Today's agriculture is more efficient than ever, but at the same time more and more butterflies, bees and birds are disappearing from our fields and meadows. Trees and hedges are disappearing to make way for large machines - farming is becoming more efficient, but the landscape is becoming more lifeless. How do we reconcile this: an agriculture that feeds us all and secures a good income for our farmers, but also provides a habitat for our wildlife and preserves our natural resources?
The European Union has set itself the goal of promoting such nature-friendly agriculture. However, it is often difficult to estimate in advance how a law would affect farmers and biodiversity.
To do this, we build computer models, such as the "Persefone" software (https://persefone-model.eu/de.html). We use them to simulate how the work of farmers affects animals such as birds and butterflies. We also want to find out under what circumstances it might be economically viable to restore hedgerows and other habitats. This will allow us to investigate what consequences new policy rules could have for both farms and nature.
Here at the stand, we explain how our computer models work and how we go about developing them. Visitors will have the opportunity to try out the software for themselves.