Kuhproklima

Eight farms in the pre-alpine region dare to take new steps in the direction of environmentally friendly dairy farming. Grassland management shall be adapted to the grassland ecosystem; thus, all ecological, economic and social aspects will be monitored. The main aim of the project is to investigate how nature-based grassland management can improve ecosystem processes and services which will contribute to climate and resource protection. The focus lies on a holistic grazing management adapted to the location as well as the precise promotion of active soil life. That includes initial analyses of each site, herd, type of vegetation and infrastructure. These local conditions play an important role for management. Grasslands and grazing animals have coevolutionally developed. By observing this interrelation, conclusions can be drawn for resilient pasture management. The influence of moving herds will promote processes of root growth and soil life, as well as plant and accordingly insect diversity. Longer regeneration phases ensure that various herbs reach maturity and an increased belowground biomass. This again supports carbon sink function and the system stability during increased dry periods. Knowledge and experience are conveyed through workshops and field days. An online platform for ongoing documentation as well as exchange between farmers is provided. The outcomes, jointly developed by scientists and farmers, will be presented in a practical guideline at the end of the project. It aims to present many different local site conditions so that interested farmers can recognize themselves in the case studies. KUHproKLIMA project is supported by the EU-Program “European Innovation Partnership EIP-Agri and the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry.