Sheep do far more than just maintain the countryside: they promote biodiversity, help prevent wildfires and protect the soil from erosion. However, many of these socially valuable services have so far been largely overlooked or inadequately recognised. How their benefits can be better communicated and promoted is the focus of a conference on 19 November 2026 at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE).

Nature-friendly sheep farming makes an important contribution to the conservation of biodiversity and the maintenance of cultural landscapes. Sheep keep land open, maintain dykes and, through their grazing, can help to prevent the spread of fires. Despite their ecological and social significance, these so-called ecosystem services have so far received little attention. Furthermore, their economic valorisation often falls short of their actual benefits.

To change this, sheep farmers, processors, marketers, association representatives and researchers will come together at the HNEE on 19 November 2026. The conference ‘Mähwert mit Mehrwert’ (Mowing Value with Added Value) will focus on developing communication strategies designed to raise awareness of the societal benefits of sheep farming, strengthen appreciation for its contributions and open up new marketing opportunities. It will also explore how products from sheep farming can be convincingly positioned on the basis of their environmental added value.

Expert input will be provided by Kerrin Löhe from ‘BAM! Bock auf Morgen’ in the field of sustainability communication and Dr Corinna Hölzer from the ‘Deutschland summt!’ initiative. Both will also lead the workshops, in which concrete communication approaches are to be developed together with the participants.

“The conference bridges the gap between sheep farming and communication and seeks to raise the profile of niche products with added value,” explains co-organiser Peter Schmidt from the ReffiSchaf project (FöL e. V.).

The conference thus brings together perspectives from academia and practice. The aim is to embed the diverse benefits of sheep farming more firmly in the public consciousness and to develop approaches for its greater economic recognition. In the long term, this should help to strengthen sheep farming and bring more sheep back into the countryside.

When: 19 November 2026, 10 am – 5 pm
Where: Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development – City Campus, Auditorium
Who: InWert Ökosystem Schaf (HNE), reffiSchaf (FÖL)
For whom: Anyone interested
in sheep farming and the marketing of ecosystem services What: Scientific input, practical insights, networking and discussion
Registration: By 12 November 2026 via this link.