Tour D1, 2 July: Tour leaders: Egon Kjøller, journalist, North Jutland newspapers 1971-2016 Henrik Lomholt Rasmussen, freelance journalist The interface between nature and agriculture, sustainability, biodiversity and food production 61per cent of the Danish terrestrial area is cultivated farmland, which is a European record. 12 per cent is “nature” (excluding forests). But there are a lot of “in betweens”, i.e. types of nature, which depend on some kind of agricultural usage, such as meadows, heathland and scrubs. Here, cattle play an important role in farming and culture as well as in nature protection and management. This tour brings you to a part of Denmark where farmers have lived and worked for generations, sometimes in collaboration with nature, sometimes 24 against it: Skjern River Valley and Borris Heath. Now, farmers and their land might also play a crucial role in the Danish political strategies against global warming. Flooding of up to 100,000 hectares of river valleys and meadows are important tools in the plan. Skjern River is the largest in Denmark in terms of volume. For decades, the river valley was drained farmland, but since the completion of a compre - hensive restoration project in 2002, the river once again meanders through the flat West Jutland landscape, surrounded by natural meadows with rich birdlife, wild salmon and varied plant life – biodiversity, in other words. Farmers are expected to adapt to new conditions with regard to climate politics, national park plans, etc. We shall meet one of them. His 350 head of cattle graze publicly owned floodplains along the river, while 150 horses serve as “nature managers” in the largest remaining part of the old heath landscape of Jutland, the military training area Borris Firing Range. Skjern Enge, an important place for farmers, anglers, tourists, and nature lovers. Photo: Thomas Høyrup Christensen/ Visit Vestkysten
Tour D2, 2 July: Tour leaders: Niels Damsgaard Hansen Freelance journalist, former editor-in-chief at FBG Medier Hanne Gregersen Freelance journalist Conservation Agriculture improves crop production and is climate resilient Conservation Agriculture (CA) is gaining ground as a farming system globally. It has many advantages for the farmer and society in the form of sustainability with regard to climate, biodiversity and nutrient retention in the agricultural soil. The system is recommended by FAO, among others, because it also im - proves crop yields and is climate resilient. Agriculture is part of the climate solution Farmers, researchers, NGOs and politicians realise that agriculture is integral to solving the current climate problem. For centuries, farming has emitted enormous amounts of CO2 by clearing forests followed by intensive soil tillage. Approximately half of the increase 25 in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere comes from agricultural activity; the rest is from the use of fossil fuels. CO2 emitted to the atmosphere can be brought back to the soil. CA is the most efficient method. Additionally, retain - ing organic material in the soil can help prevent desertification. Awareness of CA in Denmark is strongly increasing among farmers and coops such as Arla Foods and Danish Crown. Nestlé has also initiated a pro - cess to encourage farmers and processors to become climate efficient with the aid of regenerative farming – the foundation of which is CA – at the latest by 2030. We will visit two farmers, where there will be talks given by the chairman of Arla Foods and a biologist from Aarhus University. Conservation Agriculture comprises three basic principles: A) minimum mechanical soil disturbance (e.g. no tillage), B) permanent soil organic cover, and C) species diversification (never the same crop following in a crop rotation).