LIFE AgriAdapt – Visit to Ravensburg College of Agriculture

Picture caption:
Mrs. Sommer (Lake Constance Foundation), Mrs. Ziegler (pilot company in the LIFE AgriAdapt project) and Mr. Asse (teacher) agree: it is high time for sustainable adaptation measures!

How has climate change affected the past and the future? To what extent is agriculture affected? And what can farm managers do to adapt to the effects of climate change? This was the topic on Tuesday, 12 February at the Ravensburg College of Agriculture when the Lake Constance Foundation presented the LIFE AgriAdapt project.

Around 25 farmers, who have been taking the advanced training course to become state-certified economists for agriculture at the technical college in Ravensburg since this winter semester, listened attentively to the lectures given by Mrs Sommer and Mr Ziermann from the Lake Constance Foundation. The speakers were supported by Ms. Ziegler, who heads one of the 30 German pilot farms participating in the EU-LIFE project LIFE AgriAdapt “Sustainable adaptation of European agriculture to climate change”. In total, there are even more than 120 farms that had their vulnerability to climate change assessed within the framework of the EU-wide project and developed sustainable adaptation measures together with the project partners.

The results of the project will flow into a catalogue of measures that will show interested farmers how they can reduce the vulnerability of their farms and adapt them to the effects of climate change. The EU-funded project, which has been running since 2016, is entering its final year. In 2019, the main focus will be on transferring the results to agricultural education and training as well as politics and developing a web tool that will help farmers to adapt to climate change beyond the end of the project.

Perhaps the pupils of the Technical College for Agriculture in Ravensburg will also use the tool, who are expected to complete their further training in March 2021. Their teacher, Mr Asse, thinks so. He thanked the speakers and is looking forward to further contact. Mrs. Sommer and Mr. Ziermann of the Lake Constance Foundation offered the class to advise individual companies on climate change.