What benefits do farmers get from a flowering strip? Is one flowering or wooded strip per acre sufficient for nature conservation? The Lower Saxony Way attempts to answer this question, combining agriculture with nature conservation and thus implementing the European Union's guidelines in a practical way. But ultimately, it is the local people who must bring these guidelines to life.
Society is placing ever-greater demands on agriculture. At the same time, there is a perception that agriculture is being left to deal with these challenges alone. In the municipalities of Lorup, Rastdorf, and Vrees, all stakeholders have attempted to engage in dialogue on equal terms. Intrestik was able to support them in this endeavor on behalf of the German Rural Areas Network (dvs).
Nearly 30 participants (farmers, nature conservation authorities, mayors, and many more) met on a Saturday to explore initial steps together. Our goal as an office was to consider the professional perspectives and needs of agriculture, equally alongside those of nature conservation. A key part of the workshop was the simulation game "flowering strips". In it, we highlighted the difficulties both sides face with the concrete implementation of the guidelines developed at the EU level. Is it possible for an entrepreneur to set aside more than 4% of their agricultural land? Does it make sense to scatter flowering and woody strips randomly across the landscape?
Conclusion: Together we can do better
After three rounds of the game, the participants drew their conclusions and made plans for the future: No single farm can meet the current requirements alone! Only through regional or inter-municipal coordination can high-quality biotope areas be created that advance nature conservation without placing excessive demands on individual agricultural businesses. The next step will therefore be the formation of a supra-regional working group representing agriculture and nature conservation, which will explore concrete implementations in the region.