Thank you Germany: Part 068: Agriculture provides good food and a beautiful environment

Although Germany is a modern industrialised nation, it also has a well-established agricultural sector. This is specifically promoted. On the one hand, the country has sustainable food. On the other hand, it also ensures that there are many green areas and a beautiful environment in Germany. When it comes to food, agricultural production ensures that not only certain types of fruit end up on the shelves of department stores and markets. Rarer apple varieties, special potatoes and high-quality cereals can also be bought here at a low price. This opportunity is worth its weight in gold for any gourmet. But people with a special awareness of the environment and the preservation of biodiversity also know that they have something very special here.

The wide range of different types of fruit and vegetables not only ensures a wide range of flavours and thus enriches the kitchen. It also ensures that many different plants are represented in the fields and meadows. This, in turn, provides animals with a wider range of habitats. From bees to small beetles or butterflies, every inhabitant feels at home in well-supplied and diversely cultivated fields. Where there is no monoculture, there is also less pest infestation by insects.

Nature has its own sustainable means of providing for and protecting its plants from pests. Farmers who have been involved in agriculture for generations are often well informed about this knowledge. They do not need to use pesticides to control pests, but instead rely on proper cultivation and natural means. By promoting organic farming, important knowledge is gained that is necessary for such production. It also ensures that fruit and vegetables are grown with fewer harmful substances. In this way, consumers in Germany also benefit from agriculture. Regional cultivation means that the fruits of this harvest do not have to be transported over such long distances. This reduces the biological footprint and can also lower the price. For both reasons, Germans like to buy from their favourite organic farmer or buy food supplies at their local market.

Organic farming also creates a special urban and rural landscape. The cultivated fields are a beautiful sight. On walks and bike rides, they are just the right scenic panorama to unwind and find your inner self. Many Germans like to take advantage of this opportunity. The fact that there is such a well-developed agricultural sector here is also thanks to economic subsidies. Not everything is self-sustaining. Some things also have to be subsidised economically so that they can be run. But Germany has recognised that it is an important task to provide such support.

The visual, flavour and ecological benefits of environmentally conscious farming pay off in the long term. In other countries, there is not always an awareness of this. In Germany, we can be grateful for this every time we take a walk through the countryside. Agriculture makes Germany sustainably more beautiful.