Germany - Soils, Climate, Agriculture (2024)

FAQs

How does Germany's climate affect agriculture? ›

Vulnerabilities Germany - Higher temperatures

Moreover, higher winter temperatures decrease the risk of frost damages. However, when the optimum is surpassed, yields of all crop types decrease. Extreme temperatures can harm plants permanently (3).

The till (ground moraine) of the North German Plain and Alpine Foreland has heavy but fertile soil. Other productive soils include those based on fluvial deposits in river valleys (e.g., those in the Rhine floodplain from Mainz to Basel, Switzerland).

In Germany, there are a number of different soil structures: from sandy subsoil to loam and loess soils to brittle slate and hard granite.

The two most widespread forms of agricultural land use are cereal cultivation (including corn for its grains) and permanent pasture; both are important sources of animal feed.

In Germany, the degree of self-sufficiency (=”What percentage of the required agricultural products are produced in the own country” (1)) is quite high (89% in 2019), but still varies strongly among the different food groups: While the production of pork, potatoes, milk or sugar exceeds 100% of the self-sufficiency ...

A few of Germany's top agricultural exports are: wheat, barley, potatoes, rapeseed and soybean. 83-98% of the food energy consumed in Germany comes from crops that are not native to region.

Found in Ukraine, parts of Russia and the USA, mollisols are some of the world's most fertile soil. This type of soil includes black soils with high organic content.

Loamy-textured soils are commonly described as medium textured with functionally-equal contributions of sand, silt, and clay. These medium-textured soils are often considered ideal for agriculture as they are easily cultivated by farmers and can be highly productive for crop growth.

Grain is grown on about one third of Germany's agricultural land. Wheat is by far the leading crop, followed by barley and rye.

The most productive agricultural soil is to be found along the major river valleys of Europe such as the Danube, Rhine, Seine and their estuaries. It is interesting to note that all societies have long recognised the productivity of these dark and base-rich soils.

Does Germany have right of soil? ›

German citizenship acquired through birth in Germany

Since 2000, children born in Germany to foreign parents acquire German citizenship at birth in addition to the foreign citizenship of their parents, on the principle of jus soli (Latin for "right of the territory").

The soil pH of both land-use types showed a bimodal distribution, with peaks at pH 6.1 and 7.3 for cropland and pH 5.0 and 7.1 for grassland. Soils with pH <5 were mainly found on sandy soils in northern Germany and acidic parent material in southern Germany.

Germany is part of the temperate, rainy climate zone of the mid-latitudes. The annual mean temperature between Sylt (an island in northern Germany) and the Zugspitze (Germany's highest peak) from 1961 to 1990 was 8.2°C. The sun shines an average of 1,544 hours per year.

It includes the cultivars spring barley, winter barley, grain maize, silage maize, oats, potatoes, winter rape (i.e., winter oil-seed rape), rye, sugarbeet, triticale and winter wheat. In Germany, these crops cover, on average, about 9.5 million hectares (million ha) per year and over 80% of arable land.

Over 57% of the area is agricultural land and 30% is covered with forests. Milk, cereals as well as vegetables and horticultural products are the most important sectors in terms of production value. German agriculture is market-oriented, with certain sectors being very export-oriented.

Reduced grain and forage quality can reduce the ability of pasture and rangeland to support grazing livestock. More extreme temperature and precipitation can prevent crops from growing. Extreme events, especially floods and droughts, can harm crops and reduce yields.

Climate change is leading to long-term impacts on agriculture in Germany, more intense heatwaves and coldwaves, flash and coastal flooding, and reduced water availability.

In Germany between 5-30% of the present animal and plant species could be affected (10,16). The “worst case” scenario shows a possible loss of species in Germany by the year 2080 ranging from 25% (northwestern Germany) to over 50% (southern and eastern Germany) per grid cell (11).

Germany is the world's third largest exporter of agricultural goods. The German agricultural industry exports about one third of its products.