Ecological agriculture
Research Project Information
Runtime: Since 2001-03-01
Contact: Prof. Dr. H. Roweck
Project coordination: Prof. Dr. H. Roweck
Scientific staff: Dr. Christiane Eschenbach; MSc. N. Schulz; MSc. T. Tiedemann; Dipl. Geogr. Christian Winkler; Dr. Lars Schröter; Dipl. Biol. Bernd Koop; Dr. Detlef Kolligs; Nikolaj Savenko; Prof. Dr. Ulrich Irmler; Dr. Kirsten Rücker; Ali Mongol; Hui Zhang; Andreas Rinker; Dipl. Inf. Friedel Hosenfeld; Dipl. agr. Katharina Lohaus
Technical staff: Dipl. Des. Doris Kramer; Mona Dahmen (Fotodesign)
Former staff: Dr. Dirk Lorenzen; Dr. Günther Gubi; MSc. Derk Westphal; MSc. David Nannen; Dr. Helge Neumann; Dr. Sanna Matz; Dr. Stefan Reiß; Dr. Ulrike Werban; Dipl. Biol. Oliver Geweke
Cooperation partner(s): Institut für Agrarökonomie, Universität Kiel; Institut für Pflanzenpathologie und Pflanzenschutz, Universität Göttingen; Institut für Pflanzenbau und Pflanzenzüchtung, Grünland und Futterbau - Ökologischer Landbau, Universität Kiel; Institut für Digitale Systemanalyse & Landschaftsdiagnose (Digsyland)
Contractor(s): Prof. Dr. Günther Fielmann
The farm “Hof Ritzerau” is situated approximately 60 km northeast of Hamburg in Schleswig-Holstein, the most northern county of Germany. About 70 % of the farmland is arable land, 10 % grassland, the rest is composed of small water bodies, hedgerows, shrubs etc. Originally, “Hof Ritzerau” was farmed with conventional methods. Since 2001 the new owner gradually altered management to organic farming. Scientists from various disciplines and different research institutes form an interdisciplinary project focussing on the effects of organic farming on animals, plants, crop production, crop diseases, soils and economics. Within theses fields different methods are carried out including field work, laboratory experiments and modelling. Spatial explicit results are visualised by the means of GIS.
The whole research project is in close collaboration with the manager and the owner of the farm, the local environmental agencies and the local forest officials. This allows that new management systems can be tested and implemented directly on site. There is also a great chance to combine landuse systems, both in forests and the agricultural landscape.
I. Phase, 2001–2003: Inventory of the status quo. Analysis of the effects of landuse changes on biotic and abiotic resources and creation of new management concepts.
- Mapping of vegetation, soiltypes and -properties
- Inventory of the initial hydrological situation, collection of hydrological and hydrochemical data
- Species inventory of Carabidae, Staphylinidae, earthworm, amphibians, birds and vascular plants
- Collection
and creation of digital data basics such as a digital elevation model,
long-term climate data, historical and geomorphological maps at
different scales etc.
- Computer-aided landscape analysis for
“Hof Ritzerau” and its catchment areas (determination of sensitive areas
according to soil-erosion, nitrate leaching etc.)
- Ecohydrological analysis and monitoring of the effects of landuse change and rewetting of formerly drained minerotrophic fen
- Analysis of the effects of different landuse systems on flora and fauna
- Evaluation of various crop rotations, sowing experiments (Bicropping)
- Creation and implementation of management strategies
- Reestablishment of arable weed vegetation by sowing
- Grazing concepts
II. Phase, from 2004: Monitoring
Thanks to long-term funding by the owner, Günther Fielmann, a continuous monitoring on various levels is possible.
Prof. Dr. H. Roweck, Ecology-Center, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, roweck@ecology.uni-kiel.de ,
U. Hoernes, Ecology-Center, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, uhoernes@ecology.uni-kiel.de
Project Structure
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Long-term research on the effects of Ecofarming on biotic and abiotic resources ("Hof Ritzerau", Northern Germany)
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Factors determining the efficiency of organic farming systems
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Optimisation of organic crop rotations
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Monitoring amphibian-populations in their breeding waters and terrestrial habitats
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breeding birds and changing farming conditions
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Nature-orientated forest edges as habitats for butterflies and moths
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Spatial and temporal dynamics during the change to organic managment on arable fields
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Ecohydrology and vegetation of the areas with high groundater level
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Holistic learning within the domain of ecological farming
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Structural an functional analysis of abiotic landscape elements
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