In his opening address, Andre Seitz, from Division III-3 (Natura 2000, Impact Assessments, Energy Transition) at the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, highlighted the growing interest in agroforestry systems. The participants also confirmed that the integration of woody plant systems into agricultural production systems is gaining momentum. “The agroforestry landscape is constantly expanding,” said Dr Leonie Göbel of DeFAF e. V. with enthusiasm. Together with Frauke Ganswind from AbL NRW, she coordinates the network. Both coordinators emphasised in their introduction that the issue of marketing options for agroforestry products is becoming increasingly important.
In keeping with the theme of the event, which took place under the title ‘Value creation in agroforestry systems in North Rhine-Westphalia’, the session that followed featured presentations on marketing opportunities and best-practice examples for the utilisation of agroforestry products, as well as discussions on outstanding issues and existing needs.
Martin Pesch from the Institute for Applied Material Flow Management outlined how poplar systems can be utilised regionally, whilst Julia Günzel from DeFAF reported on experiences regarding regional value creation in Lusatia. Finally, Sven Leygraf from the Jülich Research Centre presented the opportunities for the fibre industry in North Rhine-Westphalia. The participants agreed that the further along the value chain a farm is involved, the more profitable it becomes. The meeting concluded with a tour of the agroforestry system at the Berkhöfel farm in Bedburg-Hau.
Agroforestry products from the Lower Rhine
The catering included tastings provided by cooperation partners of the Agroforestry Real-World Laboratory. Among other things, chicken soup from Gänsepeter in Rommerskirchen was served at lunchtime. In the afternoon, participants were offered goat’s milk ice cream, made from goat’s milk sourced from Hogefelder Hof in Kalkar-Hanselaer.
In her presentation, Dr Ana Kreter, project coordinator for the Agroforestry Real-World Laboratory within the TransRegINT project, spoke about the challenge of marketing agroforestry products from the region locally. Investigating potential markets for products from Lower Rhine agroforestry is part of the project’s work. This is because the HSRW’s Agroforestry Real-World Laboratory not only supports and researches the implementation of new agroforestry systems amongst its partner organisations, but also works with them to develop long-term marketing opportunities. She emphasised that agroforestry products complement the partner organisations’ normal core business.
“How are our partners’ agroforestry products faring regionally? How can they make use of existing market channels? This analysis will look very different for each of our partner organisations, as we work with a wide variety of specialised farms and agroforestry systems,” she explained.
According to her, the Lower Rhine could become a model region for the NRW Agroforestry Network. This point was also emphasised several times during the meeting: every federal state faces specific agroforestry challenges, and within the vast state of North Rhine-Westphalia, regional structures are particularly needed to address regional issues.
Questions that were raised – and which are to be addressed, amongst other things, by the Agroforestry Real-World Laboratory in the Lower Rhine region – included public acceptance of the added value of agroforestry products and the development of an agroforestry label.
Personal connections matter
To get a successful initiative off the ground, people need to talk to one another and seek dialogue. The right stakeholders need to be brought together, for example to process agroforestry products jointly or to coordinate the selection of tree species and quantities. The Agroforestry Real-World Laboratory on the Lower Rhine has already taken the first step in this regard with its agroforestry get-togethers for practitioners, held every two months.
The agroforestry get-togethers take place in the Kleve area and, where possible, on farms. The next dates are 11 October and 6 December. Please register by emailing agroforst@hoschule-rhein-waal.de. The exact address will be provided once you have registered.
The Agroforestry Real-World Laboratory is looking for interested parties who are able to host the get-together on their farm, possibly in combination with a site visit. Please feel free to contact the team via the email address above.
Contact person
Dr Ana Kreter
, Project Coordinator, Agroforestry Real-World Laboratory, TransRegINT
Project, Centre for Research, Innovation and Transfer
. Tel.: +49 (0) 2821 806 73-9950
. Email: transregint@hochschule-rhein-waal.de
