Operating changeover

For a conventionally managed farm, 5 - 10 students prepare a realistic analysis and planning for a conversion to organic farming. Since 1984, project planning has been carried out for about 150 farms. Most of these farms are located within a radius of 200km from Witzenhausen.

Based on a concrete case study, the student project groups learn to apply their specialist knowledge in a completely new way in concrete action references and in a networked manner: e.g. soil science, crop rotation, nutrient flows, animal husbandry, business management and marketing. The project group works together as a team for three quarters of a year, must submit a detailed written report at the end and prepare a public presentation of the results. Intensive communication is necessary in advance, both with each other and with the people on the farm.

The students praise above all the high practical relevance of the project. In addition, it is shown that the learning success depends in particular on the cooperation within the group and with the farm managers. The farm managers of the previous conversion farms were also surveyed as part of final theses. Here, too, the overall level of satisfaction is very high. Many aspects of the student plan farms largely coincide with the farms that have since been converted.