Protection of orchards from winds through establishing forest strips on crop land

– Start date: 29/09/2022
– End date: 31/03/2024

Project objective: 

Best practice of establishing forest strips is demonstrated to improve biodiversity in intensively used cropping areas and improve resilience of orchard systems
Also for farming, and in particular for fruit growing, this had negative consequences:
– New orchards erected with new technology have small crowns and shallow root systems, they are therefore susceptible to wind – with heavy winds, the whole orchard may collapse
– Orchards become more susceptible to drought and to frost
– Orchards become more easily infected with bacterial and fungal diseases
– Beneficial organisms controlling orchard pests have lost their shelter
Indicator and means of verification for Project Objective:

Within project duration: 

Number of farmers who visited the newly established forest strips; positive mentioning in media
After project duration: 

Meters of planted forest strips beyond those planted by the project; biodiversity indicators (insect, bird and mammal counts) and yield indicators (comparison of yield with and without forest strips after periods of drought

Project Partners: ADAD Malore, GIZ/AFC