Bliesgau Weltacker
The Bliesgau Weltacker is an educational project in the heart of the UNESCO Bliesgau Biosphere Reserve in Saarland. Covering 2,000 square metres, it symbolises the average arable land available to each person worldwide. The Weltacker is based on the ‘Planetary Health Diet’ nutrition plan of the Lancet Commission, which aims to promote sustainable and healthy nutrition within planetary boundaries by 2050.
The arable land in Bliesgau covers 1200 square meters, while the remaining 800 square meters are characterized by an old stock of fruit trees that date back to times when a farmer farmed the land. These trees are a living testimony to the agricultural history of the region.
The project was launched in 2022 at the Sonnenbogen farm belonging to the Ballhorn family. Hannes Ballhorn, our ‘Global Field gardener’, initiated the project and laid out the 2000 m² of arable land with the help of volunteers. This is how the Weltacker Working Group came about, bringing together interested parties from the region, including an employee of the biosphere reserve authority who took care of labelling the crops. The opening ceremony took place in August 2023, and at the end of 2023, the non-profit Bliesgau Weltacker e.V. association was founded to further develop and promote the project.
The Bliesgau Weltacker is located in the Golddorf Wolfersheim, a small traditional workers‘ and farmers’ village that was honoured for its development in the ‘Our village has a future’ competition. Surrounded by the Bliesgau landscape, the theory behind the Weltacker is easier to understand when you see the surrounding agriculture, where relics of traditional ecological agriculture can be found. Particularly around Wolfersheim, the connection to nature and agriculture is immediately apparent.
Particularly worthy of mention is the sustainable method of cultivation used in the Weltacker, which is based on the principles of permaculture here in Bliesgau. This philosophy promotes an agriculture that respects natural cycles and uses regenerative practices to create healthy soils and stable ecosystems in the long term. Permaculture makes it possible to use agricultural land in a way that conserves resources while maintaining biodiversity. This is how we want to be a friend and partner to nature.
As part of the Bliesgau Biosphere Reserve, the Bliesgau Weltacker is dedicated to education for sustainable development (ESD) and supports the global goals of the United Nations (SDGs). The field provides a practical example of how global challenges such as climate change, food security and resource protection can be tackled at the local level. School classes and visitors learn about the importance of resource-efficient farming methods and sustainable agriculture in workshops and guided tours. The Bliesgau Weltacker is part of an international network of Global Fields and makes a valuable contribution to raising awareness of sustainable agriculture. It impressively demonstrates how we can all positively shape the future of our planet through responsible consumption and production decisions.
