Agriculture and ecology are not contradictory! On the contrary – if you now organize your farm sustainably, you will have a competitive advantage in the future. For farmers, this is a great opportunity to reposition themselves completely, to become more independent and to present themselves as important partners of society and guardians of people's livelihoods. To this end, the Kaindorf ecoregion launched the humus build-up program (now HUMUS+) in 2007, in which almost 400 farmers throughout Austria are currently taking part.
Johann Seitinger, Regional Councilor for Agriculture and Forestry, is convinced of the enormous potential of the project: “One of the greatest potentials in agriculture in the fight against climate change lies in the formation of humus. In addition, it protects the soil from erosion, drought and nutrient losses, making it more resistant to stress”.
The aim is to promote humus build-up and the greening of agriculture! The resulting incorporation of CO2 into the soil offers a huge opportunity in the fight against climate change. But not only that! By building up humus, our soils become more stable and can absorb many times more water, run-off is avoided and periods of drought can be more easily survived. Especially in times when weather extremes are becoming more frequent, it is necessary to adapt cultivation methods and become more (climate) resilient. Plants are strengthened in a natural way, soil cultivation and chemical fertilisation can be reduced and groundwater is enhanced. In addition to better soils, farmers are rewarded for their ecological contribution by the economy through HUMUS+Certificate trading.
At its core, the HUMUS+Program consists of an agreement between HUMUS+ and the individual farmer, who agrees to build up humus on an agricultural area of his or her choice (usually arable land) over a period of five to seven years. Farmers are free to choose their means, but HUMUS+ recommends a number of management measures such as permanent revegetation, no-till tillage, catch crops, the establishment of agroforestry systems, the reduction of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, or the use of compost. HUMUS+ supports participating farmers on the path to humus build-up by generating and distributing specialized knowledge.