Around half of Germany’s land is used for agriculture. According to the BMEL, out of the 16.6 million hectares of agricultural land, 70% is arable. A further 29% is used as grassland and only 1% for permanent crops such as fruit or wine. More than half of the agricultural land in Germany is used for growing animal feed, and about a quarter of the land is used to grow plant crops for direct human consumption. The remaining area is used for the production of renewable resources for energy and industrial use. 

Arable production systems are the cornerstone of food production. In the face of a growing global population and limited availability of arable land, climate change and the need to preserve biodiversity in natural habitats, arable farming must become more resource-efficient and sustainable. The 2035 Arable Farming Strategy identifies key fields of action for arable farming and for the contribution of the agricultural industry to protecting the environment, the climate and resources. 

Modern plant breeding does not just have the single goal of increasing yields. It is also a matter of expanding the diversity of varieties and increasing the range of interesting plant ingredients. There is a strong demand for new varieties that are better able to cope with climate change, i.e. that are resistant to drought, excess salt or pest infestation, for example. Modern, knowledge-based plant breeding combines the latest findings from genetics and molecular biology with modern agricultural technology and sustainable soil management. New molecular biological breeding techniques are now complementing established breeding techniques. These include genome editing (such as CRISPR-Cas), which can be used to change the genetic material of crops in a targeted manner. Using other innovative breeding methods such as precision breeding based on genetic markers (smart breeding) or cell culture techniques, breeders can obtain high-yielding crop varieties that are more resistant to pests, diseases or weather extremes, and they can do so much faster and in a more targeted manner than ever.  

Genome research provides a central knowledge base for modern plant breeding. German research teams are among the world leaders in this field. They carry out research into barley, the second most important grain crop in Germany. Despite its size and complexity, the barley genome has now been completely ­deciphered. An international consortium led by ­scientists from Gatersleben published the barley reference genome in 2017. This was the first complete 
and highly resolved genetic sequence. The experts identified around 5 billion base pairs and put them in the right order. Today, researchers are analysing the barley pangenome, i.e. the entirety of the genomes of the many different variants from around the world. This creates a valuable resource for global plant breeding.

Sustainable, bio-based management has always been at the core of organic farming. One of the principles of the organic farming cycle is that a farm grows its own animal feed without easily soluble mineral fertilisers and chemical crop protection. To keep the soil fertile, organic farmers fertilise with manure or slurry, or they use legume crop rotation. While the total number of farms in Germany is declining, the number of organic farms is steadily growing. In 2020, there were around 35,400 organic farms in Germany, which is about 13.5% of all farms. A key challenge in organic farming is that the yields are lower than in conventional farming. Accordingly, there is great interest in new research findings on land use and soil fertility and other strategies to sustainably increase yields.

The potential of legumes for this purpose has not been exhausted by far. Thanks to root-nodule bacteria, legumes can fix nitrogen from the air, which fertilises the soil. What’s more, legumes are also valuable sources of protein. As part of its protein crop strategy, the BMEL is funding projects that are intended to give a new boost to the cultivation and breeding of protein-rich lupins, soya, peas and field beans in Germany. This also includes varied crop rotation and mixed cultivation. One BMEL project investigates the mixed cultivation of corn and runner beans. This boosts soil fertility, has a potentially positive effect on biodiversity and reduces soil erosion.

In the BMBF-funded IMPAC3 project, researchers from the University of Göttingen investigated different systems of mixed cultivation, for example the joint cultivation of winter wheat and winter fava beans. The results of the field trial are promising: The joint cultivation increased the nitrogen supply of the wheat by 40%, and the yield by more than 30% compared to a monoculture, while the need for fertiliser was reduced.

The BMBF programme Soil as a Sustainable Resource for the Bioeconomy – BonaRes consists of ten soil research associations that are also working on new concepts and strategies for sustainable soil management (see Circular bioproduction). The objective is not just to boost soil fertility, but also to increase the carbon storage capacity of the soil (carbon sink). In addition to new crop rotations – such as the cultivation of catch crops like clover, charlock or phacelia, a bee crop plant, the BonaRes teams are investigating how the community of microorganisms in the soil, the microbiome, can be improved. The interactions of plant roots and their direct environment in the soil are the focus of another BMBF funding initiative.

The immense technological progress made in the last few decades has enabled farming to move towards sustainable and resource-efficient agricultural management. Digitalisation also has an important role to play in this: Much of the information on soil, land use and the climate is now publicly available in digital form. In addition, the amount of data from aerial photographs taken by drones or earth observation satellites is increasing. More and more tractors and other agricultural machinery are being equipped with sensors and measuring technology that can record the condition of the soil or the plants.  This enables agricultural machines to analyse the water and nutrient requirements of the crops. Powerful computer applications using artificial intelligence (AI) help to evaluate the huge amounts of data. Plants can be watered, fertilised or cleared of weeds as needed and with precise accuracy based on satellite and weather data. This not only increases efficiency and yield, but also reduces the input of excess nutrients into the environment and lowers the costs for fertilisers, pesticides and seeds.

The use of small, autonomous and GPS-controlled field or harvesting robots or drones could counteract the problem of soil compaction. Digitalisation is paving the way towards a precision agriculture that is resource-efficient and environmentally friendly. It also allows smaller-scale and even pinpoint farming of arable land. Digital assistants also support animal husbandry: Sensor and measurement technology monitors animal activity, needs-based feeding, milking and the animals’ health. Digital technologies have great potential to make crop cultivation more sustainable and ensure animal welfare. The BMBF’s funding programme for Agricultural Systems of the Future puts a focus on agriculture 4.0 with smart machine and system networks using AI and other IT applications. To promote digitalisation in agriculture, the BMEL funds digital trial fields and has initiated the funding priority HortiCo4.0.

In forestry, digitalisation has not yet made as much progress as it has in agriculture. While the large private and public forest owners and the timber industry have already digitalised some of their business processes – albeit mainly with individual solutions – small private forests and smaller companies are more reluctant and have much catching up to do. Digital networking along the entire forest and timber value chain is still a long way off. The German Federal Government’s funding policy has been promoting solutions, though.

In an online survey published in 2022 by the German Forestry Council and the Timber Working Group on digitalisation in the German and Austrian forestry and timber industries, 94% of the 256 companies surveyed said they were interested in learning more about digitalisation. However, 65% of respondents are currently not actually prepared to implement digital projects in the Forestry & Wood Cluster.

According to the survey, the biggest obstacle to implementation is the lack of standardised business processes, in particular compatible data interfaces. Insufficient connectivity in the forest and a lack of broadband internet connections in rural areas present additional hurdles, along with concerns about data protection and IT security.

Short rotation coppice, in which fast-growing trees such as poplars ad willows are cultivated, can be a meaningful addition to agricultural operations. These permanent crops can be harvested after just a few years. The BMEL has funded various plant breeding projects for the development of tree species suitable for commercial cultivation in short rotation coppice. Agroforestry combines woody plants such as trees or shrubs with arable crops and animal husbandry on the same land. The various components are intended to create ecological and economic benefits. Agroforestry can also be a strategy to remove more CO₂ from the atmosphere and contribute to climate action. The BMEL and the BMBF are funding several research projects on agroforestry.

Closed production systems

n recent years, new technologies have produced a growing number of mature, closed production systems. Highly controlled production conditions allow fruit and vegetable cultivation as well as animal husbandry all year round. Indoor farms are space-saving production systems with largely closed material and energy flows and coupled cycles. Moving food production into enclosed, heated and artificially lit spaces enables large-scale agricultural production in any location or climate.

With funding from the BMBF, the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) has developed an emission-free aquaponics system that allows cichlids and tomatoes to thrive together. CUBES Circle, an Agricultural Systems of the Future project, has developed a closed food production system consisting of connected, mutually communicating and standardised production units with largely closed energy and nutrient fluxes for the cultivation of fish, plants or insects. Other innovative concepts focus on integrating the cultivation of plants into urban areas, such as roofs or facades.