German Agriculture Research Articles

“Anytime, anyplace, anywhere”—A sample selection model of mobile internet adoption in german agriculture

AbstractMobile internet is considered one of the most important developments in information and communication technology due to its considerable effect on both the economy and our daily lives. Furthermore, mobile internet is an essential tool for overcoming the rural–urban digital divide. With respect to agriculture, mobile internet can play a central role in information gathering as well as the implementation of precision and smart farming technologies. Yet, no study has identified the determinants of mobile internet adoption in agriculture. Using a bivariate probit model with a sample selection and a representative data set from 815 German farmers, this study showed that, among other characteristics, the age of the farmer, farm size and location, as well as familiarity with internet risks is associated with mobile internet adoption in agriculture. These results may be of interest to policy makers, who deal with internet infrastructure, and providers of farm equipment that rely on mobile internet connection. [EconLit citations: Q16].

Exploring the characteristics and utilisation of Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS) in Germany

Digitisation in Agriculture is currently one of the most important ongoing developments to meet the growing economic, ecological and social demands in the agri-food sector in Germany. Consequently, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to collect, exchange and evaluate data from and between different stakeholders and systems has already established itself in the agricultural sector. However, the extent to which information systems are used and the kind of features they have at the farm enterprise level are not clear.To obtain further insight into this topic, a quantitative empirical approach was adopted. It was based on interview data from a web-based survey conducted throughout Germany at the beginning of 2018. In this survey, 329 questionnaires (representing an 8.4% response rate) were completed and evaluated using bivariate and multivariate methods. This paper aims to assign the surveyed farmers to two of the “five steps of digital evolution” model - from the “single product” to the “system of systems” - according to the stated characteristics and functions used in the Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS).According to that model, a single product (e.g. a tractor or a feed trough) develops at level 1 and becomes a “smart product” at level 2. The agricultural machine can now, for example, maintain precise tracking via integrated real-time kinematic (RTK) correction that enhances precise satellite navigation. At the third development stage, a “smart, connected product” is created, where the agricultural machine is networked with other systems. Level 4 represents an “intelligent product system”. The focus is no longer only on optimising a single process, but also on optimising process chains. At the last stage, “systems of systems” (i.e. “smart farming”), the networking of different data from diverse sources reaches the maximum level.43 variables were used to conduct a two-step cluster analysis, in which two clusters could be identified within the sample. The farmers assigned to cluster 2 could be determined as “users of smart products” (58%) which represents level 2 of the model. These farmers are characterised by the fact that they use FMIS for the overall purpose of supporting the documentation, monitoring and planning of farm management processes. The highest level of digitisation in German agriculture was found to match level 3, what is known as “users of smart, connected products”. On this level, farmers that were assigned to the cluster 1 (42%) use their information systems to improve individual farm processes by connecting hardware, sensors, data storage and software in different ways.

Germany’s Excessive Agricultural Nitrogen Emissions and the Need for Improving Existing Regulatory Concepts

For decades, German agriculture has been responsible for high nitrogen inputs into the environment. Recent reductions in nitrogen surpluses that were originally caused by fertilization are not sufficient to meet European requirements. In the case of ammonia emissions, there has even been an upward trend despite contradicting national emission targets due to the expansion of animal husbandry. Both developments are not surprising, since German agricultural policy has for years been unable to adopt stricter measures that would reduce nitrogen surpluses and ammonia emissions and modernise existing regulatory concepts in line with European requirements. This paper presents the state of current emissions in section 1. Subsequently, sections 2 to 4 present the regulatory concepts for livestock facilities, agricultural fertilisation as well as the protection of Natura 2000 areas from agricultural intervention and identify their shortcomings in the light of recent rulings by the European Court of Justice. The paper offers a summary assessment that includes the most important areas for improvement.

Trajectories of nitrate input and output in three nested catchments along a land use gradient

Abstract. Increased anthropogenic inputs of nitrogen (N) to the biosphere during the last few decades have resulted in increased groundwater and surface water concentrations of N (primarily as nitrate), posing a global problem. Although measures have been implemented to reduce N inputs, they have not always led to decreasing riverine nitrate concentrations and loads. This limited response to the measures can either be caused by the accumulation of organic N in the soils (biogeochemical legacy) – or by long travel times (TTs) of inorganic N to the streams (hydrological legacy). Here, we compare atmospheric and agricultural N inputs with long-term observations (1970–2016) of riverine nitrate concentrations and loads in a central German mesoscale catchment with three nested subcatchments of increasing agricultural land use. Based on a data-driven approach, we assess jointly the N budget and the effective TTs of N through the soil and groundwater compartments. In combination with long-term trajectories of the C–Q relationships, we evaluate the potential for and the characteristics of an N legacy. We show that in the 40-year-long observation period, the catchment (270 km2) with 60 % agricultural area received an N input of 53 437 t, while it exported 6592 t, indicating an overall retention of 88 %. Removal of N by denitrification could not sufficiently explain this imbalance. Log-normal travel time distributions (TTDs) that link the N input history to the riverine export differed seasonally, with modes spanning 7–22 years and the mean TTs being systematically shorter during the high-flow season as compared to low-flow conditions. Systematic shifts in the C–Q relationships were noticed over time that could be attributed to strong changes in N inputs resulting from agricultural intensification before 1989, the break-down of East German agriculture after 1989 and the seasonal differences in TTs. A chemostatic export regime of nitrate was only found after several years of stabilized N inputs. The changes in C–Q relationships suggest a dominance of the hydrological N legacy over the biogeochemical N fixation in the soils, as we expected to observe a stronger and even increasing dampening of the riverine N concentrations after sustained high N inputs. Our analyses reveal an imbalance between N input and output, long time-lags and a lack of significant denitrification in the catchment. All these suggest that catchment management needs to address both a longer-term reduction of N inputs and shorter-term mitigation of today's high N loads. The latter may be covered by interventions triggering denitrification, such as hedgerows around agricultural fields, riparian buffers zones or constructed wetlands. Further joint analyses of N budgets and TTs covering a higher variety of catchments will provide a deeper insight into N trajectories and their controlling parameters.

German Farmers’ Perspectives on Direct Payments in the Common Agricultural Policy

SummaryAfter several reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy and gradual liberalisation, direct payments that serve to stabilise farm incomes remain highly pertinent for EU farmers in that they continue to contribute a high share of total farm income. This was also reflected in our survey of German farmers’ perspectives on direct payments, which showed the importance that these payments play in their financial situation. However, several economists have pointed to the lack of justification for poorly targeted direct payments in achieving societal goals, namely the delivery of valued public goods. In particular, the surveyed German farmers also recognised societal disapproval of the direct payment scheme. However, without direct payments, an accelerated structural change in German agriculture is very likely, leading to larger, less diversified farms and more intensive farming; which contrasts with the expectations of the German society for the agriculture sector. As German tax payers contribute substantially to financing the CAP, societal approval in terms of animal welfare and environmental services should receive greater priority in the direct payment scheme. The latter could be achieved by a well‐aimed targeting of direct payments, providing compensation for farmers producing agri‐environmental public goods and/or clearly contributing to improved animal welfare.

An Empirical Study of Internet Use Intensity in German Agriculture

The internet plays a promising role for the future development of rural areas and offers several potential business relevant applications for agricultural entrepreneurs. Yet, little is known about the determinants of internet use intensity of German farmers. Thus, this paper empirically explores factors affecting internet use intensity in German agriculture using a representative data set collected in 2016. The representative data were analyzed using an ordered probit model. The results indicate that age, education, farm size and farm location play a statistical significant role. Moreover, our results show that farmers, who feel informed about dangers of the web, are more likely to be frequent internet user. Our results can be of interest for both policy makers and providers since they offer first insights into the determinants of German farmers’ internet use intensity and, thus, provide hints for potential improvements in this area.

Influence of Hydrothermal Carbonization on Composition, Formation and Elimination of Biphenyls, Dioxins and Furans in Sewage Sludge

In many areas of application, the influence of hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) on the composition of organic pollutants is still unexplored. In this study, sewage sludge (SS) was carbonized and the input as well as the hydrochar were examined for the organic pollutants: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins (PCDDs), and polychlorinated dibenzo-furans (PCDFs). The process temperatures of carbonization were 200 °C, 220 °C, and 240 °C and the holding time was 5 h for all tests. The total concentration of PCBs was relatively stable for all temperatures, whereas the toxicity equivalent (WHO-TEQ) at 200 °C and 220 °C increases compared to the input material. The strongest impact on toxicity was observed for PCDDs where concentrations were reduced for higher temperatures, whereas the toxicity increases by more than 16 times for temperatures of 240 °C. The concentrations and toxicity of PCDFs were reduced for all carbonization temperatures. In hydrochar from HTC at 240 °C, the limit values for the application of SS in German agriculture have been exceeded. The results indicate that the process conditions for HTC should be controlled also for SS with average contamination if the hydrochar is to be used as material, especially in agriculture.

5-Point programme for sustainable plant protection

This position paper intends to stimulate a profound rethinking of contemporary agricultural practice. We criticise the current intensity of chemical plant protection in Germany as ecologically unsustainable and thus threatening the achievement of key targets of environmental protection and nature conservation policies. In the first part of the paper, we provide background information on the use of plant protection products (PPP) in German agriculture, the role of agricultural policy, European pesticide legislation, the principles of and framework for environmental risk assessment and risk management of PPP, as well as environmental effects of PPP. The second part is presented against the backdrop of the European “Sustainable Use Directive” (2009/128/EC). This directive requires that “Member States shall adopt National Action Plans to set up their quantitative objectives, targets, measures, and timetables to reduce risks and impacts of pesticide use on human health and the environment and to encourage the development and introduction of integrated pest management and of alternative approaches or techniques to reduce dependency on the use of pesticides.” Reflecting on the corresponding debate in Germany, we suggest the following five key principles for a sustainable use of PPP and provide recommendations for their implementation: (1) minimising use; (2) identifying, quantifying, and communicating risks; (3) optimising risk management; (4) compensating for unavoidable effects; (5) internalising external costs.

How Does Changing Pesticide Usage Over Time Affect Migrating Amphibians: A Case Study on the Use of Glyphosate-Based Herbicides in German Agriculture Over 20 Years

Since its introduction in 1974, the use of glyphosate in agriculture has been continuously increasing; however, the application modes of this herbicide have been changing. Therefore, glyphosate-based herbicides can be used as an appropriate indicator for assessing how changes in pesticide application modes affect wild-living organisms in agricultural landscapes over time. Amphibians that migrate through arable fields may be exposed to the chemicals applied to field crops. Using data on the tem-poral coincidence of four amphibian populations with glyphosate applications from a three-year in-vestigation in northeast Germany as well as data on the application of glyphosate to field crops in German agriculture over 20 years, we estimated the species-specific increasing rates of coincidence likelihoods during this period. The overall consumption of glyphosate used in German agriculture between 1992 and 2012 increased by a factor of 5.7, while the species-specific coincidence likelihood increased from 2.2 to 6.1, respectively. Our results reveal the highest increases in coincidence for both adult and juvenile great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) and fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina). Adults and juveniles of moor frog (Rana arvalis) and adults of spadefoot toad (Pelobates fuscus) were subjected to moderate increases, with rates ranging from 3.2 to 3.6; in contrast, juvenile individuals of P. fuscus showed small increases. We suggest that the risk assessments of pesticide application (in this case, glyphosate) should not only consider the present use at the time of authorization but also consider changes in application modes over time that may lead to increases in potential exposure of non-target organisms, such as amphibians.

Klimaanpassung in Land- und Forstwirtschaft – Ergebnisse eines Workshops der Ressortforschungsinstitute FLI, JKI und Thünen-Institut

This Working Paper summarizes the results of a survey and a workshop, which were compiled and discussed by scientists of the research institutes Thunen-Institut, Julius Kuhn-Institut (JKI) and Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) in autumn 2016. The aim of the workshop and the survey was to analyze the state of knowledge on climate change adaptation in BMEL departmental research and the future challenges of adaptation to climate change in German agriculture and forestry. German agriculture and forestry is affected by primary climate impacts such as steadily rising average temperatures, altered precipitation patterns and increasingly frequent extreme weather events that vary widely regionally and seasonally. In addition, secondary climate impacts such as increased pest and infection pressure, problems with controlling rodents in agriculture and forestry, a shift in vegetation phases or a change in product quality lead to higher cultivation and production risks. Many income-generating factors such as rising tropospheric ozone concentrations and their interaction with pest infestation and extreme weather events are still largely unexplained. However, the CO2 fertilization effect, higher temperatures and the extension of the vegetation period also offer opportunities for German agriculture, especially for crop production. Compared to other regions of the world, production conditions in Central Europe are expected to remain stable and favorable for crop production in the future. This includes opportunities to achieve stable, high and possibly increased crop yields and to improve the competitiveness of German agriculture on the world agricultural markets.In part, adaptation to crop production systems and livestock farming can respond to climate change with relatively simple measures. However, further measures and, above all, strategies for dealing with the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events are needed. Overall, a region-specific orientation of production systems is becoming increasingly important. In the forestry sector, it is essential to identify the tree species and provenances best adapted to the future climatic conditions of individual sites and to integrate them into the stands. At the same time, the identification of the genetic information of individual resistance and tolerance traits to abiotic and biotic pollutants should be intensively researched and the results used for the targeted breeding of resistant trees.For agriculture, adapted and tolerant varieties as well as yield models are needed, that can indicate damage caused by extreme weather events as well as by pests, but also positive factors and interactions. Models are also needed as basis for evaluating risk management systems. There is also a need for the development of (digital) decision-making tools for the best possible and most effective fertilization time, targeted irrigation or the use of pesticides. Adaptation measures should be evaluated on the basis of their costs and benefits from an economic, environmental and social point of view. In order to be able to work out recommendations for the cultivation of individual crops at different locations, the scientific analysis of the risks as well as further re-search into the opportunities that could arise from the expected climate changes are necessary. [...]

The Use of Copper Pesticides in Germany and the Search for Minimization and Replacement Strategies

Copper pesticides used to control fungal and bacterial diseases such as grapes downy mildew ( Plasmopara viticola ), downy mildew of hops ( Pseudoperonospora humili ), apple scab ( Venturia spp.), fireblight ( Erwinia amylovora ) and potato late blight ( Phytophthora infestans ), play an important role in plant protection. In a 2013 survey of copper application in Germany we found, that while the amounts of copper used per hectare in conventional grape (0.8 kg ha − 1 ), hop (1.7 kg ha − 1 ) and potato-farming (0.8 kg ha − 1 ) were well below those used in organic farming (2.3, 2.6 and 1.4 kg ha − 1 , respectively), they were nearly identical to those used in apple growing (1.4 kg ha − 1 ). Due to the smaller farming area, only 24% (26.5 tonnes) of the total amount of copper was applied in organic farming compared to 76% (84.8 tonnes) in conventional farming. Since 2001, the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) promoted a copper research and minimization strategy which was funded with a total of C 10.2 million. Our status quo analysis of research in this field shows that some progress is being made concerning alternative compounds, resistant varieties and decision support systems. However, it also shows that new approaches are not yet able to replace copper pesticides completely, especially in organic farming. In integrated pest management, copper preparations are important for the necessary active substance rotation and successful resistance management. The availability of such products is often essential for organic grapes, hops and fruit production and for extending the organic farming of these crops. We conclude that the complete elimination of copper pesticides is not yet practicable in organic farming as the production of several organic crops would become unprofitable and may lead to organic farmers reverting to conventional production. Several existing copper reduction strategies were, however, identified, and some, like modified forecast models adapted to organic farming, varieties more resistant to fungal diseases and new alternative products, already contribute to copper minimization in German agriculture.

Glyphosate renewed for five years in the EU

The world’s top-selling herbicide, glyphosate, can stay on the market in the European Union for another five years after an unexpected vote in favor of the renewal by German agriculture minister Christian Schmidt. Germany abstained from voting in all previous deliberations on glyphosate over the past few months. Schmidt took the decision into his own hands on Nov. 27, voting in favor of the five-year renewal, despite a lack of agreement within the German government. His decision was enough to swing the EU vote after months of talks ended in stalemate. The final vote by the European Commission’s Appeal Committee was 18 in favor, nine against, and one abstention. Farm groups and the pesticide industry are welcoming an end to the debate over glyphosate’s renewal in the EU, but they were hoping for a 15-year reauthorization. “We are pleased the substance has been reapproved, however not pleased that despite overwhelming

The former Iron Curtain still drives biodiversity-profit trade-offs in German agriculture.

Agricultural intensification drives biodiversity loss and shapes farmers' profit, but the role of legacy effects and detailed quantification of ecological-economic trade-offs are largely unknown. In Europe during the 1950s, the Eastern communist bloc switched to large-scale farming by forced collectivization of small farms, while the West kept small-scale private farming. Here we show that large-scale agriculture in East Germany reduced biodiversity, which has been maintained in West Germany due to >70% longer field edges than those in the East. In contrast, profit per farmland area in the East was 50% higher than that in the West, despite similar yield levels. In both regions, switching from conventional to organic farming increased biodiversity and halved yield levels, but doubled farmers' profits. In conclusion, European Union policy should acknowledge the surprisingly high biodiversity benefits of small-scale agriculture, which are on a par with conversion to organic agriculture.

Relationship between irrigation water demand and yield of selected crops in Germany between 1902 and 2010: a modeling study

The demand for irrigation water is increasing worldwide, including regions in Germany with low precipitation and water-demanding crops. In this study, history of irrigation water demand (IWD) in the German nation states in relation to the yield of four crops (1) potato, (2) spring barley, (3) oat, and (4) winter wheat, during droughts between 1902 and 2010 was analyzed. The difficulties caused by the shifting borders of the German nation state over the past century were dealt with by dividing the data for the region into four time periods for the analysis. Low precipitation during droughts influenced crop yield in the German nation states. Analyses of droughts resulted in no clear conclusions; however, it appeared that after 1950, German nation states droughts had a negative influence on the yield of the four crops despite the important role irrigation played in German agriculture since 1960 in the German nation state. Lower yield because of weather conditions since 1950 was primarily attributable to the high-yield potential of improved crop varieties, for which yield potential is only reached under optimal growing conditions. In this study, the analysis of the modeled historical IWD in agriculture revealed the urgency with which the German crop production systems must adapt to extremes in a changing climate not only by improving irrigation systems via irrigation scheduling but also by greater higher diversification of crops.

Organizing vegetable supply chains: results of a survey of farmers

Abstract German horticulture earns 21.2% of the total production value of German agriculture – on merely 1.3% of the total production area. Despite this important economic standing, agricultural economic research focuses more on other agricultural sectors like meat or milk supply chains. The present study aims to analyze the organization of the horticulture supply chain. In order to fill this gap in research, the impact of various management instruments on performance at an individual farm level as well as in the whole horticultural supply chain get analyzed by using the partial least square method. For this, German vegetable farmers participated in an online survey in 2013. The innovative empirical analysis thereby is based on existing literature and the contingency theory. The results show that the individual farm performance is positively influenced by factor endowment of the farms as well as by trust and business climate between the different levels of the supply chain. In contrast, the external situation of the farms does not exert any meaningful influence on farm performance but on organizational farm parameters of the supply chain.

Costs and benefits of ammonia and particulate matter abatement in German agriculture including interactions with greenhouse gas emissions

The abatement of ammonia (NH3) and particulate matter (PM) emissions in agriculture reduces damages to human health and biodiversity and provides benefits for society, but also imposes costs on farmers. As NH3 and PM emissions partly originate from the same activities as greenhouse gases, interactions may exist between NH3 and PM emission abatement and greenhouse gas emissions. This study is aimed at estimating the costs and benefits of NH3 and PM emission abatement measures, considering interactions with agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in Germany. We combined an economic-ecological farm model for estimating emission reductions and abatement costs with an integrated environmental impact assessment model for estimating the benefits for human health and biodiversity, with applications to three Federal States in Germany. We reasoned that benefits exceed costs and that synergies with greenhouse gas reduction exist. All NH3 and PM emission abatement measures affected greenhouse gases. In crop production, conservation tillage increased farmers' gross margins and reduced both PM emissions and, via soil carbon sequestration, also greenhouse gas emissions. The benefits depended on the soil type and its carbon sequestration potential, which differ across regions. The substitution of urea fertiliser for calcium ammonium nitrate reduced both NH3 and greenhouse gas emissions. In livestock production, the measures with the highest net benefits were chemical washers for exhaust-air purification, injection or cultivator manure application and concrete manure storage cover. Low-protein pig feeding increased farmers' gross margins and also achieved high net benefits, with the benefits of greenhouse gas emission reduction exceeding those of NH3 emission reduction. Low-protein poultry feeding and biofilters for air purification yielded negative net benefits and were therefore not recommended for implementation. The results confirm interactions of NH3 and PM emission abatement measures with greenhouse gas emissions and suggest that all relevant emission types be integrated in an analysis. Air pollution abatement and climate change mitigation have mainly been addressed in separate policies. Our results suggest that these policies are better integrated so as to stimulate synergies and to define the appropriate ambition level of emission reduction targets.

Do Different Measurements of Soil Quality Influence the Results of a Ricardian Analysis? – A Case Study on the Effects of Climate Change on German Agriculture

This study assesses the potential impact of future climate change on agricultural land rents in Germany using a Ricardian approach. In addition to including common explanatory variables, we focus on the effects of different indicators of soil characteristics when explaining land rental prices. The analysis is based on data from the official farm census 1999, weather data from the German National Meteorological Service and different soil data-bases at the county level. Different classifications of soil quality do not influence the results of our Ricardian analysis. The results of spatial error models indicate higher land rental prices for locations with more productive soils and higher mean annual temperatures. Also a lower land slope, a smaller share of rented land and (in some cases) less spring precipitation increase land rental prices. To estimate the effects of changing climatic conditions on future land rents, we draw on data from the regional climate model REMO for 2011-2040. Our models show an average land rent increase of 10-17% resulting from the expected changes in temperature and spring precipitation. According to our results future climate change will have an overall positive but spatially heterogeneous impact on the agricultural income in Germany.

Recovery potential of German sewage sludge ash

Incineration of sewage sludge is expected to increase in the future due to growing concerns about the direct use of sludge in agriculture. Sewage sludge is the pollutant sink of wastewater treatment and thus loaded with contaminants that might pose environmental hazards. Incineration degrades organic pollutants efficiently, but since the ash is currently mostly disposed of, all valuable component like phosphorus (P) and technologically relevant metals present in the sewage sludge ash (SSA) are removed from the economic cycle entirely. We conducted a complete survey of SSA from German mono-incineration facilities and determined the theoretical recovery potential of 57 elements. German SSA contains up to 19,000t/a P which equals approximately 13% of phosphorus applied in the German agriculture in form of phosphate rock based mineral fertilizers. Thus, SSA is an important secondary resource of P. However, its P-solubility in ammonium citrate solution, an indicator for the bioavailability, is only about 26%. Treatment of SSA is recommended to enhance P bioavailability and remove heavy metals before it is applied as fertilizer. The recovery potential for technologically relevant metals is generally low, but some of these elements might be recovered efficiently in the course of P recovery exploiting synergies.

Why Panaceas Work: Recasting Science, Knowledge, and Fertilizer Interests in German Agriculture

This article discusses the role of panaceas as functional equivalents to scientific expertise. Using the example of plant nutrition in Germany, it shows how increasing fertilizer use ran against the best scientific advice in significant ways. Ultimately, the lack of scientific knowledge helped accelerate the transition to industrialized, high-input farming. The article stresses the agency of farmers, who were key players in a complex of web of negotiations among experts, advisors, officials, and practitioners that spanned several generations. For farmers facing a wide range of difficult issues, cognitive simplicity on the plant nutrition front was more important than the side effects of excessive fertilizer use: wasting thoughts would have cost more than wasting resources. At the same time, acting against the advice of scientific experts produced an anxiety that scholars should recognize as a key aspect of agricultural modernization.

Integrating regional climatology, ecology, and agronomy for impact analysis and climate change adaptation of German agriculture: An introduction to the LandCaRe2020 project

One of the most decisive natural framework conditions of agriculture – the regional climate – is in transition. This requires considering climate change and climate change impact for decision making. Although this knowledge is uncertain and depends on future green-house gas emission, it is rapidly expanding and improving. Therefore, it is important to create flexible systems with adaptable data bases and analytical tools to integrate knowledge of future climate change in agronomy for impact studies and adaptation planning. The joint project LandCaRe (Land, Climate, and Resources) 2020 aimed at developing a conceptual framework and prototype of a model-based decision support system (DSS) based on improved process knowledge and stakeholder communication. The final product, the LandCaRe DSS should combine grid-based information on regional climate and land surface, robust climate impact models and socio-economic boundary conditions to develop spatially explicit climate impact scenarios. Emphasis was put on the integration of different knowledge from science and practice. Climate projections had to be adapted to the needs of impact modelling of agricultural and ecological processes at regional and farm scale. Impact modelling included new process knowledge, especially related to the CO2 fertilisation effect on crop rotations. A new Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment Experiment (FACE) on the C4 plant maize was conducted during the project. A new agro-ecosystem model was developed which integrates soil–plant–atmosphere exchange and plant production to predict crop yield as well as water, carbon and nitrogen fluxes. Stakeholders included representatives of agricultural and environmental administrations, managers of agro-enterprises and large farms as well as organisations for regional planning and nature conservation. Their central common interests were future land use, water availability and management. Stakeholders from agriculture requested not only to assess potential impacts of regional climate change on yield but also to interpret climate impact on farm economy. This required the design of a farm-economy module linking effects of management and adaptation on crop yield with scenarios of costs and prices. Here an introduction to the project, components of the DSS and its further perspectives are presented.