The Cherry Land of Witzenhausen: A cultural landscape under pressure
Witzenhausen is a charming and fascinating town. Located in in the hilly landscapes of North Hessen and crossed by the river Werra, Witzenhausen is one of the most well-known towns in the region. That reputation comes to some extent from its Faculty of Organic Agriculture, which makes this small town a hub of research, innovation and activism. However, to many people, Witzenhausen is known for its cherry tree landscapes. Witzenhausen is often referred to as the Cherry land, which seems an appropriate title. Visiting Witzenhausen you can find cherry-themed hiking routes, buy cherry wines in the stores, attend a harvest fair with its cherry-queen, and even participate in a cherry stone spitting championship.
Understanding local landscape history and change
For centuries, cherry trees have been one of Witzenhausen’s most important industries. The ecosystems and identity of the town have shaped each other over time, resulting in a very valuable cultural landscape. However, cultural landscapes are under strong stress in Germany and worldwide, and Witzenhausen’s cherry tree landscapes are no exception.
In fact, we observe some dynamics that could jeopardize the survival of these landscapes in the next decades. In 2022, we carried out oral history interviews with all the active cherry tree farmers in Witzenhausen. Oral histories are a method that builds on personal life experiences for understanding patterns, processes and pathways of socio-ecological systems. This method is particularly useful for understanding the changes in the landscape as perceived and expressed by some of the protagonists of those changes (Riley and Harvey 2007).
Our interviews show that a lot has changed in the last half century. In the past, the region had hundreds of small-scale, part-time, family-owned cherry farms. Many of these producers had plots of less than 1 ha and cherries were mainly harvested from high-stem trees. Over time, this part-time cultivation has almost disappeared. There has been a transition towards larger, full-time intensive production operations since the 1980s, which produce cherries with modern varieties and smaller trees.
This transition has to a large extent been motivated by economic factors. The type of multifunctional farm that was typical at the time became unprofitable. In response, farms progressively specialized into just one or very few crops, which had a cumulative effect of landscape homogenization in the region.
In parallel, cherry tree management was intensified and streamlined to maximize production and economic efficiency. This process was facilitated by a progressive mechanization of cherry tree farms at the cost of substantial investments. These changes in the landscape and in cherry tree management did not occur overnight, but rather, are the result of a gradual process.
“From the point of view of income, pure cherry-growing no longer brings in anything. Today, it’s more about tourism, which depends on this business.”
In relation to the impacts, the farmers share in the interviews a story of loss and change in the landscape, where a decline in biodiversity has been met with the progressive erosion of traditional knowledge, which has been replaced by technical knowledge.
“This agricultural structure has been lost. And as I observe it, the whole fauna and flora has also changed…Surely this also has to do with the changes in agriculture.”
Although the intensification of cherry tree farms brought financial growth to many operations, it has not alleviated the economic pressures. Instead, farmers describe a system that is pushed to its economic limit. This situation is worsened by increased climatic instability, which poses greater, perhaps insurmountable challenges for several cherry tree operations in the future.
The stone in the cherry — intensification hard to swallow for local ecological advocates
On the social side, these changes have led to continuous clashes with part of the local community, who does not approve this conventional agricultural model. There is a strong commitment for ecological agriculture in Witzenhausen, in part influenced by the university. Over the last decades, several initiatives have emerged that pursue alternative ecological models of food production. From the cherry tree farmers’ perspective, this influence has not significantly permeated into practice. Instead, two separate farming communities have emerged, with little understanding for each other and scarce willingness for knowledge exchange or collaboration.
“What I still find lacking, when we are on the subject of agriculture, is adequate dialogue from both sides with each other.”
From the cherry tree farmers’ side, this situation is perceived as rather unfair. They consider themselves as stewards of Witzenhausen’s cultural identity, a role that is not appreciated enough. At the same time, they don’t consider economically feasible any meaningful change in the trajectory of their agricultural model, at least from the management side. Many of them express a preference for how things were in the past, but feel that advocating for a return to those models is unrealistic and naive.
Addressing the challenges for a sweet and sustainable future
Cherry tree cultivation has achieved the remarkable feat of becoming an icon deeply linked to the local identity and landscape character of Witzenhausen. However, the current model is increasingly challenged by economic, social and ecological factors. It seems clear that some radical changes are needed.
The current tourism slogan of Witzenhausen is “Kirschen- und Universitätsstadt — Wissen liegt in unserer Natur“ (Cherry and university town — knowledge lies in our nature). Such a slogan gives the impression of a virtuous network of knowledge exchange, whereas in reality, there is room for improvement, at least from the cherry tree farmers’ perspective.
The Faculty of Organic Agriculture is currently developing advanced research in several lines of interest for cherry tree cultivation, such as the optimization of cropping systems, measures to increase soil fertility, agroforestry systems, pest protection and many more. Perhaps by incorporating the principles of sustainable management into their identity, cherry tree cultivation has the potential to promote a quality-turn in production and consumption, which secures its future. Such strategy would require the reinforcement of channels of communication and exchange. The University of Kassel stands in a privileged position for bridging the gap and turning the slogan of “Knowledge lies in our nature” into a reality.
References and links:
Riley, M., & Harvey, D. (2007). Oral histories, farm practice and uncovering meaning in the countryside. Social & Cultural Geography, 8(3), 391–415. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649360701488823
