Innovative design and management to boost functional biodiversity of organic orchards : the ECOORCHARD project

Summary

Orchards are perennial cultures, and, especially in organic fruit production it is essential to design and manage orchards in a way which favours beneficials such as insect predators and parasitoids over pests and diseases. As landscape-dominating crops their management affects overall biodiversity in the agricultural landscape. Increasing plant biodiversity and habitats in such a way that beneficials are favoured is called Functional Agro-Biodiversity (FAB). The value of FAB for reducing pesticide use in fruit production is generally acknowledged, and many growers try to increase it. However, they lack situation-specific information about how to drive and assess biodiversity to optimize FAB.
ECOORCHARD is therefore combining several approaches:
(i) identifying and sharing innovative methods already implemented by fruit growers to increase FAB in EU countries ;
(ii) assessing simple methods for farmers to monitor FAB ;
(iii) quantifying the effect of FAB-boosting flower strips.
The different on-farm sites, scientific trials and a web-based stakeholder platform to collect and share information are important elements to bring the collected experiences and scientific results very directly to the organic fruit growers.
Interviews already started in 2015 with advisors and growers will provide useful information on original practices and methods used in orchard, to be shared during workshops with farmers for empowerment.
ECOORCHARD aims to develop appropriate functional biodiversity practices for users’ needs and thus will identify and assess innovative techniques in terms of effectiveness and implementation conditions , carry out classical field experiments, on-farm and multi-site trials and collective workshops involving farmers, researchers and advisory services.
More on : http://coreorganicplus.org/research-projects/ecoorchard