Orchards are a true biodiversity hotspot. PlantC aims, on its scale, to preserve and enhance a conservation orchard project near Soumagne. But first, a brief overview of the conservation orchard concept…
Fruit Varieties: A Centuries-Old Heritage
At the end of the Second World War, Belgium still had over 70,000 hectares of standard-tree orchards, mainly including apple and pear trees, but also plums and cherries. They were the result of a rich and diversified varietal selection, inherited from the 18th and 19th centuries. Belgium was also a dynamic region in this field, even being the historical cradle of pear varieties. Standard-tree orchards were located around village centers, in meadows most often grazed by livestock. Tree grafting was then a common practice, mastered by a predominantly rural population, and biodiversity benefited from it.
A standard-tree orchard offers a valuable habitat structure for many invertebrate and vertebrate species, such as certain birds: nuthatches, tits, woodpeckers, owls, and other birds of prey. The fruits, which are never 100% harvested, benefit many of them, while old trees offer numerous nesting opportunities.
In the context of the end of the Second World War, the focus was on improving productivity, curbing rationing, and the risk of famine. Agriculture then took the path of intensification and specialization. Land consolidation, adapting plots for mechanization, resulted in massive, and often subsidized, uprooting of hedges and trees. The uprooting of standard-trees was financed to streamline and standardize production. In terms of fruit growing, this period corresponded to a significant impoverishment of our centuries-old fruit varietal heritage. Dwarf-tree fruit growing, more productive and input-intensive, became dominant, relying on a few well-known varieties, still staples in our supermarkets. The biodiversity associated with standard-tree orchards very likely also experienced a sharp decline during this period.
A Conservation Effort
To prevent the outright disappearance of this heritage, the Walloon Agricultural Research Centre (CRA-W) initiated a remarkable conservation program over 30 years ago. Primarily starting from private gardens, no fewer than 3500 fruit varieties have been preserved in the CRA-W collection.
To contribute to this conservation effort, a network of so-called “conservation” orchards has spread across the territory to duplicate the varieties. Conservation orchards are composed of over 60% of varieties that are not found in any nursery catalog today, directly inherited from our past. The challenge is also to reintroduce historical varieties very locally.
Heritage Genetics to Face Future Uncertainties
Is it not paradoxical to consider that old genetics can help us adapt our agriculture to global changes? The climate of the 18th and 19th centuries having largely contributed to the selection of fruit varieties.
One of the first counter-arguments is to highlight the disease tolerance of standard-trees. Variety breeders naturally did not have phytosanitary control methods, as is the case today. This characteristic allows for the operation of “zero-treatment” orchards. Standard-trees are also more vigorous, and their powerful root systems make them more resilient to climatic hazards. Furthermore, there is an intrinsic interest in their rich diversity: fruit diversity constitutes a rich genetic heritage that can be mobilized against the few dwarf-tree varieties. Diversifying varieties within the same orchard allows for spreading out flowering periods. Thus, the orchard is less susceptible to climatic hazards (late frosts, hail, etc.).
The recent redeployment of standard-tree orchards allows for concretely combating the collapse of biodiversity in rural areas. It also enables the maintenance of economically valuable local production. An entrepreneurial fabric is being recreated around the orchard ecosystem (presses, pickers, table fruit, etc.). This allows for reconsidering fruit production as agricultural diversification, rather than a difficult-to-access specialization.
Today, we are proud to be able to contribute to the creation of a conservation orchard
In the Pays de Herve, one of the strongholds of our fruit growing, various stakeholders are uniting to create a conservation orchard of 87 trees!
A project led by Frédérique and the Colyn family.
PlantC wants to introduce you to this magnificent project, for our heritage, the resilience of our biodiversity, and the rural economy!
