presentation oppermann agriculture

Environmental impacts of agricultural practices

Dr. Rainer Oppermann

Institute of Agroecology and Biodiversity (IFAB)

EEB – Conference on 30. November 2010 in Brussels: “ Reforming the CAP: Greener, better, fitter?”

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Structure

� Introduction

� Impacts on soil, water, climate, biodiversity

� Good practices / requirements for resource care

� Bad and good messages

� Need for a new agricultural view / self-image


EEB – Conference: “Reforming the CAP: Greener, better, fitter?”30. Nov. 2010

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Issues of interactions between agriculture and environment

Problems: water, soil, biodiv. water , biodiversity climate, water, biodiversity

Impact on environmentDevelopment of envir. indicators:

Water quality

Soil organic substance ?

Climate GHG ?Biodiversity

Landscape diversity



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Impacts on soil� soil erosion: wind erosion, water erosion

� soil compaction

� earth life

� soil fertility: organic matter



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Impacts on water scarcity and water quality� irrigation (as far as not adequate to supply)

� nutrient input in ground- and surface water

� pesticide input in ground- and surface water

� General overfertilization, especially on sensible so ils



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Good practice soil and water management / requireme nts � no ploughing in floodplains and on sensible soils ( wet and steep soils,

soils in floodplains, thin soils on rocky undergrou nd) � permanent pasture!

� transformation arable land into permanent pasture o n sensible soils

� crop rotation, cultivation legumes

� enhancing organic matter for soil fertility

� limiting and reducing irrigation /

clever and sustainable water-/ irrigation technolog ies

� buffer stripes of 5 – 10 m to all water courses

� reduction of fertilizer and pesticide input,

especially on sensible soils



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Impacts on climate� ploughing of organic and semi-organic soils

� cultivation of crops tearing off organic matter/ lo ss of legumes in crop rotation

� insufficient crop rotation � loss of organic matter

� mass livestock keeping � surplus nutrients � emissions

� bad relation of input and output (balance effects o f production fertilizer,

pesticides, machines versus output agricultural pro duction)



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Good climate protection / requirements � no ploughing of organic and semi organic soils

� transformation arable land into permanent pasture o n sensible soils

� crop rotation, cultivation of legumes

� building up of organic matter

� improving balance GHG (intensive vs. extensive prod uction)



no ploughing, transformation

to permanent pasture

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Summary environmental impacts



Agricultural practices : area-wideintensive agriculture with high input

fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation, ….

Negative impact on

soilbiodiversity

climate

water

landscape, rural culture

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Impacts on biodiversity� intensive crop production with high level fertilizer

and pesticide input on arable land and in permanent cultures

� Intensive grassland management with high biomass pr oduction

(meadows and pastures – often and early cut / high s tocking density)

� Loss of landscape elements / unsufficient managemen t of

landscape elements / missing buffer stripes

� Loss of genetic diversity / in-situ-cultivation sel dom variities

� Effects of machines and unadequate technologies



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Good biodiversity protection / requirements� extensive production on at least all sensible sites

and at least > 10 % of the arable land, 10 % of the grassland,

10 % of the permanent cultures

� attractive support for production of these public g oods

by 90-100% EU-financed priority AEM

� in-situ-cultivation and breeding of varieties

� research and implementation of adequate technologie s



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Good message: solutions for modern agriculture



Agricultural practices: targeted on partial areas extensive agriculture with low input fertilizer,

pesticides, good ressourcemanagement

Positive impact on

soilbiodiversity

climate

water

landscape, rural culture

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Inspite of all the positive approaches

�Why is the environmental situation so bad?

� There is no area-wide approach, which takes along t he majority of

farms with substantial parts of their UAA in “in-cro p”- resource protection

� There are no real concrete and targeted goals in th e program

plannings of the Member States to achieve resource p rotection

� It is not really attractive for farmers (and Member States) to participate

in ambitious AEM (premium height, control risk, fin ancial resources)

� There is no supporting system of advice and educati on



Agrienvironmental Planning Baden-WürttembergUAA Species rich Necessity Actual ELER Deficite

arable land 800,000 ha 8,000 ha 80,000 ha . 1,000 ha -7 9,000 ha

grassland 500,000 ha 110,000 ha 130,000 ha ++ 65,000 ha -6 5,000 ha+

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What do we need to improve the environmental situat ion?

� real concrete and targeted goals of the Member Stat es

to achieve resource protection

� attractive programs / measures for farmers and Memb er States

to participate in resource care (premium height, co financing, bureaucracy)

� Minimum requirements for all farmers for resource c are (% UAA) and

individual site- and farm-specific implementation

� Advice, management assistance, education

� On-site-monitoring and evaluation



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Challenges CAP post 2013: Modern farming & resource care� Targeting (environmental goals in ha, ...)

� Attractiveness for farmers (1. and 2. pillar)� Taking along all farmers� Taking along the MS (Cofinancing EU-priority goals 9 0-100 %)� Advice, management assistance, education

� Solutions for environmental & agricultural manageme nt are possible:

Sustainability must positively integrated in the ec onomic and ecological

view of each farmer



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CAP post 2013 � towards sustainability?

� Modern farming & resource care

� Culture of High Nature Value Farming,

Resource Care & Sustainability

Thank you foryour attention!



presentation oppermann agriculture

Education