Cultivation in strips as an interesting alternative

When not just one type of crop is grown on a field, but different crops in strips three to five meters wide, this is called strip farming. Research into this has been going on in the Netherlands for around ten years. For three years, the ARGE Streifenanbau has been testing this system of arable and vegetable farming in an EU project in Austria.

So far, a number of advantages have already been proven, such as the fact that the spread of fungi on crops is reduced, that more animal and insect species such as ladybirds live in the field, or that the different growth heights offer protection from wind and erosion. “We see that in the face of monotonous agricultural landscapes and a loss of biodiversity, the ecological measures taken so far have not been enough,” says Maike Krauss from the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture. The pressure from society on farmers is increasing, “the time is ripe for strip farming, but many farmers lack the knowledge of how to do this in practice.”

In the Netherlands, strip cultivation is already included in EU funding measures, says Krauss. Farmers there cultivate their fields of up to 50 hectares in this way, but with strips of up to 21 meters wide. This does not necessarily mean additional work, but at least more intensive planning, says the expert. Many tractors are now equipped with GPS to find the strips precisely.

Initial experiments with sugar beet resulted in 20 percent more yield. Farmers also earned more despite some of the higher costs. In Austria, Spar supports the initiative and is already selling strip-cultivated products.

• A conference on strip farming will take place on June 19th from 9 a.m. in the community hall in Hofkirchen. Registration at streifenanbau@morgentau.at