefore bears a special responsibility for biodiversity – and itself benefits from functioning flora and fauna.
Our approach: sustainable intensification
The farm follows the principle of sustainable intensification: on production land, yields are optimised and environmental impacts are kept as low as possible. Land without a production function is used specifically for biodiversity. This is why the farm has not converted to organic farming so far.
Measures
- Flowering areas on land not used for food production
- Planting of hedges, shrubs and trees
- Participation in support programmes such as the Bavarian Cultural Landscape Programme (KULAP), depending on availability
Framework conditions
With more voluntary action and less bureaucracy, much more would be possible. Anyone who voluntarily plants hedges or trees today often faces minimum distances, entries in public registers and permanent restrictions on use. This risk of “self-expropriation” keeps many farms from doing more. The principle of “voluntary action before regulation” would benefit biodiversity more than additional requirements.
