RDP project database

Hunters are instrumental in persuading many farmers to plant fodder strips so as to improve wildlife habitat, biodiversity and soil quality where flora and fauna were previously diminishing due to intensive monocropping.

Intensive arable farming in Czech Republic has contributed to the decline of wildlife and biodiversity as well as to the deterioration of soil quality. This EAFRD project gave farmers the opportunity to receive some financial help in return for planting fodder strips alongside their crops. However, the costs and commitment were greater than the benefits.

The aim of this scheme is to maintain and enhance biodiversity on arable farms and to improve soil quality by offering financial incentives for farmers under measures 214 and 216 to plant fodder strips that encourage wildlife and plant biodiversity.

In spite of the rather demanding application process needed, a good number of farmers applied thanks to the strong support of the Hunters’ Society local offices. Hunters met farmers and persuaded them to join the project, illustrating the benefits for farmers, hunters and the general public, as well as the expected results on local environment.

Thanks to the work of the Hunters’ Society local offices, the number of farmers interested in this type of project increased. By 2011, a total of 1,100 hectares of fodder strips were planted, representing 1,100 km of strips of 10 meters wide. The increased wildlife and improved soil conservation have also benefitted hunters and the entire community.

In the previous programming period, the lack of direct communication with beneficiaries resulted in only a handful of applications. This revealed that correct dissemination of information is essential to the success of a scheme. This project relied on “brokers” to encourage farmers to apply. This experience led to the attempt to create a new delivery system relying on such "brokers" and to be able to compensate them in future projects.

Village of Šardice, South Moravia. The financial figures referred to 2011.

Jihomoravsky kraj

Czech Republic

1 140 000

910 000

230 000

Petr Marada

p.marada@quick.cz

+420 545 132 380

English, Czech