Greener pastures for Europe's farms

Over the last 30 years, Europe's grasslands have been progressively reduced in size. Meanwhile, Europeans are becoming more concerned about the state of their environment and the sustainability of intensive production systems.

These and other concerns favour an increasing role for grassland farming systems for the future. To help achieve this goal, the EU-funded MULTISWARD project was established.

The project aimed to develop grassland production and management systems suited to the diversity of European farming systems, soil and climate conditions, and socioeconomic circumstances. Initially, the project defined and reported on the different roles of grasslands and their usefulness.

Furthermore, experiments on plant species biodiversity and ecosystem services were completed at different European study sites. These studies revealed that multi-species grasslands could provide the same support for cattle and other animals as highly fertilised grasses while reducing the environmental impacts linked to high level of nitrogen fertilisation.

Project members also developed strategies to improve grazing management to bring more insect pollinators into permanent grassland. Another aspect of MULTISWARD focused on farm models and sets of indicators to evaluate the multiples performances of grassland-based farming systems both at farm and regional levels.

The completed MULTISWARD project will reinforce the environmental benefits of grassland-based animal production in Europe. Such achievements will result in greater acceptance of these production systems by European citizens, consumers and farmers.