IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i22p12340-d674873.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sheep in the Vineyard: First Insights into a New Integrated Crop–Livestock System in Central Europe

Author

Listed:
  • Nicolas Schoof

    (Chair of Site Classification and Vegetation Science, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany)

  • Anita Kirmer

    (Nature Conservation and Landscape Planning, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, 06406 Bernburg, Germany)

  • Jakob Hörl

    (Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Applied Forest Sciences Rottenburg, 72108 Rottenburg, Germany)

  • Rainer Luick

    (Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Applied Forest Sciences Rottenburg, 72108 Rottenburg, Germany)

  • Sabine Tischew

    (Nature Conservation and Landscape Planning, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, 06406 Bernburg, Germany)

  • Michael Breuer

    (Chair of Biology, State Institute of Viticulture and Enology, 79100 Freiburg, Germany)

  • Frank Fischer

    (Chair of Biology, State Institute of Viticulture and Enology, 79100 Freiburg, Germany)

  • Sandra Müller

    (Chair of Geobotany, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany)

  • Vivien von Königslöw

    (Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany)

Abstract

The multiple land use of agricultural areas is a building block for increased land use efficiency. Unlike monoculture, integrated crop–livestock systems optimally improve ecosystem services, making it an important field of research and application for adapting land use and food systems that have sustainability deficits. The integration of sheep in viticulture production is described as a promising example of an integrated crop–livestock system. While some studies of the integration of sheep into vineyards are already available for other parts of the world, there is still no research on its implementation in Central European viticulture systems. In order to fill this gap of knowledge, we conducted standardized interviews with 34 winegrowers who already graze sheep in their vineyards. The method allowed a wider overview of the implementation of the integrated crop-livestock system than would have been possible with other approaches. Furthermore, the authors kept sheep in their own vineyard for three years to evaluate the statements of the survey participants. The period during which sheep graze in vineyards is quite heterogeneous in Central Europe. Some farms use sheep only during vine dormancy; others also let sheep graze during a certain period in summer. There are also viticulture training systems where grazing is almost continuously possible. In Central Europe, summer grazing normally requires operational adjustments such as lifting the wires of the training system and branches of the vine; otherwise, the vines could be damaged. This option seems to be tailored to the training system in use. Some interviewees mentioned that sheep not only use the accompanying vegetation as fodder and therefore control the undervine growth, but in some cases, they were also able to replace other work processes, such as defoliating the grape zone or cleaning undesired vine shoots near the ground. However, a high additional workload due to livestock keeping was also mentioned by some survey participants. Some of the interviewees cooperate with shepherds, which could help to solve this challenge. Finally, we summarize possible opportunities and risks of this integrated crop–livestock system. Integrating sheep in vineyards seems to be quite feasible in the period of vine dormancy, whereas more information and considerably more effort is needed to integrate sheep during the vegetation period. Further research is needed to answer open questions especially for the necessary adaptions of the common vine training system or the implementation of alternative systems more suitable to combine with livestock keeping. Some practitioners found opportunities to merchandize the use of sheep in wine sales. This potentially unique selling point could be a solution for a broader consideration of sheep in vineyards.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicolas Schoof & Anita Kirmer & Jakob Hörl & Rainer Luick & Sabine Tischew & Michael Breuer & Frank Fischer & Sandra Müller & Vivien von Königslöw, 2021. "Sheep in the Vineyard: First Insights into a New Integrated Crop–Livestock System in Central Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-16, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:22:p:12340-:d:674873
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/22/12340/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/22/12340/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:22:p:12340-:d:674873. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.