Meadow orchards (Photograph: Personal archive)
Publish Date: 05.08.2021
Category: Interdisciplinary research, Our contribution to sustainable development goals
Sustainable development goals: 3 Good health and well-being, 6 Clean water and sanitation, 12 Responsible consumption and production, 13 Climate action, 15 Life on land, 17 Partnerships for the goals (Indicators)
The aim of the project “Meadow orchards with native and traditional Slovenian fruit varieties and their role in promoting biodiversity and preserving the traditional cultural pattern of the Slovenian countryside” is to create (and in places maintain) a healthy and picturesque landscape founded on sustainable spatial use appealing to tourists, recreationists and residents. Dr. Marko Dobrilovič from the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty explains: “Through accelerated production, the Slovenian countryside has restructured the landscape/ecological character of the cultural landscape. Meadow orchards (both current and those planned) are very important in promoting sustainable development. They protect the soil, preserve and maintain biodiversity, take care of pollinators and their natural predators, provide a habitat for amphibians and birds, and establish ecological network between various habitats (between forests and fields).”
The project was initiated by farmers and shows their high motivation and desire for changes. Together with support from the professional community, this is key to success. To gain comprehensive insight, an interdisciplinary team was set up, bringing together farmers, landscape architects, fruit growers, economists and project management specialists, as well as interested members of the professional community and general public. Researchers at the Biotechnical Faculty report that knowledge about how to grow and maintain meadow orchards has been lost between generations and therefore, as part of the project, they provide advice to farmers on how to properly site them. The fruit is (or will be) organically produced and, through the establishment of a network of growers, also market-oriented. Through increasing application of the focal method – that is, including meadow orchards in space and revitalising them – the Slovenian countryside will obtain and preserve many traditional landscape patterns.
The new food production methods are unified and standardised, and the forms in which they are manifested (silos, large contiguous strips of arable land and oversized storage facilities for machinery) are the same everywhere. A countryside without spatial identity.
Dr. Marko Dobrilovič from the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty explains further: “In a suitable ratio with the buildings, gardens, fields, ponds, pastures and forests, meadow orchards form traditional landscape patterns typical of a specific region and contribute to the distinctive identity of the Slovenian countryside. They can also be used to obscure the view of new farm structures, including silos. In addition to their visual quality, they allow organisms to move between different ecosystems, most often between meadows and forests. To this end, the model includes orchards as ecological corridors, with stepping-stones, and hedges are also a common feature.”
The project “Meadow orchards with native and traditional Slovenian fruit varieties and their role in promoting biodiversity and preserving the traditional cultural pattern of the Slovenian countryside” (abbreviated as “EIP16.5 – Meadow orchards”) was initiated by farmers who wanted to reintroduce meadow orchards into their farms but lacked the required knowledge. It was established that they are primarily lacking the ability to make the right spatial decisions (where, how and how much) and have insufficient knowledge of fruit types and varieties, maintenance procedures and the method of producing the final product.
As Marko Dobrilovič from the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty notes: “The concrete solutions that we create for the selected farms participating in the project vary greatly.” Most farms that expressed interest in reintroducing meadow orchards are agritourism providers. Some are interested in products made from organic apples, or in producing juices and jams, while others opted for meadow orchards because they want to offer fresh fruit to their visitors and guests. Even though apples from meadow orchards are more compact, have a harder skin and are not perfect on the outside, all the same size and shape, their major advantage is that they are organically produced, which is why they are more expensive and the demand for them grows every year. An important factor in deciding to grow meadow orchards is also the farm’s visual appearance and appeal to tourists. At one of the farms, a road lined with pear trees takes the visitors to the main courtyard with a cherry tree in the middle that provides shade to the stone table where home-made fruit products are served. Another farm will provide accommodation in the meadow orchard and offer apitherapy, the opportunity to see animals grazing, take part in herb harvesting, bird and frog watching, and so on.
Currently all the meadow orchards are still very young and require constant care that protects them against rodents, other wild animals and insects. The researchers and farmers anticipate that the trees will show the first visible effects in the next five to ten years. However, a decision to grow meadow orchards is not only a decision made for today, but also a decision that will affect future generations. The greatest biodiversity is hidden in the grassland, and with meadow orchards we can extend it up to the edge of the forest. Trees with crowns up to 15 m wide are also a rich source of food for birds and pollinators. Therefore, the project includes activities such as installing nest boxes, water feeders, pollinator hotels, ponds and raptor poles (to reduce the European water vole population). In planning the orchards, we also followed the tradition of planting them on sloped and less productive land, which increases income and prevents overgrowth.
Marko Dobrilovič from the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty explains: “Meadow orchards are definitely far from uniform and the more we study them, the more layers they reveal. This also includes the protection of the soil and groundwater: these orchards prevent soil erosion and allow cattle to graze in the shade in the summer. Meadow orchards are spatial elements that are certainly worth preserving. The solutions we have put in place on the farms participating in the project, however, differ from one place to the other. It is important for both the researchers and farmers that the functions are preserved or interconnected in all the meadow orchards that are established.
The project “Meadow orchards with native and traditional Slovenian fruit varieties and their role in promoting biodiversity and preserving the traditional cultural pattern of the Slovenian countryside” (abbreviated as “EIP16.5 – Meadow orchards”) is being carried out as part of the M16: Cooperation measure from the 2014–2020 Slovenian Rural Development Programme and is funded under the second open call for applications for sub-measure 16.5: Support for joint action undertaken with a view to mitigating or adapting to climate change and for joint approaches to environmental projects and ongoing environmental practices.