The Objectives and Process of the Dialogue on Water, Food and Environment in Poland

Transcription

1 INTERNATIONAL WATER CONFERENCE Hanoi, Vietnam, October 14-16, 2002 The Objectives and Process of the Dialogue on Water, Food and Environment in Poland By: Waldemar Mioduszewski

2 THE OBJECTIVES AND PROCESS OF THE DIALOGUE ON WATER, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT IN POLAND Waldemar Mioduszewski 1 1. INTRODUCTION Poland is one of the most densely populated European countries. The total population is over 40 million people; the population density exceeds 120 people per square kilometre. More than 35% of population live in rural areas; their livelihood depends directly or indirectly on agriculture. Due to the important political changes that had took place in 80ties the national economy including agriculture underwent significant transformations. In a very short period Poland transformed from a food-deficit to a food-surplus country. The perception of the role of agriculture in national economy has also changed considerably. It is now widely accepted that agriculture should not only produce food but also conserve the naturally environment and maintain the cultural heritage. An important function of agriculture in this context is the protection of water resources. This is particularly important since the freshwater water resources of Poland are small in comparison with the size of the country and those of the neighbouring European countries. Moreover, water resources are very variable in time and space. Periods of water excess and floods are followed by water-deficit years that result in substantial losses of agricultural production. From the environmental perspective, the situation in Poland s agricultural sector is better than commonly found in other countries of the European Community. Poland s rich water ecosystems have not been as severely damaged by erosion, pollution and regulation as has occurred in Western Europe. It is expected that the Water Framework Directive of the EU will help maintaining this positive situation. The Water Framework Directive is designed to support the dual objective of economic integration and natural resources conservation. Extensive and organic agriculture and the maintenance of a diversity of agricultural landscape should be priority areas. Identifying and agreeing on integrated solutions to the three objectives of water management, food production (agriculture) and environmental protection is becoming a necessity and a challenge for users and managers of rural areas. Sustainable development of rural areas depends largely on co-operation and dialogues of specialists of these three sectors. First attempts of such a dialogue were started by Polish Academy of Sciences in the seventies. However these efforts were recently expanded and involve now not only scientists but also direct users, stakeholders and policymakers responsible for the management of natural resources and planning of rural development. The international initiative on the Dialogue on Water, Food, and Environment has been met with interest by Polish water sector specialists. Participation and contribution to the international dialogue should help finding the rational ways to protect natural environment and to effectively produce food. Despite climatic, political and economic differences among different countries an exchange of ideas is beneficial and should bring positive results. Experience acquired in one country may be helpful in solving problems of another. Having 1 Institute for Land Reclamation and Grassland Farming, Falenty, Raszyn, Poland, w.mioduszewski@imuz.edu.pl 1

3 this in mind Polish specialists are keen to join the Dialogue on Water, Food, and Environment. 2. NATURAL DETERMINANTS OF AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY Poland is situated in the central part of Europe between the Baltic Sea to the north and the Carpathians mountains to the south. With a surface area of km 2 Poland ranks among Europe's larger countries. Lowland territories occupy 91.3% of Poland, uplands 7.7%, while mountainous terrain only 1%. The climate of Poland is temperate, intermediate between the marine and the continental. Annual isotherms range between 6 and 5 C; the average temperatures in January are between - 1 C and -5 C; the July temperatures average between 17 C and 19 C. The length of the growing season with an average temperature higher than 5 C is 190 to 220 days in the lowlands. The total land area of Poland is million ha. 60.1% of the territory of Poland is occupied by farmlands, arable lands cover hectares and permanent meadows and pastures occupy about hectares. On the average, grain crops occupy over 51% of arable lands, potatoes occupy 12.9% and industrial crops about 7.2% of the acreage of arable lands. Crops cultivated in Poland in general do not require irrigation during the growing season. Nevertheless, supplementary irrigation in areas of light soil is necessary for high crop production in every second year, especially in areas sown with high-value crops. In contrast, areas with heavier soils are frequently affected by high groundwater level especially in the spring, which has an adverse effect on the soil temperature and the crop yield. In such cases drainage is the most appropriate method of soil improvement for agriculture use. Most of the farm land is occupied by relatively small, privately owned farms. The majority of small farms are less than 5 ha in size, with an average farm size of 7.7 ha. The size of farms has both positive and negative implications: while the ownership structure is more environmentally friendly compared to EU pattern leading to a rich, diversified landscape, it makes at the same time environmental protection and basin-wide solutions more complicated and difficult to implement because of the large number of stakeholders involved. Agriculture characterised by the big number of small farms is a specific feature of land use in Poland, quite different from other post communist countries and the EU. The average quality of Polish soils is fairly low. Only about 23% of ploughed soils can be considered good or very good (classes I IIIb), while the poorest soils (classes V VI) cover over 30% of Polish croplands. Even more unfavourable is the soil quality of grasslands, where soils in classes I III cover only about 15%, soils of the IV class - 38%, while classes V VI occupy as much as 47% of the total area of grassland. Poland is very rich in wetlands especially peat lands. Peat lands are found in many river valleys and lowland areas. Most of them were drained and converted into grassland. Despite this, peat lands still retain many nature values and need to be protected. Average agricultural productivity in Poland is lower than in the EU: e.g. cereal yields per hectare are now equivalent to those in France or Germany at the end of the 1960s. One of the reasons is that agricultural production depends on low natural soil fertility. It should be noted that the predominant method of agricultural water management is soil moisture control. A large area of agricultural lands in Poland is equipped with drainage systems. Covered plastic or ceramic drainage networks were constructed for dewatering arable soils. Sometimes these drainage systems are quite sophisticated allowing the control of the soil water level and sub-surface irrigation. In contrast surface irrigation systems are relatively rare and mainly restricted to orchards and vegetable gardens. The grasslands 2

4 situated mainly in river valleys are drained by open ditches. About 25% of the drained grasslands have facilities for sub-surface irrigation. 3. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF AGRICULTURE Improving the rural environment requires definition of the role of agriculture in the natural environment and in the economic development of the country as well as the mutual relationships, both positive and negative, between the two. These issues are at the centre of the discussions at meetings organised within the dialogue. Not all problems have already been adequately solved. There are misunderstandings and questions among participants of the dialogue. Basic factors determining the interrelationships among Water-Food-Environment are presented below. Water quality it is commonly recognized that agriculture is often a source of pollution of the ground and surface waters due to the excessive use of mineral fertilizers and plant protection chemicals. Draining systems tend to increase the loads of nutrients in freshwater bodies. It is estimated that, in spite of low rates of fertilisation in Poland (below 80 kg N/ha), 50% of the nutrients released to rivers originates from agricultural production (diffuse sources). Characteristic features of Polish agriculture related to ground and surface water quality, include: Economic difficulties: Following the reduction of subsidies on agricultural inputs and the regression of agricultural production in the 1990s, the use of pesticides and mineral fertilisers is about 2-3 times lower than in EU countries, resulting in much lower nitrogen levels and average pesticide loads on arable land; Ineffective use of fertilisers: In spite of the low overall use of fertilizer there is a high levels of nutrient leakage, e.g. the effectiveness of nitrogen use from artificial fertilisers does not exceed an average of 13%, meaning 1.3 million tons of nitrogen per year wasted, polluting water and air. Eutrification of water bodies has become widespread across the country; Problems with the quality of drinking water, particularly in rural areas: About 35% of the people living in the catchment of the Vistula River (which covers more than 50% of Poland) are supplied with water from wells located in their households, 50% of which do not meet Polish standards of water quality or sanitation; About 95% of rural households do not have appropriate facilities to collect and store stable and liquid animal manure; Uncontrolled waste removal: In rural areas, 70% of dumping sites are so-called wild waste dumps unauthorised dumping grounds which can contaminate surrounding land and water; There is still a lack of the polluter pays mechanism in Poland s national water and agriculture policy and legislation, in particular in terms of agricultural impact on surface water resources; Very poor water and sewage treatment facilities and management, particularly in intensive farming areas which are potentially rich from a nature and landscape point of view; Water quantity agriculture is an important consumer of water and certainly affects water balance of the river catchments. Increased yields (twofold in the last 20 years) should have an effect on increased evapotranspiration. There is no evidence on how rainfed agriculture contributes to the decrease of water flow in rivers or to the decline of the groundwater table. 3

5 The role of irrigation on water resources is rather small. On the other hand the drainage and watercourse regulation in some cases has led to the almost complete disappearance of wetlands and unregulated streams and rivers, with consequently reduced water availability for other purposes. Land drainage and river regulation may also lead to reduced groundwater recharge. Water erosion over 50% of the cropland area is affected by some kind of soil erosion. Serious erosion hazard such as the destructing soil cover involves, however, no more than 5% of croplands, mainly arable lands with the loess soils. Actions aimed to inhibit erosion are undertaken on most affected soils in close agreement and co-operation of farmers, engineers and ecologists. Landscape due to the fragmentation of farms, Polish rural landscape is quite diversified and shows a high level of biodiversity. Arable lands interspersed with grasslands, woodlots and shrubs form a mosaic of often high natural values. Only on the formerly large state farms (20% of total agricultural area) this type of landscape has been mostly destroyed. 4. PROCESS AND SCOPE OF THE DIALOGUE UNDERTAKEN IN POLAND Water management within agricultural areas (irrigation, drainage and partly flood control) falls in Poland under the competence of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, while the Minister of Environment is responsible for other cases associated with water management. Organisation of water management has changed recently. Regional Boards of Water Management have been established for the complex management of water resources within the river catchments. Such organisations originate from the adaptation of Polish legislation to the requirements of European Union. The principal document, to which Polish water acts refer, is Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and European Council of 23 rd October 2000 establishing the frameworks of water policy in EU. The directive pays special attention to the protection of water quality and to natural values of rivers and water basins. The waters are expected to achieve good ecological status in a definite period of time. Implementation of the European Water Directive is one of the basic tasks of services responsible for water management in Poland. The role of agriculture in maintaining proper water quality and the problems associated with water management on rural areas are not yet finally solved. Now, the task is to explain and create support of stakeholders to the objectives and implementation of the water directive. This issue is at the heart of the Dialogue on Water, Food, and Environment. The main topics which are related to DWFE and should be addressed include: Environmental target of good water status for all ground and surface waters, framework for the coordinated implementation of existing water legislation. Existing commitments under the Nitrates Directive. Integrated river basin management as the framework for achieving good ecological status of water resources. Development of river basin management plans, with transboundary basins requiring joint management between two or more countries. Spatial integration of measures in favour of sustainable water management. Action plans for specific river basins; the precise measures within a given river basin will vary widely according to natural, socio-economic and cultural factors. Water pricing as a central tool helping to reduce unnecessary consumption. Public participation as a fundamental component of integrated water management. 4

6 Issues presented above are a reflection of the specific situation of agriculture in Poland: A surplus of people employed in agriculture, overproduction of food, an urgent need to improve life standards of farmers and to increase the effectiveness of agricultural production. In order to achieve these goals it is necessary to increase the area of individual farms, reduce the overall cropped area, obtain higher yields per hectare of croplands and decrease the number of people directly employed in food production. The actions may pose a risk to the natural environment may lead to a decreasing of biodiversity. On the other hand, implementation of proper technologies in plant crops and animal breeding in modern farms may result in decreasing nutrient emissions to the surface and ground waters. Restructuring of Polish agriculture and particularly increasing the size of farms is a source of fear for ecological organisations and of hope for economists responsible for development of the country. Many specialists emphasise that agricultural transformations should involve the improvement of social and economic conditions but also the improvement of natural values of agricultural landscape. If so, than it is necessary to establish a new and much wider concept of agricultural functions (multifunctional agriculture). The role of agriculture should consist not only in food production but also in creation of agricultural landscape and in protection of its natural values. Therefore, the title of the dialogue "WATER, FOOD, ENVIRONMENT" is often replaced in Poland by WATER, AGRICULTURE, and ENVIRONMENT. This change means more stress is laid on the complex development of agriculture landscape than on food production alone. The international initiative of the Dialogue on Water, Food, and Environment was a stimulus, which intensified searches for solution to the issues. In February 2002 the Global Water Partnership Poland (GWP) took the initiative to establish organising committee for carrying the dialogue. The committee consisted of the representatives of GWP, Polish National Committee of ICID, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw Agricultural University. The first meeting (4 th, April 2002) has a title ROLE OF WATER IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE. Participants of this meeting represented universities, research institutes, water board authorities, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Environment, NGO s (WWF, IUCN). They represented different specializations: hydraulic engineering, water resources, ecology, agronomy, administration, farmers, water managers, economists etc. The next meeting was organized on 24 th of October 2002, and the main topic on this meeting was to discuss the problems of implementation of the Water Framework Directive in the branch of water management in agriculture. Some other smaller workshops have been organized us well. Discussion identified a range of problems that require further work in the Dialogue context. Some of them are listed below: Effective river basin management is understood as an element of sustainable rural development in which agriculture is just one component (a key component) of multifunctional rural areas. This implies the need for setting socio-economic targets, in addition to environmental targets, when implementing the WFD. The role of agriculture is not only in the production of food. It is also necessary to envision and define the public function of agriculture. The public function is to protect biological diversity and high value of the present cultural landscape. From this point of view there is a need to define a new function of water management in agricultural landscape. Integrated water management in catchments has to be implemented as quickly as possible and the water management plans including the irrigation and drainage problems have to be elaborated. 5

7 The river basin management plans foreseen under the WFD should provide a sound basis for spatial planning, development and implementation of components of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Poland belongs to these European countries, which are not rich in freshwater resources. Limited amount of water and water pollution are the cause of regional problems, which may limit further economic development. 36.2% of agricultural lands (18% of the whole country) are equipped with different kinds of drainage systems, and only some have irrigation systems. Most peat lands (wetlands) were drained and changed to grassland. During the last years some agricultural lands equipped with the draining systems have been abandoned for various reasons. The question is what to do with this land, especially with open ditches constructed on peat lands. It is a complicated problem from the economical and ecological point of view. The important task is to decrease the diffuse pollution from agricultural sources. To introduce the code of good agricultural practice is one problem. The second is how to reduce the transport of nitrates into rivers. A solution might be in buffer zones along the water bodies, in small ponds, regulated drainage systems, etc. It should help to recover the good status of rivers. The question is whether the increase of yield in rainfed agriculture has any influence on water balance, how much water we need for irrigation (orchards, vegetables). The global climate change will affect water balance, water resources and water requirement. The local physical planning is very imported from the point of view of water protection, especially such measures as afforestation, protection of flood plains, construction of buffer zones, wetlands, etc. The water protection problems should be considered in such plans, much more than they are nowadays. In some parts of Poland agriculture is extensive and small fragmented farms make the landscape has a very high natural value and high biological diversity. The question is how to maintain this value when the agriculture is restructured. How can water management help in preserving high value of these landscapes. The need for an integrated approach, involving participation of all stakeholders, was frequently stressed, sustainable solutions require the support of water and land users, the most effective solutions will be initiated at the local level. Pricing or charging for water use and pollution is the first type of economic instrument to be considered. Water charging is likely to reduce the pressure from agriculture on water resources, but this is not the most imported problem in Poland. Education is one of the most important factors decisive of the success of actions within the scope of water, agriculture, and environment. Proper methods of management should be demonstrated to farmers. The dialogue demonstrated that there is a wide range of tools available for helping to remove or minimise the adverse impacts of agriculture on water quantity and quality. The set of tools includes: Technical tools: improved agricultural and irrigation and drainage practices, conversion to sustainable low-input farming (e.g. organic), land withdrawal, water metering. Economic tools: water pricing, agro-environment payments. Policy and legislative tools: Water Framework Directive, CAP Reform, national and regional water laws, river basin organisations, economic diversification (i.e. development of new economic activities) in rural areas, national/regional legislation. Analytical and capacity building tools: research, monitoring, education, awareness raising. 6

8 It is clear that the integration of agriculture and environmental objectives requires new approaches and policy instruments. The close co-operation between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Environment is required, but the key element is to involve the farmers and other users of water in rural areas into the process of integration of agriculture and environment. One of the objectives of the DIALOGUE undertaken in Policy was to bring together all parties interesting in water management in agricultural landscape. 5. CONCLUSIONS Irrigated and non-irrigated agriculture are the most important elements in the water balance of river catchments. Transformation and modernisation of Polish agriculture should consider social and economic aspects but also problems of protection of natural environment and water resources. Agriculture should not be understood as only the food producer but also as a factor affecting natural environment. Many problems associated with the co-existence of the three elements: water, agriculture and environment are not yet finally understood. Interdisciplinary studies are needed as well as the stimulation of dialogue and discussion among specialists in ecology, agronomy, economy, water management etc. The dialogue conducted both home and internationally is expected to yield definite results and to enable the improvement of environmental status and water resources and, at the same time, to secure production of food in appropriate amounts and of good quality. The dialogue confirmed that agricultural impacts on water status are a major concern across Poland - both in terms of water quantity and quality. For example, eutrophication has become widespread across the country, causing significant damage to rivers, lakes and wetlands. The landscape now has a reduced capacity to store and eliminate nutrients and pesticides. All of the current impacts are likely to be accentuated by climate change. It is imported to target limited public funds to help reducing the damage of existing agricultural practices for example nitrate pollution controls to improve drinking water quality. It should be avoided that subsidies of the Structural Funds and the CAP support intensive farming practices which add to the pollution burden and enable extension of agriculture, increasing water use, decreasing biological diversity. It will be difficult to reach environmental standards and the social goals of sustaining farm incomes and employment. Compensation measures to obtain agricultural change should only apply once good agricultural practice standards are reached. Extensive farming has a positive role in shaping Poland s landscapes and in securing valuable wetland habitats. However, true integration of agriculture and environmental objectives requires a new approach. A greater share of the CAP needs to be transferred to policy instruments such as agro-environment and sustainable rural development to support and strengthen the long-term implementation of the Water Framework Directive. The dialogue strongly endorsed the need to plan measures to reconcile environmental objectives for water and agriculture at the river basin or catchment scale, as proposed by the EU Water Framework Directive. The Water Framework Directive is offering a planning process that will help assess impacts and coordinate interventions and measures at the appropriate geographic and hydrological scale. Dialogue stressed that once a conflict between agriculture and water status is identified, there is a need to develop positive dialogue between those concerned, backed up by independent information on options for agricultural adjustment. 7

9 In many cases, there is a need for training and capacity building in order to assist the adjustment of agriculture towards the market economy. REFERENCES Dembek W., Liro A., 2002: Protection and formation of the biological and Landscape diversity in rural areas. Woda Środowisko Obszary Wiejskie, t.2, z.1. Gromiec M. J., 2002: The water policy of European Union. PZITS Warszawa. Nixon S., 2000: Review of the impacts of agriculture on Water Resources. WWF/FC Seminar Implementing the EU Water Framework Directive. Okruszko T., 2002: WWF involvement in process of building integrated river basin management in Poland. (non published). 8