Project with farmers: More humus for the climate and good soil

Created: 01/11/2023 05:25

By: Charlotte Borst

“The soil is the basis”: Hans Leitner is one of the first farmers in the district of Munich to take part in the hummus building project.

In a film by the energy agency, he reports on his motivation.

© Energy Agency

The district of Munich wants to work with farmers to increase the proportion of humus in the fields.

The soils are becoming more fertile and resilient.

The climate also benefits.

We visited a farmer.

Unterföhring – A cheerful-looking cartoon earthworm meanders along the wall of the Leitner family's barn in Unterföhring.

Not chickens or cows - no, the earthworm is the trademark of the farming family, who, in addition to farming, also runs a composting facility and regularly "feeds" their fields with compost.

"Over time, the floor becomes fluffier," according to Hans Leitner's experience.

The 49-year-old is standing in front of his composting facility on Aschheimer Strasse, a hat pulled over his ears, earth on his fingers.

Living Plough

There's the worm in there: With earthworms, the humus build-up is faster.

© wawritto

The earthworm is currently hibernating, but as soon as it warms up again, it is extremely active underground.

It loosens the fields - like a living plough, eats straw and plant residues and excretes high-quality natural fertilizer: the best humus.

And hummus is becoming more and more important in times of climate change, Hans Leitner is convinced of that.

The Unterföhringer has been taking part in the humus building project for a year, which the district of Munich launched as a climate protection project.

"The soil is the basis of agriculture," says Leitner: "A lack of rain and then suddenly heavy rain - that's where the risks increase for farmers." protects against erosion is a production factor that cannot be replaced by anything else.”

blessings on the ground

Leitner can observe the fertile and water-storing effect because he has been regularly spreading compost on his fields for years, and it already contains humus.

Last summer, for example, showed the effects of this: he had cultivated wheat in a field, just like his neighbor.

When it hadn't rained for a long time, the plants on the neighboring field turned yellow while his remained green.

"You can throw as much fertilizer on the fields, if there is no water, it doesn't help."

Now Leitner is going a step further and taking care of the topsoil, replacing corn with clover grass in some fields in the crop rotation because it promotes topsoil build-up and returns nutrients and organic life to the soil.

Maize, on the other hand, consumes humus.

The Ebersberg Munich Energy Agency is in charge of the humus building project: so far, three companies are involved with a total of 23 hectares of clover grass.

Hans Leitner has committed to growing clover grass instead of maize on six hectares for two years; he can extend this period to four years.

Scientists regularly examine the soil, which is also what motivated Leitner to take part in the project: "I wanted to know the quality of the soil and how it is changing due to the clover grass." The first soil sample was taken in March 2022 and will be taken again next year sampled.

Leitner mows the clover grass three to four times a year.

He sells the cuttings in a biogas plant in Johanneskirchen, which generates electricity from biomass.

Fully relying on the cooperation of the earthworms: agricultural scientist Julia Huber from the Energy Agency with Hans and Claudia Leitner (from left).

© Dieter Michaelek

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In the long term, the farming family benefits from the fertility of the treated soil: "The clover grass is gradually changing the soil so that we hardly have to fertilize when we plant wheat again," explains Leitner, "and fertilizer prices have recently risen significantly. "

Climate protection potential

However, humus is not only a blessing for agriculture, it also has enormous climate protection potential.

The clover grass stores large amounts of carbon: 600 to 800 kilos of carbon per hectare per year.

With a contract period of four years, one hectare of clover grass removes 22 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Researchers agree: one percent more humus in Germany's farmland could bind the entire CO2 emissions of a year.

Julia Huber, who has a doctorate in agriculture, works at the Energy Agency and heads the project: “The district wants to be climate-neutral by 2030, which is why it is promoting humus growth.” The district supports farmers who switch to clover-grass with an annual bonus of 600 euros per hectare.

Julia Huber hopes that even more farmers will take part: "Our goal is to make clover grass more socially acceptable and to increase the area to 50 hectares.

Because the build-up of humus is good for the soil and good for the climate.”

District is looking for farmers for humus cultivation

Farmers who replace some or all of the silo maize with clover grass in the crop rotation receive an annual subsidy of 600 euros per hectare as part of the humus development project.

Because on the market, farmers get around 2,500 to 3,000 euros for one hectare of corn.

On one hectare of clover grass, they earn half that, at 1,200 to 1,500 euros.

The contract with the energy agency runs for two years for one area and can be extended to three or four years.

The Ebersberg Munich energy agency will soon also be advertising with an information film about the hummus project.

In the spring of 2023, the district will also start the "Aktion Zukunft+".

You can then buy certificates in the Energy Agency's online shop and offset your own CO2 emissions.

You can donate directly to the humus project.

Interested parties can contact Julia Huber, Energy Agency Ebersberg-Munich: Tel. 089 / 277 80 89 - 20, or by e-mail: julia.huber@ea-ebe-m.de.

More news from Garching and the district of Munich can be found here.