Category Archives: Case Study

Monitoring and boosting environmentally beneficial practices in the olive grove within the framework of the new CAP measures

Monitoring and boosting environmentally beneficial practices in the olive grove within the framework of the new CAP measures

Leave a Reply

Summary

The combination of Sentinel satellite imagery, spatial software capable of analysis and assessing the eligibility of features and land uses based upon probability assessments and geotagged photography under controlled conditions together present the opportunity to minimise the need for traditional on-the-spot controls. The benefits of this approach will be multiplied if this data collection process occurs in synergy with other digital technologies, such as crop monitoring and yield forecasting, bringing greater efficiencies to farms. Soil Organic Carbon (SOS) and Soil moisture will be evaluated under the potential eco-schemes from the new CAP.

Objectives

Soil resources can be managed to help mitigate climate change, to increase agricultural production and to maintain soil quality. Land management can influence Soil Organic Carbon being the main component of Soil Organic Matter. Soil formation can be influenced by temperature, moisture regime, soil properties and their interaction with soil biota. The main objective is the monitoring of SOC changes in olive groves under beneficial practices as key variable for soil quality status and to help mitigate climate change.

Public Goods

Rural viability and vitality
Rural viability and vitality
Soil quality (and health)
Soil quality (and health)
Climate regulation - carbon storage
Climate regulation – carbon storage
Collaboration for sustainability between institutional landowners and tenant farmers

Problem description

The Integrated Administrative Control System (IACS) introduces specific regulatory requirements and technological tools (Geo Spatial Aid Application, LPIS, etc). The current IACS incorporates different databases (farmers’ register, animal register, LPIS, entitlement register, claim databases) but not a methodology to monitor agricultural beneficial practices. In the draft IACS legislation for the new CAP, there is the possibility of introducing data and monitoring systems using Copernicus/Sentinels satellite data or equivalent. Currently, there are several reports on the potential for
the use of technologies such as satellites, drones, artificial intelligence, which would support a large part of these tasks, reducing costs in transporting technicians to the plots and increasing the number of plots to be monitored. However, if these types of technologies are not facilitated and supported by policies, they can hardly be widely implemented. The methodology developed by Evenor-Tech is based on MicroLEIS and Carbosoil model, and earth observation techniques for monitoring water retention.
For that, validation in-situ model with EO services will be carried out considering tillage management variables (plantation system, vegetation cover, and residues). The final step is developing pedotransfer functions for finding relationships among indicators for soil carbon content and soil water retention and bands or indexes from Sentinel.

Download this Case Study
Collaboration for sustainability between institutional landowners and tenant farmers

Collaboration for sustainability between institutional landowners and tenant farmers

Leave a Reply

Summary

Key players are the institutional land owners of the region around the city of Greifswald and their tenant farmers. The land use should be shaped in a way to meet ecological, economic and social demands in the long term. The Michael Succow foundation has suggested joining forces by setting up the initiative called ‘agricultural initiative for Greifswald (Greifswalder Agrarinitiative)’ and has coordinated it until June 2019. After project ending the foundation supported the transfer into an association with the same name to ensure continuation of the cooperative approach. The current practice under which leased land has been awarded changed substantially. A transparent tendering procedure taking into account sustainability criteria has replaced rental price as key decision criterion. The agricultural holdings get advice on how to integrate environmental and nature protection measures into their farming practice. A cooperation agreement is signed between the agricultural holdings and the institutional land owners for new or renewed lease.

Objectives

  • Strengthening the sense of responsibility for natural resources of tenants and land owners;
  • Improving the sustainability of agricultural production;
  • Biodiversity maintenance and promotion;
  • Greater consideration of climate protection requirements and the protection of water bodies.

Public Goods

(Farmland) biodiversity
(Farmland) biodiversity
Climate regulation - carbon storage
Climate regulation – carbon storage
Soil quality (and health)
Soil quality (and health)
Water Qualiy
Water Qualiy
Collaboration for sustainability between institutional landowners and tenant farmers

Problem description

The agriculture in the region around Greifswald is dominated by large scale fields and an intensive agricultural production with a high share of rented land. The intensive land use has negative impacts on the agricultural soils and the neighbouring ecosystems. The initiative has been initiated by the Michael Succow foundation.

Download this Case Study
TheWildFarmOrganicFarmers

“The Wild Farm” organic farmers

Leave a Reply

Summary

The contract solution includes a value-chain contract between the Wild Farm and a distributor – Bio Balev supermarkets. The farmers also have a contract with the government – the Ministry of agriculture and forests – for support on organically raised cattle. The farm is situated in the South Central region in Rhodope Mountains. The product is organically certified beef which is raised the whole year on natural meadows with high biodiversity features. The hay during the months with low food supplies comes from alpic mountain hay meadows, which are maintained in conservational manner by the farmers. Apart from having an important soil protection and water regulation role they are a valuable source of feed for the cattle. A number of higher plants with conservation status can be encountered on those meadows.

Objectives

  • Conservation of local biodiversity of rare breeds and ornithological species;
  • Practicing animal welfare principles and whole year free grazing of the cattle (half of the year in high mountain pastures);
  • Popularization of Bulgarian organic beef meat.

Public Goods

(Farmland) biodiversity
(Farmland) biodiversity
Rural viability and vitality
Rural viability and vitality
Quality and security of products
Quality and security of products
Farm animal health and welfare
Farm animal health and welfare
The Wild Farm organic farmers
The Wild Farm organic farmers

Problem description

The demand for Bulgarian meat with high quality increased during the last decade, as well as the need for organically clean products. The Wild farm concentrated its effort in producing meat and other supplementary products in a environmental-friendly way so that the demand for natural Bulgarian products can be met. At the moment those farms which are engaged in organic husbandry in Bulgaria mainly export their animals due to the lack of certified slaughterhouses for organic meat. The Wild Farm opened their own slaughterhouse at the end of 2018 which was the first one certified for organic meat in Bulgaria. Part of the animals in the farm includes local rare breeds which contribute to the conservation of local biodiversity. The farm is also situated in a high-nature value site with ornithological significant Egyptian vulture which is a globally endangered species. Therefore one of the mission of the farmers is to implement as many as possible conservation measures (including pesticide free agriculture, maintenance of their pastures consistent with the nesting regime of local bird species, etc.) in order to support the local biodiversity.The initiative was led by the Wild Farm.

Download this Case Study
Wildlife Estates Label in Flanders

Wildlife Estates Label in Flanders

Leave a Reply

Summary

Estates and territories adhere on a voluntary basis. They commit to maintain and developing high standards of wildlife management, with emphasis on habitats. This involves all aspects of multifunctional estate management. They are assessed according to a scientific based method (www.wildlife-estates.eu), which has been adapted to national or regional specificities.
Aspects covered are:

  1. Level of stillness/tranquility/surveillance
  2. Existence of measures that help the sustainable balance between agriculture,
    silviculture, cinegenic management, pisciculture/fishing
  3. Natural, semi-natural and intensive hunting or fishing grounds
  4. Biodiversity surface
  5. Food availability
  6. Water availability
  7. Presence of restoration measures and improvements to habitat holding capacity for
    wildlife Presence of prey species
  8. Presence of valuable species of fauna
  9. Treatment and destination of venison
  10. Implication of local actors
  11. Conservation of cultural and historic heritage
  12. Communication program in the Flemish Region of Belgium, more than 8500 hectares have been labeled. Monitoring is part of the assessment and the label is awarded on a 5 years basis. After this period, management goals and achievements need to be re-evaluated and WE Charter commitments renewed.

Objectives

Participation in the WE Label takes place on a voluntary basis by landowners and managers to work on sustainable management, conservation of biodiversity and development of fauna and flora, based on their own integrated vision of ecological, economic and social functions. Wildlife Estates regularly communicates about best practices and optimal management techniques that are developed and applied by members. It also informs the general public about the importance of estates in ecological, economic and social terms.

Public Goods

(Farmland) biodiversity
(Farmland) biodiversity
Resilience to natural hazards
Resilience to natural hazards
Soil quality (and health)
Soil quality (and health)
Landscape and scenery
Landscape and scenery
Rural viability and vitality
Rural viability and vitality
Farm animal health and welfare
Farm animal health and welfare
Recreational access / Improvements to physical and mental health
Recreational access / Improvements to physical and mental health
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage
Wildlife Estates Label in Flanders

Problem description

Traditional multifunctional estates (landgoederen) and territories managed by hunting management associations (wildbeheereenheden) are major contributors to biodiversity in Flanders, although their action often is very private and not communicated at all.
This can only be achieved through the voluntary engagement of and intense cooperation between the many (mostly private) managers of the outlying areas such as farmers, estate managers, nature and forest managers, hunters, fishermen and others, all of whom are very important but often play an ignored role in preserving auna and flora. They form the most important link in the realization of sustainable rural development.
Where good results for biodiversity on private estates are already being measured, this is very often due to a well-balanced balance between the ecological, economic and social functions of management. The WE Label uncovers the quality of caring stewardship for the benefit of nature conservation to the outside world. The land managers who endorse the principles of the WE Label do so on a voluntary basis, not because it is imposed by the government.
It is their healthy, conservative attitude that is bearing fruit for biodiversity. Where good practices are used that consider both economic and ecological aspects, landowners and managers produce biodiversity, in other words: the natural support on which unique habitats and species can thrive. The added value that is offered here is enormous, also social. The WE Label wants to make this known and raise the expertise that comes with it as standard, so that many land managers can benefit from this expertise and refer to it.

Download this Case Study
Result-based Nature conservation Plan

Result-based Nature conservation Plan (RNP)

Leave a Reply

Summary

In the period 2014-2020, under the Austrian Agri-Environmental-Program ÖPUL, a sub- measure “Result-based Nature Conservation Plan (RNP)” has been integrated into the measure “Nature conservation”. In contrast to conventional ÖPUL measures, the RNP
defines environmental objectives to be reached as basis for 2nd Pillar payments, and not management measures. The approach allows farmers to make own decisions about management measures and implement them at their own discretion. The RNP represents a dual system of 1.) environmental area objectives, on the basis of which farmers primarily orientate their farming methods and 2.) control criteria, which are used primarily as a control instrument for the technical control service. Both types of environmental objectives are farm-individually developed by ecologists together with the farmers, and fixed in a farm-individual logbook, containing information on objectives, illustrations of species, maps of appearance, suggestions of management measures as well as a section for documentation of management measures and progress as regards the objectives.
Besides the documentation by the farmer, control of RNP control criteria is carried out by specially trained staff of the national control body (AMA).

Objectives

  • Results-oriented implementation of the ÖPUL conservation measure;
  • Definition of specific nature conservation area objectives (species and habitats) on the farm;
  • Increase farmers’ understanding of the needs and conservation of valuable species and habitat types;
  • Enabling decision-making autonomy and room for manoeuvre in the implementation of management measures;
  • Raising awareness of the objectives of the Habitats Directive, the Birds Directive and the Natura 2000 network, and knowledge expansion about the life requirements of the target species.

Public Goods

(Farmland) biodiversity
(Farmland) biodiversity
Result-based Nature conservation Plan
Result-based Nature conservation Plan

Problem description

“Classical” contractual nature conservation is predominantly designed to be action- oriented. Concrete management measures are defined on valuable areas by authorities in coordination with the farmers. The farmers are often not well informed about the protection objectives on the area and the expected results. This means that farmers do not necessarily understand why certain measures are taken and no process of learning can settle. In 2014 the first concept of the result-based nature conservation plan was developed and piloted. Here, the focus lies on the nature conservation objectives on the contractual areas. These objectives are developed together with the farmers. Management measures to reach objectives are not prescribed and can be determined by the farmers themselves. Besides reaching the environmental objectives, in this way the RNP intends to increase farmers’ flexibility, supports awareness building and the building of social capital.

Download this Case Study
Using natural flood management to achieve multiple environmental benefits in Wharfedale

Using natural flood management to achieve multiple environmental benefits in Wharfedale

Leave a Reply

Summary

Natural flood management (NFM) was one of the reasons for establishment of the Wharfedale CSFF network in 2017; it brought together 16 farmers to tackle issues across the catchment using NFM and other measures. Flooding happens several times a year in the catchment and there are long-term problems with soil loss and pollution; Storm Desmond in 2015 provided a North of England focus for action to address flooding.
A key aspect of this network was to bring together a group of neighbouring farmers and identify their priorities. The group has focused on key issues they want to tackle; some related to flood risk mitigation, but many others on topics including improving the value chain for their products, public goods such as habitat restoration and understanding and reducing their carbon footprints.

Objectives

  • Improvements in water quality, in particular reductions in sediment and phosphate throughout the catchment, from Natural Flood Management measures;
  • Increased biodiversity in blanket bog, upland heath and hay meadows;
  • Improvements in habitats for species, in particular wading birds;
  • Training to provide greater knowledge and understanding of flood risk reduction and to build a holistic view of the catchment

Public Goods

(Farmland) biodiversity
(Farmland) biodiversity
Water Qualiy
Water Qualiy
Landscape and scenery
Landscape and scenery
Resilience to natural hazards
Resilience to natural hazards
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage
Rural viability and vitality
Rural viability and vitality
Using natural flood management to achieve multiple environmental benefits in Wharfedale

Problem description

The Wharfedale NFM CSFF network was funded through the CSFF Northern Flood round in 2017 as a response to the flooding in the North of England caused by Storm Desmond in December 2015.

Flood events happen in this area several times a year and there are longstanding issues such as sedimentation, soil loss and pollution levels in the Wharfe catchment. While the flooding itself is further downstream from where network members are based, there was a desire amongst farmers to use NFM measures to tackle these problems and work together collectively.

Download this Case Study