What can farmers do to help biodiversity?
Social level
What can farmers do to help biodiversity?
There are many ways in which each and every one of us can contribute to the restoration of biodiversity. More importantly, there are people among us who know a great deal about nature and how to care for it.
Farmers are an example of such people. This gives us, as a society, a great opportunity to learn from each other.
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Below we will introduce ways in which farmers can help biodiversity. There are countless ways, but we will focus on the one which reoccurred in the literature and our discussions with experts. The review of these sources allowed us to categorise the ways in which farmers can aid biodiversity into three main levels: social, management, implementation.
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The Social level is concerned mainly with farmers' relationship with society and building connections and understanding between different groups. Here are some examples of how this can be achieved:
Share values
Farmers grew up around nature and have developed a sentiment for nature. Thus it is important for them to share their values with the local community and other farmers. In this way, they can create a community of biodiversity ambassadors and promote biodiversity [22].
Collaboration
Biodiversity benefits most if farmers from the region collaborate and align their practices. It is also important that farmers collaborate with scientific groups such as nature conservation and environmental groups. This type of practice can build common understanding and enhance learning on both sides [3,22].
Knowledge
Farming runs in generations. Hence there is a great deal of wisdom in the farming community. It is important that farmers share their knowledge with others to deepen the understanding of farming practices and raise awareness [3].
Engage younger generations
Young people are a source of innovation and new mindsets which can contribute to the improvement of farming practices. Each generation can learn from the other. It is vital to involve young people in the agriculture sector [3,22].
Open dialogue with authorities
As a society, we have an obligation to communicate our needs and wishes. The same is true for the farmers' community. It is important for farmers to communicate their ambitions when it comes to biodiversity goals and indicate what support they need in order to achieve those goals. It may take time and effort, but it is important that a line of dialogue is established. This is the only way we, as a society, can make a meaningful step forward [3,4].
Form associations
Farmers can have a relatively strong position when it comes to influencing policies and certain changes on the local, national or even international level. However, they cannot do it as individuals. The key to having a strong and notable position is to create or join the association. It is crucial that farmers who share the same values, love nature and wish to engage in eco-friendly farming come together and strengthen their position in the agriculture community [4].
The Management level is primarily concerned with the integration of theory and practice, measuring performance, and gaining knowledge.
Consultation
Landowners and land users should consult each other as well as experts when it comes to finding ways of dealing with rare species or any other form of wildlife. It is important to seek a professional opinion or help when uncertain of what to do in a particular case [16].
Integration
A very important factor in supporting biodiversity on the farm is to actually implement the biodiversity goals and measures into the farm operation [22].
Monitor and measure the biodiversity indicators
Once the farm operates in a way which is beneficial for biodiversity, it is also vital that farmers monitor the progress and impact of their practices. This can form a basis for rewards and incentives on the national level [22].
New business models
New challenges may sometimes require a new way of thinking or new ways of dealing with the situations. Farmers can look for alternative business models: for example, encourage solidarity agriculture in their local community. This means that the local community pays farmers for a particular amount of local, seasonal products. In this way, farmers can increase their margin by avoiding charges from supermarkets. At the same time, the local community can benefit by eating biological, seasonal, and healthy products [18].
Seek information
New challenges may sometimes require a new way of thinking or new ways of dealing with the situations. Farmers can look for alternative business models: for example, encourage solidarity agriculture in their local community. This means that the local community pays farmers for a particular amount of local, seasonal products. In this way, farmers can increase their margin by avoiding charges from supermarkets. At the same time, the local community can benefit by eating biological, seasonal, and healthy products [18].
Set smaller but achievable goals
We, as a society, have big expectations for farmers. In fact, farmers play a key role in most vital areas such as climate change, food supply, biodiversity, and landscape management. It is important that society, but also farmers themselves, set achievable goals. It is better to set realistic and smaller goals rather than setting rather than high, unachievable aims. Farmers do not have to change everything at once, but they should try their best to make continuous adjustments towards better farming practices. Also, an important aspect to bear in mind is a shared responsibility. As a consumer, we need to create an incentive for farmers to produce more ecological products [18]. To learn more about what you can do as a consumer, click here.
“A problem we have at this point is that we make plans that are very ambitious, and if the result is not there within a few years we tend to say that the project failed, however much of rewilding or maintaining biodiversity takes an uncertain amount of time. We should still have the ambitions but have smaller milestones which are actually achievable in the short timespan that we want to see the outcome”.
-Nils van Rooijen
The Implementations level is concerned with the actual farming practices. Here we are looking into the procedures farmers can implement on their lands to positively contribute to biodiversity.
Avoid chemical pesticides
The chemical pesticides can alter the microclimate of the soil and, as a consequence, have a number of negative effects on a range of different species. Those negative consequences can have long-lasting effects [23].
Fertilizers
It is important to be aware of the role and effects of fertilizers. The use of fertilizers is a complex task and, if used incorrectly, can have a number of negative effects. Farmers should avoid inorganic fertilizers and look for alternative ways to help the soil restore its nutrients [23].
Avoid intensification
Intensive agriculture is one of the major threats to biodiversity. This sort of practice drains the soil of nutrients and as a consequence changes the environmental conditions which affect the species living there [9].
“It is important for farmers to know that their work is vital for biodiversity and they should not simply be blamed for biodiversity decreasing, it’s the intensification which is bad for biodiversity. It is our shared responsibility to protect biodiversity”.
-Nils van Rooijen
Connections between different natural areas
This practice allows species to move from one place to another, which is important for their survival. Farmers should try to avoid blocking areas and remove linear boundaries [9].
Circular farming
When moving forward it is important to look for the optimal solutions for combining ecological principles with modern technology. Circular farming is focusing on putting as little pressure on the environment and nature as possible. The idea of a closed circle farming model allows for a reduction in waste, less pressure on already scarce natural resources, and reduced use of chemical-based fertilizers [18].
Reserve parts of land for biodiversity to thrive
Not every part of farm-land will produce as many crops as a farmer would wish for. It is even possible that some parts of the land will have higher costs of maintaining than the income it produces [16]. Identifying these areas and reserving them for nature to develop will contribute positively to the biodiversity. In fact, an area rich in biodiversity can enhance the productivity of the mainland by restoring nutrients of the soil and welcome new species [9]. This is also a part of the greening requirements implemented by CAP. However, Nils van Rooijen - Dutch ecologist and expert on biodiversity - urges us to remember that, “This only works if these biodiversity development areas are connected.”
Plant buffer strips
The land between fields can ease soil erosion and promote biodiversity by providing shelter to different species [16].
Conservation tillage
The way the soil is turned matter. Ideally, the soil should be turning lightly or just before ploughing. This allows organic matter to build up which helps to promote biodiversity [33].
Plant cover crops
This is something farmers can do between the harvests to conserve soil and create habitats for species [33].
Increase crop rotation
This will increase soil fertility. Increasing crop rotation is not only a benefit for biodiversity but also for farmers as fertile soil produces healthy and high-quality products [23].
Make informed choices
The Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) gives farmers a number of options to choose from when it comes to greening rules. It is important that farmers review those rules and try to make an informed decision which would be the most beneficial for both farmers and biodiversity. as fertile soil produces healthy and high-quality products [4].