PA8: Tackling soil erosion and flooding through agroecology (WP3) AGROMIX Pilot Site: Winthagen, The Netherlands
PA8: Tackling soil erosion and flooding through agroecology (WP3) AGROMIX Pilot Site: Winthagen, The Netherlands
In Winthagen – a region covering 200 ha in the southern Netherlands – Wageningen University & Research is working with the municipality Voerendaal and Limburgse Land en Tuinbouw Bond (LLTB = Farmers Union in the province of Limburg) to create a network that brings together farmers, landowners, the municipality, the waterboard, and other relevant stakeholders.
In recent years, Winthagen has experienced an increase in flooding and soil erosion due to the intensification of arable farming, the loss of hedgerows, and the disappearance of dairy farms, as grassland mitigates these issues. The network’s intention is to bring together these actors to redesign the region’s existing farming approach to overcome these challenges, and to restore the region’s traditional landscapes.
According to representatives from the AGROMIX project, very few farmers in Winthagen follow mixed farming or agroforestry methods, though some have used subsidies to plant fruit trees in their meadows. However, other measures have been taken to prevent flooding and soil erosion, such as increasing soil organic matter by growing green manure, creating thresholds between potato ridges, direct seeding in grain stubble or green manure, and non-reversing tillage on the hilly plots. The latter is required by the government, whilst the previous methods are applied voluntarily.
According to the farmers consulted by AGROMIX, their investments in organic soil matter, green manure, and other regenerative methods have all helped to reduce flooding and soil erosion in their region.
In Winthagen – a region covering 200 ha in the southern Netherlands – Wageningen University & Research is working with the municipality Voerendaal and Limburgse Land en Tuinbouw Bond (LLTB = Farmers Union in the province of Limburg) to create a network that brings together farmers, landowners, the municipality, the waterboard, and other relevant stakeholders.
In recent years, Winthagen has experienced an increase in flooding and soil erosion due to the intensification of arable farming, the loss of hedgerows, and the disappearance of dairy farms, as grassland mitigates these issues. The network’s intention is to bring together these actors to redesign the region’s existing farming approach to overcome these challenges, and to restore the region’s traditional landscapes.
According to representatives from the AGROMIX project, very few farmers in Winthagen follow mixed farming or agroforestry methods, though some have used subsidies to plant fruit trees in their meadows. However, other measures have been taken to prevent flooding and soil erosion, such as increasing soil organic matter by growing green manure, creating thresholds between potato ridges, direct seeding in grain stubble or green manure, and non-reversing tillage on the hilly plots. The latter is required by the government, whilst the previous methods are applied voluntarily.
According to the farmers consulted by AGROMIX, their investments in organic soil matter, green manure, and other regenerative methods have all helped to reduce flooding and soil erosion in their region.
AGROforestry and MIXed farming systems - Participatory research to drive the transition to a resilient and efficient land use in Europe
Ongoing | 2020-2024
- Main funding source
- Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- United Kingdom
Project Keywords
- Aquaculture
- Arable crops
- Organic farming
- Agro-ecology
- Crop rotation/crop diversification/dual-purpose or mixed cropping
- Biodiversity and nature
- Climate change (incl. GHG reduction, adaptation and mitigation, and other air related issues)
- Competitiveness/new business models
- Farm diversification
- Landscape/land management
- Soil
- Supply chain, marketing and consumption