Agriculture on Pellworm is an important part of our island life. It is an essential source of income for the island people and plays a considerable part in preserving the cultural landscape and a way of life.
The conflict between sufficient income in family businesses and obligations of nature- and environmental protection can clearly be felt on Pellworm - like in many other regions of Europe.
About 3000 hectares of land are currently farmed. The structural change within agriculture has forced many farmers to give up their farms and has made it impossible for their children to take over their heritage. Today about 40 families basically earn their living as farmers. In many cases tourism serves as an additional source of earnings.
20% of the agricultural acreage are now managed by seven farmers on the basis of organic farming. They have become members of federations like “Bioland”,
“Naturpark”, or “Biopark” and they produce feed grain, milk and beef, pork and lamb.
Their products from organic are marketed individually or through marketing organizations of the various associations. The organic milk (1.3 mio ltrs) is delivered to the so called “Gläserne Meierei” "transparent dairy industry" in Upahl.
More direct marketing of local products from the island is desirable and continues to make sense even though at present it is only carried through to a small extent.
Conventional farming is practised in several dairy and crop farms, three sod breeding enterprises and by one keeper of layer hens. Most of these products are also sent to the mainland – unprocessed at a generally low price.
Since a couple of years 250 hectares of corn have been cultivated for the local biomass plant. This involves a major change of the scenery and ecological side-effects which are challenged by our association in a critical as well as constructive way.