Geertrui Louwagie European Commission - Joint Research Centre -

1. Opportunities and limitations of soil policy for sustainable food productionThe EU as an example of cases Geertrui Louwagie European Commission - Joint Research Centre - Institute for Prospective Technological Studies Findings of the project ‘Sustainable agriculture and soil conservation (SoCo)’

2. Absence of policies?

3. Global food production •  50% by 2030 •  100% by 2050 … even though questioned (Rosegrant et al., 2006 – Future scenarios for agriculture: plausible futures to 2030 and key trends in agricultural growth) (FAO, 2006 – World agriculture: towards 2030/2050) (Soil Association, 2010 – Telling porkies. The big fat lie about doubling food production) Challenges changed? Given … • Climate change • Price volatility • Increasing energy prices • Resource degradation • Resource heterogeneity

4. After: Soil Atlas of Europe, European Soil Bureau Network (EC, 2005) Loss of soil biodiversity Soil part of agro-ecosystem

5. Society response Policy measures Awareness-increasing Private initiatives Voluntary incentive-based Mandatory Change of farming practices Need for policy intervention Cost

6. Relevant EU environmental policy

7. Relevant EU agricultural policy (Pillar 1) Mandatory Cross compliance (Regulation (EC) 73/2009)* Statutory management requirements (SMRs) Requirement to keep land in good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC), targeting: Soil erosion Soil organic matter decline Soil structure damage Deterioration of habitats Water management Awareness-increasing Farm advisory system (FAS) * Replacing Regulation (EC) 1782/2003 during the Health Check of the CAP

8. Success – failure GAEC • Addressing water erosion - Adequate land management reflecting site-specific conditions • On parcels with high erosion risk: temporary crops and new pasture not allowed, except on terraces or in flood plains (PT) • In vineyards, olive groves and nut plantations with slopes >15 %: apply conservation tillage or maintain total vegetation cover (ES) • Clay-rich soils in combination with steep slopes on medium-height hills create difficulties for: seedbed preparation of spring crops after a winter cover crop, and introducing no-tilllage (IT) • Addressing soil organic matter decline • Prohibition to burn crop residues extended to all agricultural land (ET) • Legume cultivation and incorporation not successful: farmers disagreed necessary on all soil types, and small/marginal farms could not afford (EL) • Targeting soil quality • Risk-based approach to soil management: farmers must complete a risk assessment (damage to soil structure, organic matter loss and erosion) and identify remedial measures (UK)

9. Relevant rural development measures (Pillar 2) Voluntary incentive-based EU policy 2007-13 • Axis 1 • Vocational training • Use of advisory services • Restoring production potential after natural disasters • Modernisation of agricultural holdings • Axis 2 • Natural handicap payments (LFA) • Natura 2000 • Agri-environment measures (AEMs) • Support for non-productive investment • Afforestation and agroforestry • “LEADER” Source: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (2006)

10. Opportunities and limits of AEMs in Murcia (ES) 2007-13 • Soil erosion control scheme in uplands • Participatory design (soil scientists) • No tillage along slope permitted • Includes an infrastructure element to encourage building and maintenance of ditches, terraces, permanent vegetation strips (water retention) • Well targeted and higher rates of payment • Unpopular with farming organisations • Lacking awareness (issues and scheme) among farmers • Organic farming in irrigated plains • Design in consultation with regional council for organic agriculture and farming organisations • Adaptation to regional conditions • Continuity over time, guaranteed into the future • Well known and fairly popular among farmers • Heavy administrative burden and limited funding per farmer

11. Lessons from EU policy implementation Cross compliancecontributed to establishing a common reference level for sustainable soil management across the EU Rural development measuresan important instrument for assisting farmers’ transitionto higher levels of soil quality Success factors Scale of intervention should reflect scale of degradation Important to develop context-specific solutions Target farms with substantial problems (rather than broad brush solutions) Information and advice essential to raise awareness and support changes Stakeholder involvement (rural community, farming org.) desirable Clear role for mix of policy measures (mandatory, voluntary incentive-based, awareness-increasing) Positive unintended side-effects of environmental policies targeting other environmental components (e.g. water) Relevant policy measures need to be coordinated and specifically targeted to soil protection

12. Scope for self-regulation by industry? Government Forcing compliance is costly (monitoring) - cost saving Devolvement of/Sharing responsibility Industry Green credentials Anticipate regulatory ‘threats’ Influence future regulation Combined policy and industry intervention Respect multi-functionality of soil Resulting soil quality level should match society’s demand

13. Thank you for your attention http://soco.jrc.ec.europa.eu/

15. SoCo fact sheets Introduction Fact sheet no. 1: Linking soil degradation processes, soil-friendly farming practices and soil-relevant policy measures Soil degradation processes Fact sheet no. 2: Water erosion and compaction Fact sheet no. 3: Organic matter decline Fact sheet no. 4: Salinisation and sodification Soil-friendly farming systems and practices Fact sheet no. 5: Conservation agriculture Fact sheet no. 6: Soil-friendly tillage practices Fact sheet no. 7: Soil-friendly farm infrastructure elements Soil-relevant policies Fact sheet no. 8: Requirement to keep land in good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC) Fact sheet no. 9: Agri-environment measures Fact sheet no. 10: Advisory services