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Cropping cereals among timber trees - Coping with climate warming in Mediterranean countries

Facing climate change

Global food production should at least double by the end of this century to meet the needs of the increasing human population. However, crop yield potential has stagnated, and some reduction in the crop yields is expected as consequence of climate change.

Silvo-agriculture can be regarded as an adaptive cultivation system that can help to mitigate the negative effects of climate warming and help meet the challenges arising from the increased frequency of extreme weather events.

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Submitted by rico.huebner on Mon, 04/12/2021 - 14:46

Key challenges of orchard grazing - Issues to consider before introducing sheep

Why should you plan carefully?

The potential benefits from grazing apple orchards with sheep include a reduction in mowing costs and an additional source of grass for the sheep. The sheep can promote nutrient cycling and can benefit from the shelter in winter.

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Submitted by rico.huebner on Mon, 04/12/2021 - 14:40

Apple orchards grazed in France - Increasing the profit from your orchard

Why graze orchards with sheep?

  • Sheep can reduce the cost of grass mowing in orchards
  • Sheep can promote nutrient retention and cycling within the orchard
  • Sheep can eat fallen leaves (a refuge for apple scab spores) and fruits (a refuge for pests such as sawfly andcodling moth) which should result in reduced need for pesticide applications
  • Sheep could reduce vole populations (which can damage trees)
  • Grass can be used to maintain ewes or fatten lambs, which can increase farm income
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Submitted by rico.huebner on Mon, 04/12/2021 - 13:50

Orange trees intercropped with legumes - Increasing income from your orange orchard

Why intercropping?

Market-focused farmers manage orange tree (Citrus sinensis) varieties by pollarding and crafting. This procedure can take up to 15 years for the tree to reach maturity and attain maximum fruit yields. In the meantime, farmers can take advantage of the wide and open space created by the pollarding, to produce a variety of vegetables and raise a further income to supplement that earned from the orange trees.

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Submitted by rico.huebner on Mon, 04/12/2021 - 13:46

Olive trees intercropped with chickpeas - Increasing income from your olive grove

Why chickpeas?

Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) are valued as a high quality food for humans. They are also an excellent source of protein for animal feed. They are easy to cultivate, requiring little management and, in general, have low treatment costs. They have high monetary value, so a farmer can gain considerable additional income from cultivating chickpeas among trees.

 

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Submitted by rico.huebner on Mon, 04/12/2021 - 13:41

Wild asparagus in olive orchards - Get more income from your orchard

Why plant asparagus?

High yielding olive trees need plenty of light and need to be spaced apart. Hence both traditional and super-high-density orchards intercept no more than 50-55% of the sunlight. The rest will fall on the ground and encourage weeds. Why, then, not plant another crop you can sell under the trees, to use that light?

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Submitted by rico.huebner on Mon, 04/12/2021 - 13:20