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Permanent grasslands
27 MAY 2016
Press article 500words
Improving permanent grasslands to the benefit of livestock, farmers and
the environment
The story of a Portuguese farmer with a passion for permanent pasture
David Crespo, a Portuguese researcher and farmer, wanted to turn his dry and nitrogen
lacking land into a fertile grassland for his herd. In 1965, while visiting some Southern
areas of Australia, he had an innovative idea. He was impressed with the success the
farmers had in recovering soils which had been worn out by an excessive cultivation of
cereals. They had achieved this by growing legume species such as sub-clovers and medics
to improve the pasture.
Back in Portugal, David considered the advantages of including legumes in his grasslands. He thought
about possible mixtures of different species and varieties to respond to the variability of local soil and
climate conditions. A few years later David Crespo first established this type of pasture on his own farm.
The first paddock was 42 ha, and since then, the area has grown to the current size of 264 ha of rainfed permanent pastures and 80 ha of fodder crops partially under irrigation. He has been able to increase
his herd from the original 300 merino ewes to the current 2200 Assaf milking ewes by transforming his
pasture. Not only his herd increased, his pasture became four times richer in terms of soil organic
matter, which had led to the sequestration in the soil of a considerable amount of atmospheric CO2.
This has also had very positive impacts on controlling erosion and increasing the water-holding capacity
of the soil.
Nitrogen-fixing legume species can help increase productivity at low cost if the Rhizobia, beneficial
microbes living in symbiosis with the plants’ roots, can fix nitrogen efficiently. For each legume species
there is a specific and effective strain of Rhizobium which is needed to fix nitrogen successfully in the
soil, so before composing any mixture, the legume seeds should be inoculated. David then went on to
think about what else was needed to keep a long-lasting, productive pasture. As well as providing
adequate phosphate fertilisers, he still had to include grasses which would use the excess nitrogen fixed
by legumes.
These are the elements that inspired him to create the concept of “biodiverse permanent pastures rich
in legumes”, complemented with “biodiverse fodder crops rich in legumes”.
Following his successful experience on his own farm, David wanted to provide other farmers with a tool
to sustainably improve their pasture and forage crops, based on legumes and biological Nitrogen
fixation. This is why he created his company Fertiprado, together with his sons.
According to David, permanent grasslands play a key role in conserving ecosystems, producing meat
and milk of high quality, increasing farmers’ profits and therefore keeping human populations in rural
areas. “These are really the main challenges which should be given full consideration if we wish to
continue benefiting from this outstanding resource” David concludes.
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PRESS ARTICLE PEMANENT GRASSLAND 27 MAY 2016
Press article 250words
Portuguese farmer improves permanent grasslands to the benefit of
livestock, farmers and the environment
David Crespo, a Portuguese researcher and farmer, wanted to turn his dry and nitrogen
lacking land into a fertile grassland for his herd. In 1965, while visiting Australia, he had
an innovative idea. He was impressed with the success the farmers had in recovering soils
which had been worn out by an excessive cultivation of cereals. They had achieved this by
growing legume species such as sub-clovers and medics to improve the pasture.
Back in Portugal, David considered the advantages of including legumes in his grasslands to respond to
the variability of local soil and climate conditions. A few years later David first established this type of
pasture on his own farm. The first paddock was 42 ha, and since then, the area has grown to the
current size of 264 ha of rain-fed permanent pastures and 80 ha of fodder crops partially under
irrigation. Hereby, his original herd of 300 merino ewes increased to 2200 Assaf milking ewes. Moreover,
his pasture is four times richer in terms of soil organic matter, which had led to the sequestration in the
soil of a considerable amount of atmospheric CO2. This has also had very positive impacts on controlling
erosion and increasing the water-holding capacity of the soil.
According to David, permanent grasslands play a key role in conserving ecosystems, producing meat
and milk of high quality, increasing farmers’ profits and therefore keeping human populations in rural
areas.
More information
This press article is based on the inspirational idea that appeared in the EIP-AGRI newsletter |
issue 24 | August 2015. This inspirational idea is also available in a Bulgarian version (translation
courtesy of the Bulgarian Institute for Agrostrategies and Innovations).
David Crespo has worked as a farmer for 30 years. Before that he was a researcher at the Plant
Improvement Station (INIA) in Elvas (Portugal) and also an FAO consultant as a specialist in
Mediterranean and subtropical pastures, having worked in Africa, West Asia, Central and South
America. Together with his sons he set up the company Fertiprado in 1990
(http://www.fertiprado.pt/en/). 25% of the company’s staff works on research and
development, focusing on new grassland varieties and species selection as well as improvement of
phosphorus utilisation by plant roots. He is now retired and his son has taken over as director, but he
continues to develop new ideas as on the first day.
David Crespo was one of the 20 European experts in the EIP-AGRI Focus Group on Permanent
grassland.
More background information on permanent grasslands:
 Amazing Grazing - going back to the roots (Netherlands)
 Sports apps for dairy cows, digital technology to combine grazing and automated
milking (Netherlands)
 Down on the farm, cows graze while robots milk (EU Horizon 2020 project)
 New technology to combine grazing and milking
More inspirational ideas on agriculture, forestry & innovation
are available on the EIP-AGRI website:
Winter harvest: supporting the development of organic winter growing
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Austria
PRESS ARTICLE PEMANENT GRASSLAND 27 MAY 2016
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Feeding pigs and poultry: tips for a 100% organic diet
Austria, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands,
Sweden, United kingdom
Pig farms in Flanders improve their performance by sharing data and results
Belgium
Manure processing: online discussion forum connects demand and supply
Belgium
Smart logistics to connect producers and consumers
Belgium
Healthy strawberries thanks to ‘flying doctors’
Finland
Biovakka, Manure management to produce biogas and nutrients in Finland
Finland
Turning waste into a resource - horse manure
France
Dealing with pests from the air
France
Thriving, not just surviving, support for new entrants into farming
France
Innovative technology for animal feed rich in protein
France
Farm demonstrations, discovering drones
France
Complying with environmental regulations when spraying crops
Germany
German Innovation office EIP Agricultural in Schleswig-Holstein ready to support
Operational Groups
Germany
Online videos to bring consumers and farmers closer
Germany
Adding a touch of spice to improve animal health
Greece
Finding the right match - farms for new entrants
Ireland
Precision farming, the right technology and sharing knowledge are key
The Netherlands
A new market for fruit and veg waste
Portugal
An app to find out where our food comes from (EN – BG version)
Slovenia
‘Mission possible' to preserve wetlands in Spain
Spain
Maintaining a resilient and dynamic agricultural sector in The Netherlands
The Netherlands
New technology to combine grazing and milking
The Netherlands
Sustainable egg production
The Netherlands
Craigie's farm: “We don’t just sell products, we sell the experience!”
United Kingdom
Increasing farm profitability while cutting carbon emissions, a toolkit developed
by farmers for farmers
United Kingdom
Improving feed intake in cows, sheep and goats
United Kingdom
PRESS ARTICLE PEMANENT GRASSLAND 27 MAY 2016
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Background information
EIP-AGRI
The European Innovation Partnership 'Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability' (EIP-AGRI) is one of
five EIPs which have been launched by the European Commission in a bid to promote rapid
modernisation of the sectors concerned, by stepping up innovation efforts. The EIP-AGRI aims to
foster innovation in the agricultural and forestry sectors by bringing research and practice closer
together – in research and innovation projects as well as via the EIP-AGRI network.
EIPs aim to streamline, simplify and better coordinate existing instruments and initiatives and
complement them with actions where necessary. Two specific funding sources are particularly
important for the EIP-AGRI: the EU Research and Innovation framework, Horizon 2020, as well as the
EU Rural Development Policy.
More information available in the EIP-AGRI brochure on the EIP-AGRI network (available in
English, French, Greek, Hungarian and Romanian).
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PRESS ARTICLE PEMANENT GRASSLAND 27 MAY 2016
EIP-AGRI Focus Group on permanent grassland
The EIP-AGRI Focus Group (FG) on permanent grassland was launched by the European Commission
in 2015, to provide an answer to the question how to manage permanent grassland in a way that
combines profitability, carbon sequestration and biodiversity.
The final report of this Focus Group has been published in April 2016.
Get all the information at a glance in the Permanent grassland factsheet.
An EIP-AGRI Focus Group is one of the building blocks of the EIP-AGRI network, which is funded
under the EU Rural Development policy. Working on a narrowly defined issue, EIP-AGRI Focus Groups
temporarily bring together 20 experts (such as farmers, advisers, researchers, up- and downstream
businesses and NGOs) to map and develop solutions within their field.
EIP-AGRI brochure on EIP-AGRI Focus Groups (available in English, Estonian, Finnish, Italian,
and Romanian)
Contact information
Ina Van Hoye
Communication officer
EIP-AGRI Service Point
[email protected]
+32 486 90 77 43
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