Farmers reach out to the Aquatic Warbler
"Cows do not feed on trees", – this was a short, but expressive response to our question to the farmers about their sustainable farming practices involving late mowing which jeopardizes quality fodder production for some. Nonetheless, hoping to find a common ground on the Aquatic Warbler conservation in Nemunas River Delta, project took a trip to Pagryniai, a village in Silute district, where most of those farming in Sysa polder reside.
We were happy to see that faces of the most of those who came to the meeting were familiar to us from this summer's meetings, therefore breaking the ice was not an issue.
Farmers actively engaged in a discussion about new agri-environmental scheme asking questions and providing their own comments.
How many birds are left there? What mowing regime is the best to protect their nests? Can we do anything about the water level in order to be able to remove the biomass on time? Many emphasized the necessity to mow at least twice, which is important for the quality of the next year's first biomass.
„But tell me what is better for the bird?“ – Terese from Silute wondered. Meanwhile, Martynas from Pagryniai was considering starting early mowing in his plots outside of Sysa polder which is important for birds and coming in here later to minimize his potential losses.
Experts from the Lithuanian Agrarian Economics Institute who are working on calculations for the new agri-environmental scheme were satisfied with the meeting as they gathered addition first-hand data to adjust datasets.
Despite the fact that there are still more questions than answers when it comes to the scheme itself, etablished cooperation is what counts at this stage.
