Farmer Clusters 2024 Wrapped

Looking back at a busy year across the project's network!

graphic by Taskscape

Building on the progress of previous years, 2024 saw our Farmer Clusters across Europe engaging in a diverse range of activities aimed at enhancing on-farm biodiversity and promoting more sustainable agricultural practices.

Explore overviews of Farmer Cluster Stories, posted by some of our Clusters to their free profiles on Recodo,  our knowledge and action platform.

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Advancing Biodiversity Knowledge and Monitoring

A significant focus across numerous Farmer Clusters was the enhancement of understanding and the implementation of effective biodiversity monitoring. The Cranborne Chase Farmer Cluster in the UK exemplified this through their annual Bird ID refresher Course led by a GWCT expert in February, preparing members for the Big Farmland Bird Count 2024. This count, involving five farms, recorded 46 different bird species, including priority farmland birds like the Corn bunting, Yellowhammer, and Skylark. This cluster also conducted a Veteran Tree survey day in early December, training volunteers and farmers to document these important landscape features and their associated species.

Similarly, the Zeeasterweg Farmer Cluster in the Netherlands actively explored self-monitoring possibilities using Earthwatch tools during a meeting on February 5th. Farmers tested tools for measuring water quality, soil fauna, insect transects, and bird point counts, with particular interest in transect counts for pest controllers and citizen science involvement in bird counts. A follow-up meeting on February 15th discussed the results of biodiversity monitoring from previous years, highlighting the importance of habitats like field edges and farmyards.

The Burgenland Farmer Cluster in Austria continued its biodiversity monitoring program initiated in 2023, focusing on the Issoria lathonia butterfly and indicator plants, with farmers carrying out independent monitoring on defined transects. Monitoring surveys in 2024 for this cluster focused on vegetation, pollinators, and birds, conducted along the same transects as in 2023. The Buchan Farmer Cluster in Scotland received preliminary results from their biodiversity monitoring during 2024 at their annual meeting in November, with discussions including the impact of weather on pollinators.

Creating and Connecting Vital Habitats

Habitat creation and the improvement of ecological connectivity remained a core objective for many Farmer Clusters. The Cranborne Chase Farmer Cluster began developing a cluster-wide plan for improving habitat connectivity across its 10,000ha landscape, with an initial workshop in February focusing on hedgerows, woodlands, and pollinator habitats. Farmers reviewed and amended habitat maps to identify gaps in the network for targeted future habitat creation.

In the Czech Republic, the completion of a biodiversity path in the Velke Hosteradky Farmer Cluster in November 2023, was follwed by an official opening in May 2024, aiming to educate visitors about local biodiversity and organic farming. The event was a huge success with 100s of biodiversity observations and visitors!

The Mostviertel Farmer Cluster in Austria saw its members actively planting species-rich hedges to promote biodiversity, protect against erosion, and provide refuge and food sources for insects and birds. The Mostviertel Farmer Cluster also explored biodiversity on Nature Farm “Wieser,” where the focus is on biological diversity and rare animal breeds, including the planting of new hedges and orchards.

Meanwhile, the Kanepi kihlkund Farmer Cluster in Estonia saw its facilitators featured on the nature program "Osoon," highlighting the importance of diverse agricultural landscapes with elements like grassy strips and hedgerows for pest management. Farmers in this cluster also discussed the benefits of herbaceous field edges in promoting plant and insect biodiversity and providing resources for natural pest enemies.

Addressing Environmental Challenges and Practices

Farmer Clusters actively engaged in addressing specific environmental concerns and promoting best practices. The Cranborne Chase Farmer Cluster held an informative meeting on Ash dieback in May 2024 to understand its impact and discuss mitigation strategies, including a visit to managed forests to learn about continuous cover forestry. The cluster also addressed best practice in rat control in April 2024, with a GWCT expert providing guidance on minimizing risks to the food chain amidst changing legislation and product resistance. The importance of providing winter seed food for farmland birds while managing the attraction of rats was also discussed. In Austria, the Mostviertel Farmer Cluster organized a workshop on fruit tree pruning in March to maintain tree health and biodiversity in orchards.

Fostering Community Engagement and Education

Engaging the wider community and raising awareness about biodiversity were key activities. The Mostviertel Farmer Cluster organized a nesting box building workshop in December, bringing together farmers, families, and experts to create new nesting opportunities for local birds and provide winter insect habitat.

The Val Graziosa Farmer Cluster in Italy held an event on spontaneous edible plants in olive groves in April, highlighting their ecological and health benefits and promoting farm diversification, engaging olive growers, local associations, and citizens. This cluster also held a Local BioBlitz in May 2024, involving local organizations and citizens in identifying plant, animal, and fungal species using iNaturalist. Additionally, they awarded the Premio “Lo Stafilinide d’Oro” in March to the olive grove with the highest diversity and abundance of rove beetles, linking biodiversity to natural pest control.

The Kanepi kihlkund Farmer Cluster hosted high school students and nursery school kids at Väike-Hauka Farm in May 2024 for a workshop on sustainable farming practices and the role of landscape, using iNaturalist to enhance observational skills. The Velké Hostěrádky Farmer Cluster officially opened its biodiversity path in May 2024, attracting around 250 visitors and promoting learning about local biodiversity and organic farming. In Austria, the Mostviertel Farmer Cluster participated in "Landwirtschaft pur! Citizen Science am Biohof Schuller," where students learned about biodiversity and indicator plants.

Building Out Collaboration and Knowledge Exchange

Collaboration with external organizations and the sharing of knowledge remained crucial. The Buchan Farmer Cluster welcomed the North-East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership (NESBiP) to their annual meeting in November to discuss biodiversity monitoring results and future plans. The Cranborne Chase Farmer Cluster hosted Project Officers from the Isle of Wight's Sea-Eagle reintroduction project in March, providing insights into the ecology of these birds sighted in the cluster area. The Mostviertel Farmer Cluster collaborated with ÖKL and the “Diversity on my Farm” project for their fruit tree pruning workshop. The Born Farmer Cluster in Luxembourg collaborated with LIST (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology) for their camera trapping project.

Four Clusters in Austria, Czechia, Scotland and Estonia were filmed during the summer of 2024. Meanwhile, nine Clusters had videos released about their activities during the year, with Mostviertel and Velke Hosteradky using these in some Cluster meetings and events.

Creating Innovations in Biodiversity Assessment

Several clusters explored innovative methods for assessing biodiversity. The Born Farmer Cluster utilized camera traps in orchards, capturing over 54,000 images of wildlife. They introduced the Picture Pile app to facilitate the sorting and analysis of these images by farmers, stakeholders, and volunteers. The Zeeasterweg Farmer Cluster tested various Earthwatch self-monitoring tools, including those for soil fauna, insect transects, and bird point counts, exploring their practicality and value.

Providing Tailored Recommendations

Farmer Cluster facilitators played a vital role in providing guidance and support to individual farmers. The facilitator for the Cranborne Chase Farmer Cluster offered advice on habitat management for wildlife, including hedge replacement and transitioning to new Environmental Land Management Schemes to ensure the economic sustainability of nature-friendly farming between January and March 2024. In Austria, discussions within the Burgenland Farmer Cluster revealed that many more biodiversity measures were already in place than initially reported, highlighting the need for accurate documentation and future planning at the individual farm level.

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Overall, 2024 was a year of significant activity and learnings across our Farmer Clusters. Through collaborative monitoring, targeted habitat management, community engagement, and the adoption of innovative approaches, these clusters continued to demonstrate their vital role in fostering biodiversity within agricultural landscapes across Europe. The diverse initiatives undertaken in 2024 underscore the growing potential of farmer-led collaboration in promoting more sustainable and biodiverse farming systems.