• Agriculture, Ecotrophology, and Landscape Development (FB1)

Project number: LIFE19 CCA/DE/001224
Project duration: 7/2020 bis 6/2025

Additional information: http://www.offenlandinfo.de

Sustainable viticulture to adapt to climate change

Viticulture is an intensive form of agriculture that will be severely affected by the effects of climate change in the near future. An increase in summer droughts, a high risk of erosion due to heavy rainfall and the invasion of new pests require innovative solutions. We expect that an ecosystem-based approach, based on a significant increase in biodiversity and improved vineyard management, will improve the ability of the vineyard ecosystem to absorb natural extremes and make the system more resilient to climate change.

Eight research and practice partners from Austria, France, Germany and Hungary will pool existing knowledge within and outside the project group in order to demonstrate, optimize and disseminate vineyard management practices that conserve resources and are adapted to climate change. The main objective is to increase native biodiversity in vineyards by sowing a site-appropriate, native wild plant mixture from certified, regional propagation in order to maximize the associated ecosystem services in terms of pest control, soil organisms, humification, erosion control, water storage and climate gas reduction and to secure production (work package 1). Conventional herbicides are to be replaced in conventionally cultivated vineyards through a change in the management of understock vegetation (work package 2). Resource-efficient fertilization (work package 3) and demand-oriented drip irrigation (work package 4) will be used as resource-saving methods for climate-induced stress reduction in vine plants.

The project will convert at least 26 vineyards with a total area of approximately 35 ha into biodiversity vineyards, covering a broad geographical and climatic gradient that will allow the project results to be transferred to other wine-growing regions and countries. Various knowledge transfer methods targeting different stakeholders will be used to raise awareness in all project regions as well as in other wine-growing regions of the importance of applying climate-adapted and biodiversity-friendly methods and thus effectively transfer the project results into European wine-growing practice.

Project Director

Prof. Dr. Sabine Tischew

Tel.: +49 (0) 3471 355 1217
sabine.tischew(at)hs-anhalt.de

Dr. Anita Kirmer
Tel.: +49 (0) 3471 355 1245
anita.kirmer(at)hs-anhalt.de

Project Co-ordinator
Dr. Daniel Elias
Tel.: +49 (0) 3471 355 1185
daniel.elias(at)hs-anhalt.de

M.Sc. Lea Schubert
Tel.: +49 (0) 3471 355 1161
lea.schubert(at)hs-anhalt.de

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Hendrik Teubert
Tel.: +49 (0) 3471 355 6240
hendrik.teubert(at)hs-anhalt.de

Participating countries and wine regions involved:
Deutschland (Saale-Unstrut), Frankreich (Luberon), Österreich (Steiermark), Ungarn (Eger, Tokaj)

Funding partner: EU LIFE, Land Sachsen-Anhalt

German co-operation partner:

Landgesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt (Projektleitung)

Landesweingut Kloster Pforta