Hedgerow management and hedgerow certification were the focus of a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) project in France which was implemented using cooperation techniques and created new jobs as well as provided farmers with new sustainable income sources.
In many Member States, hedgerows form part of the green infrastructure and field hedges can provide valuable carbon farming functions by capturing CO2 above and below ground. France’s hedgerow certification project helped to boost these climate mitigation benefits by demonstrating the economic potential of certified, sustainable, and quality hedgerow harvests. This CAP good practice project holds useful demonstration value for other parts of rural Europe which was recognised in it being nominated for a Rural Inspiration Award.
