Students and farmers tackle: insights into the agriculture of tomorrow!

Students and farmers tackle: insights into the agriculture of tomorrow!

In Buddenhagen near Wolgast, an exciting meeting recently took place that illustrated the connection between the academic world and agriculture. Three students of social work from Potsdam, Max Müller, Lea Lehmann and Kai Morgenstern, visited farmer Eckhard Wenzlaff as part of the “Hof with Future” project. Not only academic knowledge is conveyed here, but practical action is also very important. Organized by the alliance "We are fed up", the project aims to promote an agricultural turnaround- away from industrial factory farming to more sustainable agriculture with more climate, environmental and animal welfare, such as Nordkurier reported.

The students who spent three days at Wenzlaff had the opportunity not only to get to know the farmer up close, but also to actively help. A forest walk and the maintenance of an electric fence were on the program, and they stayed in a self -made sauna car. Wenzlaff operates sustainable agriculture and holds around 60 cows and 10 water buffalos. He is not only known for suckler cow husbandry, but also shows great commitment to species protection and the maintenance of the Buddenhagen Moor nature reserve.

insights into the challenges of agriculture

In the context of current discussions about agriculture, some experts expressed concerns about the social perception of farmers. Bernhard Barkmann, an active farmer, emphasizes in an interview that despite good yields there is dissatisfaction among the farmers. Increasing social demands and future fears are troubled by many farmers, so Greenpeace .

Barkmann also criticizes the decision of the federal government to delete one billion euros in subsidies and calls for practical transitional solutions and better political design, especially in conventional agriculture. He sees the need for a master plan to meet the increasing requirements. Agriculture is under pressure; Not only through higher conditions, but also through the social role that farmers have to take up increasingly - as creators of food and at the same time as causes of environmental problems such as biodiversity loss and high climate emissions.

The role of politics

Current political discussions show that it is not just about ecological improvements. The EU Commission is planning exceptions to ecological standards to support farmers in difficult times. However, there are concerns that this could lead to a “competition down”, Bioland Vice President Sabine Kabath warned, as stated in a report by taz . The peasantry is concerned about high bureaucracy and the lack of social recognition of its work.