"It is one of the special features of our district that we have an honorary consular representation of the Republic of Ecuador in Ludwigsburg," said District Administrator Allgaier. "I am therefore all the more pleased that we are able to get to know representatives of this South American country and its traditions and peculiarities here." Prefect Caizabanda came to the district administration office accompanied by his wife and daughter. They not only watched the district film together, but also enjoyed a very special view of the baroque city and the district on a ride on the City Star Ferris wheel. "We are very excited to intensify our exchange and connections," continued District Administrator Allgaier. The plan is for the prefect to come to the district of Ludwigsburg on his next visit, accompanied by mayors from his province.
Guests visit Demeter farm in Erdmannhausen
The following day, the prefect went on an excursion to farms. The tour started at the Bay family's Demeter farm in Erdmannhausen, where organic farming has been practiced since 1980. Farm manager Joachim Bay explained the principle of biodynamic agriculture to the prefect. This aims to achieve a closed-loop economy, which is why the farmer keeps fattening bulls to utilize the fodder legumes. Their manure is in turn spread on the farm's own land so that valuable nutrients are retained on the farm as plant fertilizer.
Bay also presented the cooperation project with the Ludwigsburg Landscape Conservation Association. A cereal field was visited, which was planted last year as a so-called light field. "We sowed the winter wheat with an extended drill row spacing. In addition, an undersow was sown at the end of March. This measure is intended in particular to protect field birds, such as the partridge, but also insects," explained the farmer.
A special highlight at the end of the farm tour for the prefect was the sight of the mobile chicken coops and the free-range farming of the animals.
Talhof fruit farm is another stop
The tour continued to the "Talhof" fruit farm run by the Häberle family in Erligheim. "We grow pome fruit, such as apples and cherries, on around 22 hectares," explains farm manager Thomas Häberle. In view of the increasing challenges posed by climate change and water scarcity, but also to prevent frost damage, the farmer has integrated an irrigation system into his land. By using modern irrigation techniques in the form of drip and over-crown irrigation, the farm ensures the harvest of regional apples and cherries. The prefect showed great interest in these technologies, as water resources are also of crucial importance in Ecuador.
Rock gardens in Besigheim were also on the program
A stopover took the delegation to the rock gardens in Besigheim. Looking out over the terraced vineyards, Philipp Mayer, viticulture advisor at the Ludwigsburg district office, emphasized the importance of preserving these steep slopes. "There are still around 300 hectares of steep vineyards in the entire district. The characteristic steep slopes along the Neckar bend form the core zone of Württemberg viticulture. The preservation of these steep slopes is under threat like never before," says Philipp Mayer. These areas are of great ecological importance for numerous animal and plant species. The viticulture consultant made it clear that "the current situation of cultivation on steep slopes is difficult". Many winegrowers are already giving up cultivation because the workload is high and there is insufficient financial reward. This makes it all the more important to support local wine production.
Conclusion at the farm in Pflugfelden
The last stop was the Dobler family's dairy farm in Pflugfelden, which specializes in processing the farm's own milk. Joachim Dobler gave the delegation a tour of the farm dairy. "I work in the dairy every day and process around 2,000 liters of milk. All of the milk from our herd is processed here into prefermented milk, yogurt, butter and other dairy products," explained the farm manager. The farm supplies various farm stores and supermarkets in the region with its products.
Prefect Dr. Caizabanda emphasized the importance of international exchange on agricultural issues and was impressed by the projects and technologies presented.
