European agriculture is vulnerable to weather extremes, but it also holds the key. By choosing well how farmers manage their land, they can guard against drought and peak rains. More than a thousand observations across Europe show that it is especially important to keep the soil covered with living plants, even in winter.
How can a farmer arm himself against climate change? To answer that question, Sarah Garré, researcher at ILVO, ploughed through more than 100 years of agricultural research. You can read the harvest of its research in this blog.
The microorganisms naturally present in peat alternatives such as compost and (natural) management residues can stimulate plant growth as well as naturally suppress plant diseases, often even better t...