Boog family's livelihood at stake

After seven years of planning, the proposals for the ‘Buuregarte’ special agricultural zone in Hünenberg are now open to the public. The vote on these is due to take place next June.

If you buy strawberries or raspberries "From the region. For the region" at the Migros supermarket, there's a good chance you'll have produce from Jonas Boog in your basket. The Boog family has been growing fruit and vegetables on their farm in Drälikon in the Hünenberg Reuss plain for five generations.

Around half of these products are grown in substrate. This means that the plants do not grow in the ground, but in a substrate such as coconut fibre. And to protect these crops from the weather, the Boog family have been using foil tunnels – their large plastic roofs that can be seen from far away.

Until now, there has been no legal basis for this type of cultivation. But this is now set to change: with the partial revision of the land use planning (Nutzungsplanung) legislation and the new "Buuregarte special agricultural zone", which can be currently viewed by the public until 11 December. The people of Hünenberg are expected to vote on the revision at the ballot box on 9 June 2024.

The zone will be divided into four areas
A look at the documents shows: the new zone is a complex and comprehensive planning instrument. It is 13.02 hectares in size and is divided into four areas: Farmyard area (Hofbereich), greenhouse area, tunnel area and nature area. "The farmyard area is to be used for growing, processing, storing and selling produce," it says. The maximum heights of the buildings and facilities in the tunnel and greenhouse areas are specified: 5 metres in the tunnel area and 7 metres in the greenhouse area.

The nature area, on the other hand, serves as a wildlife corridor and ecological compensation, among other things. Existing and new rows of trees and shrubs will provide screening for the facilities. "The ecological enhancement measures must be a mandatory part of the new special agricultural zone, as this is the only way to justify it at the proposed location," explains Benjamin Blum, spatial planner (Raumplaner) at the municipality of Hünenberg.

Jonas Boog at the raspberry harvest        Archive photo: Stefan Kaiser
View of the Boog family's farm in the Reuss plain. The foil tunnels can be seen in the background                 Photo: Stefan Kaiser
The Boog family also grows lamb's lettuce (Nüsslisalat)   Archive photo: Maria Schmid  

The dam between Reusshalde and the Sins road bridge on Hünenberg territory needs to be renovated. This is one of the reasons for the long planning time that was necessary  for the planning of the new zone. Benjamin Blum adds: "Due to the floods in 2005, it became clear, among other things, that the existing Reuss dam no longer fulfils the safety requirements. The Reuss dam renovation project affects the perimeter of the Buuregarte special agricultural zone, and has not yet been finalised."

Visual screen for the tunnels
There has been repeated criticism in Hünenberg about the appearance of the foil tunnels, which “spoil” the landscape. For this reason, great importance has been attached to visual screening. According to Benjamin Blum, the landscape design plan is a guideline for this, and is also available to the public. "To ensure that the current and future infrastructure is optimally concealed, the existing gaps in the visual screen will be filled in," he adds. Shading nets will also be attached to the foil tunnels during the summer months to minimise glare.

In the course of developing the ‘special agricultural zone’, the Canton of Zug's building department (Baudirektion) carried out what is known as positive planning (Positivplanung). This means that other locations in the municipality of Hünenberg and in the rest of the canton were identified as suitable for such a zone. A total of 13 potential areas were defined. According to Banjamon Blum, however: "No further special agricultural zones are currently planned in the municipality of Hünenberg."

"Ensuring the continued existence of the farm"
For fruit grower Jonas Boog, the current version of the special zone is "a milestone", as he says. "For seven years, we have been trying to find the best possible solution for the future, taking all stakeholders into account." Planning security is very important for him and his family. "It's about securing the continued existence of our business, and thereby also our livelihood."

Around 30 different vegetables and berries are grown on the farm, and the Boog family has been investing in so-called ‘protected cultivation’ for several years. The first tunnel was built in 1997. According to Jonas Boog, an area of 7.5 hectares is currently protected with the foil tunnels and rain caps. The farm currently has two greenhouses for growing mini chilli peppers, for example. According to the fruit grower, no more are currently planned. "But it would be wrong to categorically rule this out for the future."

Jonas Boog understands the reservations about the appearance of his tunnels: "You can't sugarcoat it, the tunnels are conspicuous." But: "Climate change is a major concern for us in agriculture." Thanks to the foil tunnels, the crops are less exposed to stressful situations, and the use of pesticides can be reduced accordingly. "Our goal is sustainable cultivation," he says. The aim is to integrate the systems into the landscape as well as possible.

If voters reject the new zone next June, the Boog family would have to dismantle their infrastructure, and the future of the farm would be uncertain. "It would not conform to the zone." Jonas Boog is therefore hoping for the support of the sovereign. "We hope that the people of Hünenberg will appreciate the value of regional cultivation."