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We love it lively!

Biodiversity in Val Venosta’s agriculture: an affair of the heart

A bee hums idly from flower to flower, a ladybird balances along the stem of a leaf and a blackbird hides between the first green little apples. Val Venosta’s apple orchards are simply wonderful! Flourishing flowers, creeping animals and busy insects - it doesn’t go without notice that there’s much more in our orchards than just apples. There is a technical term for diversity between grasses and trees: biodiversity. But what is actually behind it? How is it possible to promote biodiversity in agriculture and how do our producers do that?
Every form of life counts

Biodiversity means diversity of life: diversity of ecosystems and varieties but also diversity within species. Every form of life counts in the complex system of nature – no matter if people, animals, fungi or plants. We are inseparably linked with each other and this is why protecting biodiversity should become an affair of the heart for all of us. Click through the three fields of biodiversity and learn about the ecosystem in orchards.
Diversity of species
Diversity of species
Just as a diversified diet is good for us, nature also needs a variety of different species. They all have a purpose – just as the different nutrients in our food – and keep habitats healthy and intact. If an animal or plant species goes extinct, this is not only sad but it can even change a whole ecosystem! Let’s make the example of Val Venosta’s apple orchards: Too many pests and too few beneficial insects means destroyed plants and no apples. The ecosystem’s equation is as simple as that but it’s not always easy to solve it. You need dedication and heart to maintain biodiversity in agriculture.
Diversity of ecosystems
Diversity of ecosystems
An ecosystem lives from the interaction between a certain habitat and the animals and plants living there. If even just a small part of it is missing or changes, there is an impact on all the other elements. An ecosystem doesn’t have to be a whole forest. Every single orchard in Val Venosta is an ecosystem worth protecting. Just imagine there were no natural pest fighters or pollinators. Our green orchards would be in a very bad state then. This is why Val Venosta’s apple producers take it for granted to protect the ecosystem in their orchards with different measures.
Genetic diversity
Genetic diversity
A third area of biodiversity that Val Venosta’s apple producers can’t directly influence is the genetic diversity within species based on different gene variants that combine again and again. Common characteristics of a living being such as the color of a flower can vary significantly due to these gene variants. As a result, nature is wonderfully colorful and multifaceted and living beings are able to adapt to changing conditions and thus to survive.
Diversity of species
Just as a diversified diet is good for us, nature also needs a variety of different species. They all have a purpose – just as the different nutrients in our food – and keep habitats healthy and intact. If an animal or plant species goes extinct, this is not only sad but it can even change a whole ecosystem! Let’s make the example of Val Venosta’s apple orchards: Too many pests and too few beneficial insects means destroyed plants and no apples. The ecosystem’s equation is as simple as that but it’s not always easy to solve it. You need dedication and heart to maintain biodiversity in agriculture.
Diversity of ecosystems
An ecosystem lives from the interaction between a certain habitat and the animals and plants living there. If even just a small part of it is missing or changes, there is an impact on all the other elements. An ecosystem doesn’t have to be a whole forest. Every single orchard in Val Venosta is an ecosystem worth protecting. Just imagine there were no natural pest fighters or pollinators. Our green orchards would be in a very bad state then. This is why Val Venosta’s apple producers take it for granted to protect the ecosystem in their orchards with different measures.
Genetic diversity
A third area of biodiversity that Val Venosta’s apple producers can’t directly influence is the genetic diversity within species based on different gene variants that combine again and again. Common characteristics of a living being such as the color of a flower can vary significantly due to these gene variants. As a result, nature is wonderfully colorful and multifaceted and living beings are able to adapt to changing conditions and thus to survive.

Who cares? We do!

You can look away and leave nature to itself or you can be attentive and protect it actively. For Val Venosta’s apple producers it’s part of their daily life – just as planting and harvesting. Why? It’s obvious. The land that they sometimes care about for a lifetime is the basis of their own existence and the one of the next generation as well. But what does the commitment of the apple producers have to do with biodiversity? Click on the symbols in the picture to find out!
How does biodiversity work in agriculture?
Sustainable intensification
Sustainable intensification
More rows of trees, less sustainability? Quite the contrary! Intensive cultivation is even more sustainable because the higher the yield, the lower the percentage of resources required per apple. A high yield per hectare reduces the carbon footprint, saves cultivated land and thus favors biodiversity.
Healthy soils
Healthy soils
Who would have thought it? More than 4,000 soil animals live in one square meter of Val Venosta’s apple orchards. This is what scientists of the EURAC and the University of Innsbruck found out during the „SoilDiv“ (2011-2013) project. That’s a very good report for South Tyrol’s arable land and the confirmation that integrated production in Val Venosta keeps our soils healthy and alive!
Good carbon footprint
Good carbon footprint
Val Venosta’s apples cover quite a distance from the branch in the orchard to the bin in the cooperative. The good thing about it is that they only produce 51 gram of carbon dioxide per kilo according to a study of the University of Bolzano. That’s three times less than what a car produces for one kilometer. The high yield per hectare and the low resource consumption make South Tyrol’s apple production almost climate-neutral. Moreover, apple orchards filter about 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare and year from the air as plants, roots and soils absorb carbon dioxide.
Drip irrigation
Drip irrigation
Saving water also helps our nature. Val Venosta’s apple producers have been using modern and efficient irrigation systems for some time. All new orchards thus have drip irrigation to reduce the loss of water due to evaporation, whereas over-crown irrigation is mainly used for frost protection. Furthermore, a new system has been tested as a pilot project since spring 2019. It measures soil moisture and enables irrigation according to demand.
Habitat for plants and animals
Habitat for plants and animals
Monoculture? You must be joking! You can find between 25 and 50 different plant species in an apple orchard in Val Venosta. Add to that the variety of insects and arachnids finding food and shelter in sods and border plantings. Val Venosta’s apple orchards are rich ecosystems whose biodiversity equals the one of a hay meadow.
Sustainable intensification
More rows of trees, less sustainability? Quite the contrary! Intensive cultivation is even more sustainable because the higher the yield, the lower the percentage of resources required per apple. A high yield per hectare reduces the carbon footprint, saves cultivated land and thus favors biodiversity.
Healthy soils
Who would have thought it? More than 4,000 soil animals live in one square meter of Val Venosta’s apple orchards. This is what scientists of the EURAC and the University of Innsbruck found out during the „SoilDiv“ (2011-2013) project. That’s a very good report for South Tyrol’s arable land and the confirmation that integrated production in Val Venosta keeps our soils healthy and alive!
Good carbon footprint
Val Venosta’s apples cover quite a distance from the branch in the orchard to the bin in the cooperative. The good thing about it is that they only produce 51 gram of carbon dioxide per kilo according to a study of the University of Bolzano. That’s three times less than what a car produces for one kilometer. The high yield per hectare and the low resource consumption make South Tyrol’s apple production almost climate-neutral. Moreover, apple orchards filter about 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare and year from the air as plants, roots and soils absorb carbon dioxide.
Drip irrigation
Saving water also helps our nature. Val Venosta’s apple producers have been using modern and efficient irrigation systems for some time. All new orchards thus have drip irrigation to reduce the loss of water due to evaporation, whereas over-crown irrigation is mainly used for frost protection. Furthermore, a new system has been tested as a pilot project since spring 2019. It measures soil moisture and enables irrigation according to demand.
Habitat for plants and animals
Monoculture? You must be joking! You can find between 25 and 50 different plant species in an apple orchard in Val Venosta. Add to that the variety of insects and arachnids finding food and shelter in sods and border plantings. Val Venosta’s apple orchards are rich ecosystems whose biodiversity equals the one of a hay meadow.
“Schneewinkel“ pilot project
No one is born a biodiversity master. Val Venosta’s apple producers also have to test, rethink and break new ground again and again. One example is the promising “Schneewinkel“ pilot project in Silandro where they are supported by experts of EURAC Research, the South Tyrolean Advisory Service or the Laimburg Research Center. “Schneewinkel” is the name of a 65-70 hectare large area belonging to the Geos cooperative. Biodiversity measures have been systematically implemented, evaluated and gradually optimized in this production area with both organic and integrated production since 2019.

The goal is to determine how biodiversity in agriculture can be sustainably protected and promoted. An exemplary project with great potential!
 
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