Conservation Agriculture: The sustainable response for soil conservation and other challenges facing European Agriculture Gottlieb Basch Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
What is CAP looking for? Protection of soil, water, air, biodiversity, etc. Reasonable farm income Landscape management Globalization of agricultural markets Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
What is CAP looking for? Competitiveness of European agriculture Reduction of subsidies High quality products at acceptable prices Bio-energy crops Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Maybe something like this? Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Soil threats: Erosion Decline in organic matter Soil contamination Soil sealing Soil compaction Decline in soil biodiversity Salinisation Floods and landslides Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Why are our soils threatened? Agricultural land use? Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Soil threats: Erosion Decline in organic matter Soil contamination Soil sealing Soil compaction Decline in soil biodiversity Salinisation Floods and landslides Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Erosion Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Rilling Compaction/ capping => Soil erosion Runoff Sheet erosion
Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008 Former soil surface
Can you imagine this to happen on fields managed and crops established like this?
The same field, the same slope, the same crop! Traditional Tillage No-till into residues Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Decline in organic matter Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
What you see is dust, what you don t see is the CO 2 released by any type of soil tillage
Long Term Effects of Crop Rotations on Soil Organic Carbon Soil Organic Carbon (%) 4 3 2 1 Estimated to 4 % in 1888 Wagner (1989) Sanborn Field: Missouri Wheat, 6 Tons Manure/year Corn, 6 Tons Manure/year Continuous Wheat Continuous Corn Morrow Plots: Illinois Corn-Oats-Hay Rotation Corn-Oats (1885-1953, Corn-Soybeans (1954-Present) Continuous Corn 0 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 Year Reicosky et al. (1995)
Organic matter content of agricultural topsoils: United Kingdom, 1979-81 and 1995 Data cover England and Wales. Source : MAFF (2000) Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Soil management and carbon emission 5 hours after tillage 24 hours after tillage 80 160 159.7 Cum. CO 2 Loss (g CO 2 m -2 ) 60 40 20 0 59.8 31.7 11.5 4.7 3.4 1.4 MP SS MK YK RM NT 120 80 40 0 MP SS MK YK RM NT Tillage Type Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008 66.2 26.7 19.4 15.4 7.2 Reicosky et al. (1995)
Soil Organic Matter under Trad. Tillage (TT) and No-till on a Vertisol after 6 years of NT 3 NT TT Organic Matter (%) 2,5 2 1,5 1 10 20 30 40 Soil depth (cm)
Soil compaction Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Over-loosening?
Repacking
But underneath? 10cm 25cm 30cm
But underneath?
Heavy load of harvest machines can lead to soil compaction and in consequence to reduced water infiltration. But the fundamental cause is the insufficient bearing capacity of the soil
Decline in soil biodiversity Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Good agricultural and environmental practise What about biodiversity?
What about biodiversity and CO 2 emissions? Soil sterilization in organic farming Width: 4m Speed: 26-40m/h Fuel consumption: 1000 l 8h -1
Biodiversity aboveground: No-till field
Biodiversity aboveground: No-till field
Biodiversity aboveground: No-till field
Biodiversity belowground: Earthworms as indicator Effect of cultivation intensity on earthworm population (per m2) Plough No-till Conservation Tillage
Earthworm tubes of conventional and no-tillage 40 cm MP NT
Floods and landslides Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Inevitable???
Inevitable???
Inevitable???
Evitable, doing like this! Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Evitable, doing like this!
Evitable, doing like this!
Soil Soil conservation &Sustainability management Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Conservation Agriculture Soil Protection Soil Organic Carbon minimum / no soil disturbance plant diversity/ crop rotations continuous cover residues/cover crop Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Minimum soil disturbance Cover crops Residues Cover crops and residues
Diversified crop rotations to minimize dependence on inputs
Crop Yields, Profitability & Competitiveness Biodiversity & Beautiful landscape Conservation Agriculture Soil Fertility & Carbon sequestration Less surface runoff & Floods Less soil erosion & Soil Compaction
How to implement CA (SoCo) effectively? Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Council Regulation 1782/2003: Cross Compliance [Good Agricultural and Environmental condition (Annex 4)] Water Framework Directive Air Framework Directive Soil Framework Directive? Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Situation of CA in Europe Country Cover crops in Total Minimum tillage No-till perennial % NT/arable % CA/arable surface CA (1000 ha) (1000 ha) woody crops land land (1000 ha) (1000 ha) Belgium 140 n.d. n.d. 140 17.2 Denmark 230 n.d. n.d. 230 10.1 Finland 1000 150 n.d. 1150 6.8 52.3 France 3750 150 n.d. 3900 0.7 21.1 Germany 2300 200 n.d. 2500 1.7 21.2 Greece 230 200 n.d. 430 7.4 10.8 Ireland 10 n.d. n.d. 10 0.9 Italy 480 80 n.d. 560 1.0 7.0 Hungary 490 10 n.d. 500 0.2 10.9 Portugal 365 80 30 475 2.3 21.1 Russia 15000 500 n.d. 15500 0.4 12.6 Slovak Republic 134 37 7 179 2.6 12.6 Spain 1250 600 550 2400 4.5 18.0 Switzerland 80 12 10 102 2.9 25.4 United Kingdom 2500 180 n.d. 2680 3.1 45.6 Total 27959 2199 30756 1.1 15.5 (data ECAF 2005/06) Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
The extent of CA/No-tillage adoption worldwide Country Area under No-tillage (ha) 2004/2005 USA 1 25.304.000 Brazil 2 23.600.000 Arg entina (*) 3 18.269.000 Canada 4 12.522.000 Australia 5 9.000.000 Parag uay 6 1.700.000 Indo-Gang etic-plains (**) 7 1.900.000 Bolivia 8 550.000 South Africa 9 300.000 S p ain 10 300.000 Venezuela 11 300.000 Urug uay 12 263.000 France 13 150.000 Chile 14 120.000 Colombia 15 102.000 China 16 100.000 Others (Estimate) 1.000.000 Total 95.480.000 (Derpsch 2006) Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
What is necessary? Recognize that SoCo depends on appropriate soil management Be more precise in the definition of standards Oblige member states to mitigate soil threats Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
What is necessary? Recognize the benefits of the concept Conservation Agriculture Incentivate farmers to uptake SoCo (CA) measures Compensate farmers for the risk of uptake (transition period) Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Mariann Fischer Boel: Looking further ahead, in the 'Health Check', I want to take a good look at whether set-aside is still an appropriate tool. But I also want to ensure that we retain the environmental benefits it has brought." Which benefits is the Commissioner referring to? The absence of inputs, or also the absence of Soil tillage and the continuous soil cover on set-aside land? Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Effective Soil Conservation and Sustainable Farming require the implementation of the concept of Conservation Agriculture Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008
Soil Conservation Workshop Brussels, 22 May 2008 www.ecaf.org