Bavaria offers subsidies for agroforestry systems

Farmers in Bavaria can apply for funding for new agroforestry strips throughout the month of September. Under the Bavarian Cultural Landscape Program (KULAP), the state provides financial support for these systems, which combine crop or livestock farming with strips of woody plants on the same area.

Bavarian Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber stated that agroforestry connects agricultural production with climate and resource protection. The program aims to provide incentives rather than mandates, offering to cover up to 65 percent of net costs for the installation of these systems. These woody strips are intended to mitigate climate change effects by protecting against evaporation and erosion, promoting CO2 sequestration in the soil, and enhancing biodiversity.

Applications must be submitted to the Offices for Food, Agriculture, and Forestry by September 30. Additionally, the program is structured so that farms can apply for annual European Union payments through eco-schemes to maintain the established agroforestry strips.