{"id":9114,"date":"2026-11-02T18:08:18","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T18:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecotop.org\/?page_id=9114"},"modified":"2026-11-02T19:12:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T19:12:00","slug":"citrus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ecotop.org\/de\/citrus\/","title":{"rendered":"Zitrusfr\u00fcchte"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Orange

Pflanzen, mit denen wir arbeiten<\/p>

Zitrusfr\u00fcchte<\/h1>

Citrus spp.<\/em><\/p>

Oranges and other citrus grown in the middle of a planted forest, with healthier trees and soil that gains organic matter year after year.<\/p><\/div>

Orange plantation in Dynamic Agroforestry, Alto Beni, Bolivia, 2006 \u00b7 Photo: ECOTOP<\/div><\/section>
\"Shade
After pruning the Inga trees above the oranges, Alto Beni, Bolivia, 2004 \u00b7 Photo: ECOTOP<\/div><\/div>

Citrus, grown with nature<\/h2>

Citrus is usually grown as an open orchard: one variety in rows, bare or mown ground between the trees, and often a spray programme against pests and fungi. As the trees age, disease pressure builds up and the soil loses organic matter.<\/p>

Dynamic Agroforestry puts citrus into a planted forest. Citrus belongs to the middle stratum: timber trees that drop their leaves in the dry season grow above it, and bananas, biomass trees and food crops fill the space below.<\/p>

Citrus needs light to flower. About three months before flowering, the shade trees around it are cut back hard, so light reaches the crowns and induces flowering. The cut branches stay on the ground as mulch and feed the soil.<\/p><\/div><\/section>

30 years<\/div>
of oranges in Dynamic Agroforestry on one plot in Alto Beni, Bolivia<\/div><\/div>
4 to 10\u00d7<\/div>
more humus than in two neighbouring orange monocultures (2004 soil samples, Alto Beni)<\/div><\/div>
About 2\u00d7<\/div>
more fruit per tree than in neighbouring orange monocultures, with the same sugar content<\/div><\/div>
DAF islands<\/div>
small clusters of trees, bananas and biomass plants planted into gaps of existing orchards in Ghana<\/div><\/div><\/section>

Unser Ansatz<\/p>

Wie wir mit Ihnen zusammenarbeiten<\/h2>

A programme built with you, from the first orchard visit to whole farms managed this way, with local people trained to run it.<\/p>

1<\/div>
Beurteilen<\/div>
Bewertungsmission<\/div>
We look at your orchards, soils, tree health and pest pressure, and run an introductory Dynamic Agroforestry workshop.<\/div><\/div><\/div>
2<\/div>
Design<\/div>
Ma\u00dfgeschneidertes Programm<\/div>
Together we design the system for your farm: citrus in the middle stratum with deciduous timber trees above it, or DAF islands planted into the gaps of an existing orchard.<\/div><\/div><\/div>
3<\/div>
Bef\u00e4higen<\/div>
Aufbau lokaler Kapazit\u00e4ten<\/div>
We train farm staff and lead farmers in pruning, biomass management and timing the shade around flowering.<\/div><\/div><\/div>
4<\/div>
Ma\u00dfstab<\/div>
Ver\u00e4nderung der Landschaft<\/div>
We roll the system out block by block, starting with learning and demonstration plots that neighbours can visit.<\/div><\/div><\/div>
5<\/div>
Monitor<\/div>
\u00dcberwachung und Berichterstattung<\/div>
Optional \u00fcberwachen wir die Parzellen mit dem DAF-Tracker (entwickelt mit FarmTree), um transparente und vergleichbare Daten zu erhalten.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

From orange monoculture to forest in Alto Beni<\/h2>

In 1989 Joachim Milz, ECOTOP’s founder, planted about one hectare of Valencia oranges as a monoculture on his farm in Sapecho, Alto Beni, Bolivia. Six years later the trees were suffering from fungal disease and mistletoe, and branches were dying back.<\/p>

In 1996 he sowed tree seeds of every stratum between the rows, together with palms and bananas, and added cocoa and coffee a few years later. The orchard recovered. Compared with neighbouring monocultures it had fewer fruit flies, less fruit drop and a higher yield per tree, with the same sugar content in the fruit, and its soil held four to ten times more humus. Cocoa and coffee grow under the oranges as second crops, and in 2025 the original orange trees, then over 35 years old, were still bearing.<\/p><\/div>

\"The
The same plot as an orange monoculture before its conversion, Alto Beni, Bolivia, 1994 \u00b7 Photo: ECOTOP<\/div><\/div><\/section>
\"A
DAF islands between the orange trees, Ghana \u00b7 Photo: ECOTOP<\/div><\/div>

Rehabilitating low-productivity orange orchards in Ghana<\/h2>

In Ghana, ECOTOP works on bitter orange orchards with declining productivity. The trees were not old, but yields had fallen far below their potential. The oranges are grown for J\u00e4germeister, and the work is done with the organic grower Bothapraku and with FiBL.<\/p>

We used the DAF island approach. Instead of replanting the orchard, small clusters of trees, bananas, cassava and biomass plants such as Tithonia are planted into its gaps. Their pruned branches and leaves cover and feed the soil, so soil fertility came back within a short time and the orange trees now yield more, without ever stopping production.<\/p>

Farm workers and technical staff are trained in pruning, biomass management and agroforestry design.<\/p><\/div><\/section>

Der Unterschied<\/p>

What Dynamic Agroforestry brings to citrus<\/h2>

Soil that builds up<\/h3>

Leaves and pruned branches turn into humus. On the Alto Beni plot the soil holds four to ten times more than in nearby orchards.<\/p><\/div>

Healthier trees<\/h3>

As the system grew, fungal disease and mistletoe disappeared from the Alto Beni orchard, and it has fewer fruit flies than neighbouring monocultures.<\/p><\/div>

Income beyond the fruit<\/h3>

Timber, cocoa, bananas and food crops grow with the citrus, so a weak fruit year does not mean a weak farm year.<\/p><\/div>

No need to replant<\/h3>

DAF islands, small clusters of trees, bananas and biomass plants, bring the system into an existing orchard gap by gap while the citrus keeps producing.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section>

Partner<\/p>

Programm & Partner<\/h2>
\"A
Young orange orchard with DAF islands, Ghana \u00b7 Photo: ECOTOP<\/div>Projekt<\/span>

Orange farming with DAF islands, Ghana<\/h3>

DAF islands in orange orchards with Bothapraku and FiBL, commissioned by J\u00e4germeister (2022\u20132025), with training for farm workers and technical staff.<\/p><\/a>\"Bothapraku-Logo\"Partner<\/span>

Bothapraku<\/h3>

Ghanaian grower and exporter of organic oranges, lemons and limes, and host of the DAF islands in its orchards.<\/p><\/a>\"J\u00e4germeisterPartner<\/span>

J\u00e4germeister<\/h3>

Works with ECOTOP on agroforestry where its raw materials grow, from oranges in Ghana to star anise in Vietnam.<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/section>

Beweise<\/p>

Die wissenschaftlichen Grundlagen von DAF<\/h2>
\"LangzeitversuchForschung \u00b7 10 Min.<\/span>

15 Jahre Ertragsdaten aus der Agroforstwirtschaft<\/h3>

Eine Langzeitstudie zeigt, dass die Agroforstwirtschaft mit herk\u00f6mmlichen Ertr\u00e4gen mithalten kann und dabei eine weitaus gr\u00f6\u00dfere Widerstandsf\u00e4higkeit aufweist.<\/p><\/a>\"ErtragsoptimierungArtikel \u00b7 6 Min.<\/span>

Ertragsoptimierung durch dynamische Agroforstwirtschaft<\/h3>

Warum vielf\u00e4ltige, bewirtschaftete Systeme ertragreicher sind als die Maximierung durch Monokultur.<\/p><\/a>\"Agroforstwirtschaft,Artikel \u00b7 6 Min.<\/span>

Agroforstwirtschaft, Kohlenstoff & Wiederaufforstung<\/h3>

Wie die dynamische Agroforstwirtschaft Kohlenstoff bindet und Landschaften wiederherstellt.<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/section>

Unsere Dienstleistungen<\/p>

Weitere M\u00f6glichkeiten der Zusammenarbeit mit Ihnen<\/h2>
<\/path><\/path><\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>

Projektentwicklung und -umsetzung<\/h3>

Von der ersten Begutachtung bis zur \u00dcbergabe an ein Team vor Ort.<\/p>Mehr erfahren \u2192<\/span><\/a><\/circle><\/circle><\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>

Kapazit\u00e4tsaufbau und technische Hilfe<\/h3>

Ausbilder, die selbst DAF anbauen und die Parzelle so lange betreuen, bis sich dies in den B\u00f6den und Ertr\u00e4gen widerspiegelt.<\/p>Mehr erfahren \u2192<\/span><\/a><\/path><\/svg><\/span>

Auswirkungen auf das Klima und Kohlenstoffentfernung<\/h3>

Vor Ort gemessener Kohlenstoff, zertifizierungsf\u00e4hig.<\/p>Mehr erfahren \u2192<\/span><\/a><\/path><\/rect><\/rect><\/rect><\/svg><\/span>

\u00dcberwachung und EUDR-Verifizierung<\/h3>

Felddaten, Parzellenkarten und Dashboards. EUDR auf Basis derselben Daten.<\/p>Mehr erfahren \u2192<\/span><\/a><\/path><\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>

Fortgeschrittene Forschung<\/h3>

Zwei Langzeitstudien, von Fachkollegen begutachtete Ergebnisse.<\/p>Mehr erfahren \u2192<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/section>

Sourcing citrus or juice? Let’s make it regenerative.<\/h2>

ECOTOP helps producers and buyers move citrus out of open orchards and into Dynamic Agroforestry. Let’s talk about your citrus.<\/p>Sprechen Sie mit unserem Team<\/a><\/section><\/div>