Ostalb is changing: Protein plants are revolutionizing agriculture!

Ostalb is changing: Protein plants are revolutionizing agriculture!

The first “Alb Protein Plant Day” took place on the Ostalb on June 20, 2025, where farmers showed how they are adapting to new climatic conditions. These adaptations have been generating a lot of interest for some time, especially after temperatures rose above 20 degrees Celsius in March 2025 and weeks of drought are no longer the exception. In the future, such weather could become the norm, making it possible to grow plants such as chickpeas, soybeans and lupins on the Ostalb, the Heilbronner Zeitung reported HZ.de.

Farmers are increasingly taking advantage of the milder winters and warm springs to grow winter lentils and winter beans. This also brings advantages for consumers because they can now enjoy non-animal proteins from regional cultivation. During the event, organic farmer Dieter Leibing presented his cultivation experiments on 16 fields and emphasized the positive effects of these crops on soil quality. “Protein plants improve the soil and offer us a valuable regional source of protein,” he explained.

A growing interest

Interest in such vegetable proteins is not only growing among farmers. Antonia Kotschi, the regional manager, noted that the demand for lentils and the like has increased significantly, especially due to the vegetarian and vegan movement. However, growing and harvesting such legumes involves risks, as choosing the right variety shows. A well-chosen legume can sustainably improve soil fertility because it enters into a symbiosis with nodule bacteria, which contributes to humus formation.

The cultivation of protein plants also has a high priority at the political level. As the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) emphasizes, the protein crop strategy aims to expand crop rotations in Germany and Europe to include legumes. This should not only make agriculture more sustainable, but also contribute to saving the climate by reducing the use of nitrogen fertilizers and at the same time promoting the regional production of plant proteins. As part of this strategy, over 41 million euros will be made available for funding, which further underlines the importance of pulses in agriculture BMEL.de.

Climate change as a challenge and opportunity

But it's not just in the Ostalb region that people are thinking about agriculture and climate change. Numerous studies show that extreme weather conditions, such as those that occurred in Europe in 2018, can significantly impact agricultural production. According to the BMEL, the increasing frequency of such extreme weather conditions requires adaptation strategies to mitigate negative impacts. Simple irrigation solutions are already being discussed, while growing legumes is a promising approach to support both the environment and farmers' economic viability bpb.de.

In summary, the first edition of the Alb Protein Plant Day impressively illustrated how farmers deal with the challenges of climate change and at the same time adapt their products to the demand for regional plant proteins. The future could not only look greener, but also healthier.