Germany's Mosel Valley: Can Tourism Help Preserve Its Cultural Heritage?

Job, Hubert; Murphy, Ann Elaine

doi:10.3727/154427206776330526

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Land abandonment has complex interactions within the landscape that has been cultivated for centuries. On one hand, it may affect landscape dynamics on a large scale, such as reducing water resources [53], and on the other, changing the landscape's visual characteristics is a detriment for tourism [54]. The abandonment, or non-cultivation of vineyards, leads to very specific problems of dissemination of diseases such as black rot and phylloxera [55][56][57].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of Runoff and Soil Erosion on Abandoned Steep Vineyards in the Mosel Area, Germany

Seeger

Rodrigo‐Comino

Iserloh

et al. 2019

Water

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The Mosel Wine region has suffered during the last decades a decrease in productive area, mostly on steep sloping vineyards. To avoid the spread of diseases, the extraction of grapevines on abandoned vineyards is mandatory in Rhineland-Palatinate. At the same time, the organic production of wine is growing slowly, but well established in the area. We assess in this paper the degree of the land-use changes, as well as their effect on runoff generation and sediment production, depending on the age of the abandonment, as well as the type and age of the land management, whether organic or conventional. Land use data were obtained to identify land-use change dynamics. For assessment of runoff generation and soil erosion, we applied rainfall simulation experiments on the different types of vineyard management. These were organically managed, conventionally managed and abandoned ones, all of varying ages. During the last decades of the last century, a decrease of around 30% of vineyard surface could be observed in Germany’s Mosel Wine Region, affecting mostly the steep sloping vineyards. Despite a high variability within the types of vineyard management, the results show higher runoff generation, and soil erosion associated with recently installed or abandoned vineyards when compared to organic management of the vineyards, where erosion reached only 12%. In organic management, runoff and erosion are also reduced considerably, less than 16%, after a decade or more. Thus, organic vineyard management practices show to be very efficient for reduction of runoff and erosion. Consequently, we recommend to adopt as far as possible these soil management practices for sustainable land management of steep sloping vineyards. In addition, soil protection measures are highly recommended for vineyard abandonment according to the law.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of Runoff and Soil Erosion on Abandoned Steep Vineyards in the Mosel Area, Germany

Seeger

Rodrigo‐Comino

Iserloh

et al. 2019

Water

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“…The current analysis was limited to monetary costs; it did not consider potential positive and negative external effects. True cost accounting (Falcone et al, 2015) that also prices external effects, such as the full cost of water usage and irrigation, biodiversity, pesticide use and soil carbonisation, as well as the benefits for biodiveristy and tourism from steep slopes (Cox and Underwood, 2011;Job and Murphy, 2006;Tafel and Szolnoki, 2020) would be required to make a cost-efficient decision for society at large. Irrigation costs were not included in this study because the analysed sites were not irrigated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of low-input training systems on viticultural costs on flat terrain and steep slope sites

2021

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Low-input training systems, such as minimal pruning (MP) and the semi-minimal pruned hedge (SMPH), require less working hours as a result of fewer viticultural process steps and permit a higher degree of mechanisation. However, their effect on viticultural costs and per litre costs on both flat terrain and steep slopes has not yet been analysed. This study quantifies the viticultural costs of vertical shoot positioning (VSP) and low-input training systems for standard processes on different types of flat terrain and steep slope vineyards. The costs were obtained from a dataset of 1,519 working time records of labour and machine hours from 20 vineyards belonging to five German wine estates over three years. The costs for standard viticultural processes were compared across three pairs of VSP and low-input training site types with different mechanisation intensities. The comparison was carried out by univariate analysis of variance with fixed and random effects, and by descriptive analysis of mean values.On flat terrain, SMPH significantly decreased the costs for the viticultural steps of winter pruning, tying, shoot positioning and defoliation, but it increased the cost for pest control. Hence, the total cost on flat terrain decreased marginally, but still significantly, by 46 %. The cost effects on steep slopes were similar, decreasing by 34 % for SMPH in unsupported steep slope harvester sites and by 46 % for MP rope and winch-supported steep slope sites. The per-litre costs were calculated for different yield levels. Since the yield in low input systems is higher than in VSP, the production costs per litre further decreased.The study confirmed the high cost-saving potential for wine growers of the mechanisation of canopy management and the omission of winter pruning in low-input systems. Combined with higher yields, the cost savings from low-input systems are particularly suitable for producers of bulk wine and market entry and mid-level wine profiles. By converting to low-input systems, the costs associated with mechanisable steep slope vineyards can be reduced to amounts approximating VSP on flat terrain. For certain wine profiles, low-input systems should therefore constitute an integral part of strategies to increase the economic sustainability of steep slope viticulture. The estimated cost benchmarks provide critical input for the cost-based pricing policy of steep slope growers. These benchmarks also give agricultural policy reliable indicators of the subsidies required for preserving steep slope landscapes.

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“…While steep slopes are no longer required to grow ripe grapes, they still provide positive external effects to society in the form of benefits for tourism and biodiversity (Cox and Underwood, 2011;Job and Murphy, 2006;Tafel and Szolnoki, 2020). European agricultural policy pays subsidies to steep slope wine growers to compensate for the benefits of the public goods provided.…”

Section: Positive External Effects Of Steep Slopes For Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rationale for subsidies for steep slope viticulture should be based on their positive benefits for biodiversity, touristic attractiveness of viticultural regions and wine producer business clusters as well as the public value of historic landscapes (Cox and Underwood, 2011;Job and Murphy, 2006;Tafel and Szolnoki, 2020). Unfortunately, those positive external effects are as of yet unassessed and therefore unavailable.…”

Section: Consequences For Agricultural Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

The cost disadvantage of steep slope viticulture and strategies for its preservation

Strub

Loose

2021

OENO One

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The falling fallow of steep slope vineyards is caused by cost disadvantages that have not been analysed so far. This study quantified the production costs of different types of steep slopes, identified cost drivers within viticultural processes and assessed the impact of grape yield on the production cost for vertical shoot positioning (VSP) systems. It also examined under what conditions the reshaping of steep slope vineyards into transversal terraces (TTs) is economically viable. Costs were derived from a dataset of 2321 working time records for labour and machine hours from five German wine estates over three years. The costs for standard viticultural processes were compared across five site types with different mechanisation intensities by univariate analysis of variance with fixed and random effects. The net present value (NPV) of reshaping slopes into horizontal terraces was also assessed. Manual management of steep slopes was determined to be 2.6 times more costly than standard flat terrain viticulture. The cost disadvantage of steep slopes mainly stems from viticultural processes with limited mechanisability that require specialised equipment and many repetitions. Current subsidies fall short of covering the economic disadvantage of manual and rope-assisted steep slopes. Climate change-related drought and yield losses further increase the economic unsustainability of steep slopes. Under certain conditions, the transformation of manual steep slope sites into TTs can be a viable economic option. Strategies to reduce the cost disadvantage are outlined. The estimated cost benchmarks provide critical input for steep slope wine growers’ cost-based pricing policy. These benchmarks also give agricultural policy reliable indicators of the subsidies required for preserving steep slope landscapes and of the support needed to transform manual steep slope sites into TTs.

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Germany's Mosel Valley: Can Tourism Help Preserve Its Cultural Heritage?

Cited by 14 publications

References 3 publications

Dynamics of Runoff and Soil Erosion on Abandoned Steep Vineyards in the Mosel Area, Germany

Dynamics of Runoff and Soil Erosion on Abandoned Steep Vineyards in the Mosel Area, Germany

The effects of low-input training systems on viticultural costs on flat terrain and steep slope sites

The cost disadvantage of steep slope viticulture and strategies for its preservation

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