Collaboration for climate-friendly agriculture
Farmers work closely with nature and understand better than anyone the importance of preserving biodiversity. This understanding can lead to fruitful collaborations, such as those between Farmertronics and Silphie.nl. Silphie is an extraordinary plant that helps combat biodiversity loss and climate change. Farmertronics has developed an electric tractor, the eTrac, which emits no CO2 and operates autonomously. We attended a trial where the eTrac was used to sow Silphie seeds.
Silphie
This plant, commonly known as the “the cup plant” has fascinating potential. In a conversation with Peter Schreurs from Silphie.nl, we learned how he discovered the plant and its many uses. According to Peter, Silphie is particularly interesting for farmers, “The Silphie plant produces around 20 to 22 tons of dry matter per hectare per year. Additionally, it’s not an annual crop, it can thrive for 20 to 30 years.”
During that time, a significant amount of CO2 is stored in the soil, around 6 to 8 tons of CO2 are converted into humus per hectare per year. Additionally, this plant can be used to produce biogas, yielding approximately 12 million liters of biogas per hectare annually. Alternatively, you can choose to use its fibers, which can be processed into products like bioplastics. For nature, the Silphie plant offers even more benefits, it’s a flowering crop that attracts and supports a wide variety of insects by providing a rich food source.
eTrac
The Silphie seeds are being sown as part of a trial using the eTrac, a robotic tractor that emits no CO2. Weighing only 1,200 kg, it is significantly lighter than a conventional diesel tractor, reducing soil compaction and benefiting soil health. The eTrac offers even more advantages: it can accommodate various attachments, enabling it to perform a wide range of tasks such as mowing and hoeing autonomously. “You just need to program the route, and when you return after the required number of hours, the eTrac will have completed the work for you,” explains Thieu Berkers of Farmertronics, the eTrac’s developer. For Peter Schreurs, another key benefit is that the eTrac makes precision seeding much easier to accomplish.
Collaboration beyond regional boundaries
Farmertronics from Deurne, North Brabant, and Silphie.nl from Breklenkamp, in the eastern part of Overijssel, in the Netherlands, demonstrate how collaboration can further enhance sustainability efforts. Their partnership shows that working together doesn’t require being from the same region.
Also interesting:
Loss of biodiversity in the city
Nature-friendly farming better for biodiversity
