How can we create a win-win-win situation for farmers, nature, and biodiversity in dairy farming? This question is central to the COMBINED project. The project investigates how different grassland management styles affect biodiversity, productivity, belowground processes, and for the farmer.

Within the COMBINED project, I focus on productivity and belowground processes. What happens to the soil when, for example, mowing is reduced and less manure is applied? And how does that translate into the yield and quality of the grass? I also study the effects of (extreme) summer drought on belowground processes and grassland productivity: which grassland management styles are climate-resilient in light of increasing drought?

I am strongly motivated by connecting scientific research with societal challenges in agriculture. By actively collaborating with stakeholders in practice and taking policy contexts into account, I enjoy fulfilling a bridging role between science, policy, and practice.

I am based at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development (Land Use and Biodiversity group) and Environmental Biology (Ecology and Biodiversity) and always up to tell more about my research! Do you have questions or want to talk about grasslands? Email me at n.tabak@uu.nl.