Organic Farming and Compost Network Hesse (NÖK)

Cooperation between Farmers-based Research Network Hesse (PFN) and Organic Farming and Compost Network Hesse (Netzwerk Ökolandbau und Kompost Hessen NÖK)

NÖK Hesse is a four-year start-up project of the Hesse 2020-2025 Ökoaktionsplan (Organic Action Plan), which is funded by the Hessian Ministry of the Environment (HMUKLV). It serves the sustainable networking of stakeholders for the production and application of quality-assured organic and green waste composts in organic farming at all levels:

• Organic farms get in touch with compost and fermentation plants for organic and green waste
• Advisory services for organic farming get in touch with consulting and quality support for the plants
• Organic farming associations get in touch with the RGK Südwest, Gütegemeinschaft Kompost Südwest e. V.

https://noek-hessen.de/

Synergies in the cooperation between the NÖK and the PFN arise primarily in three of the six fields of action initiated by the NÖK.

Regarding field of action 2, expert advice, training courses for advisors and the further development of advice for composting facilities and organic farms are planned and implemented. The PFN contributes its expertise in the planning and design of participatory processes to the programme design and realisation of events.

Regarding field of action 3, networking, events, publications, expert exchange and knowledge transfer are planned by the NÖK. Events for expert exchange and knowledge transfer are planned and realised together with the PFN. The NÖK was introduced to the PFN farms as part of the 2022 cross-project field day to inform them about the possibility of participating in the NÖK.

Field of action 4, demonstration, involves the creation of demonstration sites and the formation of demonstration duos or clusters of compost plants and farmers.
In the vegetable farming project group, compost is used in the ÖkoBoden4resilienz project in the trials on the three farms and the Geisenheim University trial site. Compost could be provided as part of the clusters’ collaboration and the knowledge transfer of research results could be further improved through the interaction of the two networks’ structures.