ROBUSTGemüse (2025-2028)

The joint project ROBUSTGemüse is investigating how organic field vegetable farms in Germany deal with current and future stressors - such as climate change, new pests, changing consumer habits or uncertain availability of inputs - and how their operational resilience can be strengthened in a targeted manner. Against the background of very different farm structures, value chains and regional conditions in field vegetable and horticultural cultivation, risks, farm reactions and adaptation strategies are systematically recorded and evaluated.

Close cooperation between practice, consulting and research is central. Together, existing innovations are further developed, new solutions are tested and their impact on the resilience of farms is examined. At the same time, a common understanding of the term "resilience" and the factors that promote and inhibit robust operational development is being developed.

The project structure comprises several levels and involves different stakeholders:

• Practical research networks in different regions and crops work on specific challenges relating to plant protection, crop management and crop rotation, nutrient and water management as well as economic and social aspects.
• Practical surveys and scientific analyses record stressors, operational reactions and changes that have already been implemented and evaluate their contribution to resilience.
• Co-creation processes between companies, consultants and researchers develop detailed research questions and test practical solutions.
• Scaling successful approaches enables the transfer of knowledge between farm types, cultivation systems and regions.
• A decision support tool prepares the findings in such a way that farms can assess their own resilience and select suitable measures.

ROBUST Vegetables contributes to increasing the adaptability of organic vegetable production systems, ensuring their long-term functionality and guaranteeing yield stability, soil fertility, water management and crop diversity even under changing environmental conditions.

As part of the project, a practical research network for Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia is being set up at the FÖL in cooperation with the Hessen State Agricultural Agency (LLH) and the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture (LWK NRW). The focus is on mulch cultivation methods and the targeted use of catch crops in organic vegetable production. The aim is to increase water and nutrient efficiency, reduce soil erosion and increase the resilience of farms to periods of drought and limited fertilizer availability. In cooperation with practical farms, needs are identified, on-farm trials are carried out, for example with various mulch materials or catch crops, and their resilience potential is evaluated. The results are incorporated into recommendations for long-term implementation in practice and are made available to farms and advisory services in the region.