Landskabsbrug

Landskabsbrug is a term used primarily in Danish agriculture and rural planning to describe a land-management approach that prioritizes landscape quality alongside agricultural production. It treats the cultivated countryside as a holistic system, with emphasis on ecological health, cultural heritage, and aesthetic value in addition to farm profitability.

Goals of landskabsbrug include maintaining biodiversity, protecting soil and water resources, increasing climate resilience, supporting rural communities, and enhancing public enjoyment of the landscape. The approach seeks to balance productive use of land with the preservation of landscape values and ecosystem services.

Practices commonly associated with landskabsbrug include maintaining hedgerows and field margins, establishing buffer strips along watercourses, restoring traditional elements such as stone walls, and incorporating agroforestry where appropriate. Other measures may involve crop rotations, cover crops, reduced tillage, and careful water management to reduce nutrient runoff and soil erosion. These practices aim to create a more resilient agricultural landscape that supports wildlife, water quality, and cultural heritage.

Implementation often involves policy instruments and collaboration among farmers, local authorities, and conservation organizations. Agri-environment schemes, subsidies for landscape-friendly management, and regional landscape planning are typical tools used to encourage landskabsbrug. The approach can complement conventional farming by providing additional income streams or cost savings through improved resource efficiency and increased ecosystem services.

Overall, landskabsbrug represents an integrated view of farming that values landscape quality as part of long-term sustainability. It overlaps with concepts such as agroecology, landscape planning, and nature-based solutions, and is discussed within rural development and environmental policy contexts.