Researchers at ETH Zurich and Agroscope investigated which farming practices best promote these services. Their study, published in Nature Communications, examined 90 grassland areas across 30 farms in Solothurn, Switzerland. They analyzed three farming practices: fertilization, type of use (meadow or pasture), and farming system (conventional, IP Suisse, or organic).
"We've observed that farming practices have a significant effect on many ecosystem services," said Valentin Klaus, co-author of the study and senior scientist at ETH Zurich's Institute of Agricultural Sciences. "However, there's no one 'Swiss army knife' of farming practice that delivers all ecosystem services."
The study found that extensive farming without fertilizer, including semi-natural pastures and meadows, greatly enhances biodiversity, soil protection, and landscape aesthetics. However, it reduces the quantity and quality of feed production. "This trade-off between feed production and cultural or regulating services is well known. However, we were able to clearly show that extensive grassland farming produces not only biodiversity benefits but also many societally relevant ecosystem services," Klaus added.
The use of grassland as pasture or meadow also affects ecosystem services. "Pastures are richer in plant species, have a higher quality of animal feed and are beautiful because of the livestock that enrich the landscape. Meadows, on the other hand, produce a higher amount of animal feed, which is important to farmers," Klaus noted. Meadows are more aesthetic, particularly unfertilized ones with many flowering herbs.
Surprisingly, organic farming had only a slight positive effect on ecosystem services. "Although we found more symbiotic fungi and a lower risk of nitrogen leaching in such areas, conventionally and organically farmed grassland performs roughly equally well in terms of all ecosystem services," Klaus said.
The study concluded that no single grassland management type provides all ecosystem services. "To specifically increase and promote grassland ecosystem services in our landscapes, we need a mosaic of the farming practices mentioned; in other words, a combination of areas with and without fertilization as well as meadows and pastures next to each other," Klaus explained. "As there's no one ideal type of grassland, we always have to weigh up the pros and cons. We have to ask ourselves: Who's benefiting the most from what kind of management and in what location?"
The findings will support farmers, land cooperatives, and cantonal authorities in balancing various demands and achieving high ecosystem service multifunctionality at the landscape level.
Research Report:Effects of management practices on the ecosystem-service multifunctionality of temperate grasslands
Related Links
ETH Zurich
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
