by Exploralis, Project HedgeGrow
Description
Climate change is threatening the agricultural sector in Tunisia with increasingly extreme weather conditions. Heat reaches new records every year, but also drought, frost, gusts of wind, floods and other conditions very damaging for the farmer.
Exploralis through the HedgeGrow project promotes multi-functional hedgerows as the most accessible and sustainable solution to climate change and other threats facing agriculture today.
Hedgerows are an age-old practice that farmers can strategically integrate into their farming system to build resilience. Different types of hedges meet different needs, such as anti-erosion hedges, windbreaks, melliferous hedges, defensive hedges etc.
As part of the project, farmers planted 300 metres of hedge made up of various productive and drought-resistant native trees. They also installed dry hedges, animal shelters, water catchments and swales to encourage the growth and self-sufficiency of the hedge and to attract and study biodiversity.
Through the pilot hedge and communication and education work in the field and on social networks, they have drawn attention to the multiple benefits of multi-functional hedges, such as reducing water evaporation from the farmland, protecting crops from wind gusts and frosts, promoting endangered auxiliary biodiversity in agricultural areas, preserving the soil by limiting water and wind erosion, and providing shade for workers and livestock.
The RCW, an innovative practice that consists in valorising the pruning of hedges by shredding and spreading it around the trees and on the agricultural soil in order to preserve and regenerate it. The proper use of RCW improves soil quality for better water absorption and preservation.
Results
Within the framework of this project, theoretical and practical training on hedgerows to 15-farm managers and 15 workers has been provided.
Research on the subject has been carried out and educational materials are being finalised to share with as many farmers and decision-makers as possible in the country.
The benefits of hedgerows on agriculture have already been proven in several scientific studies around the world, it remains to educate and convince farmers to adopt this approach and to develop local knowledge on the subject in relation to the choice of trees, the strategic location of the hedgerow and its economic valorisation.
Climate smartness*
Hedgerows are an essential component on the farms and the landscape, as mentioned above most of the ecosystem services can be enhanced: provisioning (e.g., Food, raw material), regulating (e.g., climate regulation, erosion control, pest and diseases regulation etc.), and support (nutrient cycling, soil formation). This directly benefits crop and livestock production and stability, providing a buffer effect against changing and extreme climatic conditions. Among the several economic and environmental advantages such as the medium- to long-term increase in soil´s physical and bio-chemical characteristics that are decisive for the maintenance of its fertility, there are co-benefits in terms GHG emissions reductions and carbon capture —in above and belowground biomass maintaining soil carbon stock— (ORC, 2020). As it has been recognized by the project, education and training on the implementation and potential benefits of the integration of native hedgerows species and the use of RCW in the agroecosystem is crucial to increase the effective adoption of this practice, in a way that responds to the biophysical and economic conditions of the farmers.
*This is done in the framework of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) approach. Climate-smartness in agriculture means understanding impacts of climate change and variability along with the agricultural activity, which includes the planning of what crop to plant, when to plant, what variety to plant and what type of management practices are needed to reduce the impact on the environment (e.g. emissions reduction), maintain or increase productivity (e.g. yields) while increasing resilience and improving livelihoods.