.. possible also in Austria?!

In 2019, Agro Rebels e.V. was founded with the main goal to help farmers who need to change their products towards to mediterranean fruits for exemple due to climate change.

The climate change is one of the biggest problems of our time, and it makes the cultivation of traditional fruits and vegetables more and more difficult. At the same time, the global warming opens up completely new vistas.

Agro Rebels with Dr. Markus Fink as scientific lead identifies and tests new, Mediterranean agricultural products, and establishes value chains for climate-adaptive products. Together with the BOKU Vienna (Ass.Prof. A. Spornberger) the following question is addressed for the first time in Austria on a scientific basis: which Mediterranean fruits and vegetables can be cultivated in which sub-climate region of Austria due to climate change? The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) is an important funder of our program.

Output from our first FFG-project is an e-Book for all interested farmers and private gardeners about the establishment of an olive grove in Central Europe (only in German).

The core purpose in our second FFG-project is to establish a general concept, how the climate change can be handled from farmers in Austria’s single sub-climate zones. With this concept, the agriculture shall be prepared for the next ‘climate age’ in Austria.

In our opinion, this can only described as follows: climate-adapted & soil activated cultivation of land.

The project is an important step to solve the problem of climate adaption in the Austrian agriculture. For the first time the problem is regarded holistically. Diverse possibilities of alternative plants are evaluated.  This evaluation is planned not only regionally or with focus on only one plant, but preferably nationwide and with many varieties of different herbs, fruits and vegetables. 3D aerial surveys will be helpful and sustainable cultivation will be focused on in order to save the land also for next generations.

As soon as available, information shall be published and shared with a big part of the ‘climate-victims’, our farmers. Currently the discussions are on-going, and we will keep you informed here, in which way this information will be shared.

Anyway a centre of competence for ‘climate change & agriculture’ with focus on the Eastern part of Austria shall be established together with partner companies, universities and research funders.

In this way, the Austrian agriculture will be assisted in their adaptation to the new climatic conditions. This means the establishment of new possibilities for farmers in rural and climate-threatened areas of Austria.

We are always looking for further partner farmers. If you are interested, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

An interview about the Mediterranean Agriculture with ‘Wetteronline’ (Klima wird wärmer - Olivenanbau wandert nach Österreich, 2023) and an Article in the 'Süddeutschen Zeitung' (2024) are available (both only in German).