Weltacker Osnabrück

Since 2021, Osnabrück in northwest Germany has also had a World Field. Here, however, the 2000m² are designed differently than on most world farms: Osnabrück is home to the kind of agriculture we would like to see everywhere: Namely, a world field according to the nutritional suggestions of the Planetary Health Diet.

The Planetary Health Diet (PHD) points the way to an agriculture and diet that could feed 10 billion people on earth well and healthily without destroying our planet. The concept is scientifically sound and can help solve the ecological and social crises that beset us all. In addition to changes in agriculture, it requires a reduction in food waste by at least half – and different eating habits than we have today.

And that’s what the Osnabrück World Field is all about! The team grows the food needed for a diet based on the Planetary Health Diet: Lots of fruit, vegetables and pulses, plus whole grains and oil plants, even if the latter are not harvested due to a lack of infrastructure, but only shown in their diversity. Small amounts of animal feed also grow on the field, because meat in smaller quantities is also possible according to the PHD, as is a limited amount of dairy products.

Above all, however, the Osnabrückers want to demonstrate a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and pulses that will not turn a change in diet into a monotonous renunciation, but will instead offer many new things. This also involves cooking and experimenting with a variety of international recipes. An Osnabrück project, for example, takes an intercultural approach to the Planetary Health Diet: Here, the team and visitors discuss the concept from different perspectives and draw on the rich vegetarian and vegan traditions of various cultures, which are cooked together in the field. Time and time again, it turns out that eating a varied, plant-based diet is fun and beneficial for everyone involved! In addition to the PHD events, various field mornings are also offered for school classes of all ages, as well as workshops and guided tours for adults. Occasionally there is a concert or a party, usually with a delicious buffet. And the Osnabrücker Weltacker is involved in numerous collaborations with initiatives that also have an interest in different agriculture and nutrition and in global justice.