Ground-breaking ceremony for the ‘Alleen 3’ pilot project

On 6 January 2025, the ground-breaking ceremony for the creation of an agroforestry demonstration area was held in the Kleve Galleien. Prof Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, President of Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Karl Werring, President of the NRW Chamber of Agriculture, and Wolfgang Gebing, Mayor of Kleve, gave the go-ahead for this pilot project for innovative agriculture in the Lower Rhine region. Christoph Gerwers, District Administrator of the Kleve district, was also a member of the Transformation Advisory Board of Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. Prof Dr Peter Kisters, Vice President for Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer at HSRW and project manager of our TransRegINT project, moderated the event.

Agroforestry systems combine and cultivate arable crops or permanent grassland, with or without livestock, together with woody plants on one area.

The project, also known as ‘Alleen 3’, is a collaboration between Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, the city of Kleve and the Haus Riswick Agricultural Research Centre. Our team Agroforstry Living Lab  is coordinating the project on behalf of HSRW. In addition to cultivation, research and teaching by Haus Riswick and the HSRW, the agroforestry demonstration area will also become part of the 2029 State Garden Show, which will take place in Kleve. From 2025, the Team Agroforestry Living Lab is planning activities that will involve both HSRW students and the region’s citizens.

Conversion of farmland into agroforestry

On the 3.3 hectare area, which is owned by the city of Kleve, a total of 349 trees will be planted on six agroforestry tree strips in several planting phases. The strips of trees are laid out in widths of three to five metres in order to plant trees of different vigour and widths.

The agroforestry strips are mulched between the copses and kept free of weeds, also known colloquially as weeds. Site-adapted flowering mixtures are planted to the side of the copses, but still within the wooded strips. These are intended to increase biodiversity in the system, suppress competition from proliferating species and provide added aesthetic value.

The arable land between the wooded strips will continue to be managed by Haus Riswick.

Woody plants in the agroforestry

The planting plan and the associated selection of trees and shrubs were precisely worked out with the support of agroforestry expert Burkhard Kayser, consultant for sustainable land use and permaculture. Alleen 3 is part of the Galleien Park section of the Alter Tiergarten created by Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen. The area, located in the Kermisdahl lowlands, was entered in the city of Kleve’s list of monuments as a garden monument in October 2024. Special attention was therefore paid to maintaining the visual axis between Schwanenburg Castle and the vantage point on Papenberg near the tomb of Prince Johann-Moritz von Nassau-Siegen.

A central concern of all those involved is to test the best combinations of shrubs and strip widths for the Lower Rhine. In addition, the direct costs of agroforestry strips are to be determined, as they have a direct impact on farm management, but have rarely been the focus of research projects to date.

An important aspect here is the cost-effectiveness of maintenance. Another criterion for the choice of trees and shrubs and the planting plan is the design of the area as a biodiverse system. Agroforestry systems in particular are considered to play an important role in increasing biodiversity, as they provide a habitat for a wide variety of living organisms. With the selected woody plants, an attempt is made to ensure a balance between diversity and profitability. Climate change and its consequences for the Lower Rhine have also influenced the choice of trees and shrubs, with drought and heat tolerance being key factors. The planting plan also endeavours to avoid the woody plants competing too strongly for space, light and water.

The focus of the planting is on industrial and value woods. A distinction is made here between fast-growing woody plants and standard trees. Fast-growing woody plants are planted for the so-called medium rotation, i.e. a harvesting rhythm every six to eight years. This is also referred to as ‘plant once, harvest several times’. Examples of this are sweet chestnut, sessile oak and small-leaved lime. The harvested wood is used as construction timber. In contrast to this are trunk and value woods such as hazel, wild service tree or cultivated pear. They are intended for use in the sawmill and veneer industry.

To maximise biodiversity, low-growing shrub species such as rowan, raspberry and broom are also planted. As the agroforestry demonstration area will be part of the 2029 State Garden Show, ornamental shrubs such as roses and bladder bushes will also be planted for aesthetic reasons.

Outlook

Once planting is complete, the area will be cultivated in the traditional way and used for research purposes and practical agricultural demonstrations. The trees and shrubs are watered to ensure growth in the first few years. This is done using drip irrigation to ensure that the roots grow deep. Anyone who doesn’t want to wait until the State Garden Show in 2029 to get to know the agroforestry demonstration area can look forward to so-called field days from summer 2025. Our team Agroforestry Living Lab will offer guided excursions to explain research, planting and the benefits of agroforestry systems in more detail.