Agroecological and -economical evaluation of the system Stripfarming and development of guidelines for practitioners

Stripfarming combines the advantages of efficient arable farming with the ecological benefits of managing landcapes in small patches enhancing the resilience and stability of the agricultural system and offering a diverse and attractive habitat for insects and other animals. Stripfarming is defined as the production of 3 or more crops within the same field in strips. Strips are wide enough to allow an independent managment by existing machinery. During the project period 6 farms (including the main field trial) are going to implement strip cropping into their system and will investigate how this effects the following factors: labor, economy, yield, insect diversity, soil heath and plant health.

The project will be realized through the following steps: Stripfarming field trials and monocultue reference areas are designed on the farm Morgentau and on 5 other pilot farms. The following agroecological and economical factors will be determined: screening of plant health, analysis of soil health, monitoring of insect biodiversity, working hours, machine costs and management effort. All data will be analysed and later translated into guidelines on stripfarming for practitioners. The knowledge gained will be spread throughout a network of educational institutions, researchers and practitioners.