LIFE-AgrOassis: Planting hedgerows to hold back the desert

Intense droughts driven by climate change are increasing the risk of land in arid areas degrading to the point they become unusable for agriculture - a process known as desertification. The LIFE-AgrOassis project is helping farmers in some of Europe's driest areas to combat this process - with the help of hedgerows.

Unsustainable farming practices are among the key drivers of desertification due to the intensive water usage and damage they can cause to the soil, which are exacerbated by climate change. Across the European Union, 23% of land is moderately sensitive to being degraded to the point where it turns into desert, while 8% is highly susceptible.

The United Nation's World Soil Day on 5 December highlights the need to preserve soils in vulnerable parts of the world while the recent EU Soil Monitoring Directive provides a framework to help achieve the goal of healthy soils across Europe by 2050.

Among the LIFE projects supporting these aims is LIFE-AgrOassis, which is working with olive and cereal farmers in the drylands of Cyprus, Thessaly, and eastern Crete in Greece.

The 4-year-long project, which began in 2022, aims to improve soil quality through 3 key approaches. First, teams of volunteers are being deployed to plant traditional hedgerows along field edges to help hold soil in place. Over two winter planting seasons since 2022, they have planted more than 6 000 deep-rooted, drought-resistant native trees and shrubs in Cyprus, creating 7.6 km of hedgerows. Among those taking part in the planting last December were members of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus . More planting is expected to take place this year.

The project team uses an innovative planting technique, with the trees and shrubs initially grown inside long tubes designed to train them to grow deep-roots before they are placed in the ground. These help the plants establish robust root systems that allow them to grow in dry conditions.

One farmer on Cyprus who has been planting hedgerows on his land with the help of the LIFE-AgrOassis project is Demetris Tsimouris. 'By applying sustainable practices, such as hedgerows and better soil management, we can protect crops from extreme weather and improve our land,' says Tsimouris. Dr Dimitris Sarris, director of KES Research Centre and scientific collaborator of LIFE-AgrOassis, says that intercropping, such as thyme, between fruit trees can also help save water and increase yields.

Ultimately, the LIFE-AgrOassis team hopes to plant more than 18 000 trees and shrubs in Cyprus and Greece by the end of the project in 2026, creating 33 km of hedgerows, with 30 km in Cyprus.

The LIFE-AgrOassis project team is also encouraging farmers to reduce the amount they till their fields, as the practice can increase erosion. Mulching - spreading a layer of organic material over the topsoil - is also promoted to prevent water loss and erosion.

The project is also working to turn agricultural waste and manure into sustainable compost that can be used to bolster soil quality in fields.

The LIFE-AgrOassis project contributes to the EU Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience, the Soil Strategy for 2030 and the Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change.