Project

Grassland use in a changing climate

Code
179W3420
Duration
01 December 2020 → 30 November 2024
Funding
Regional and community funding: IWT/VLAIO
Research disciplines
  • Agricultural and food sciences
    • Agricultural land management and planning
Keywords
grassland use
 
Project description

The aim of this project is to make grassland use more sustainable for dairy farmers in a changing climate by using more drought-tolerant grasses and incorporating them into Flemish dairy rations in combination with clover or not. Making dairy farming more sustainable means better profitability, by becoming less dependent
of volatile feed prices as well as ecologically responsible grassland use. Sustainable grassland exploitation not only pursues climate adaptation by incorporating grass species that are more persistent and drought tolerant, but also climate mitigation by storing or retaining carbon in the soil under the grassland, by limiting N-fertilisation and by pursuing high digestibility.