AgriBMPWater

1. EU funded project 5th RTD Framework Program AgriBMPWater Systems approach to environmentally acceptable farming Results in the perspective of potential users as farmers, land managers and water directors Ramon LAPLANA: Project coordinator Nadine TURPIN: Scientific officer www.bordeaux.cemagref.fr/adbx/agribmpwater/index.html

2. Objectives Which BestManagementPractices (BMPs) are the most cost/effective ? • Compare BMPs on the basis of : • their environmental effectiveness • their associated costs How to improve farmers' commitment ? • Assess the acceptability of BMPs • Study farmers decision-making process on BMPs • Study negotiative implementation methods Source: Consortium

3. BMPs Critical areas Hydrology Effectiveness Fisrt step framework: describing watersheds, BMPs, critical areas, hydrology - model calibration,effectiveness target objectives

4. Watershed Area km2 Environmental problem Lake Vico 40 Erosion-Phosphorus Mincio 750 Nitrogen Rintala 23 Acidity Heiabekken 6 Pesticides Saint Léger 1 Nitrogen Petzenkirchen 1 Erosion-Phosphorus Grub 3 Nitrogen-Erosion Don 650 Nitrogen The framework has been tested on several WS with: • Different environmental contexts • soils, climate… • nitrogen, pesticides, erosion, acidity • Different agricultural types • grain crops, breeding, arboriculture • Different scales • from small watersheds to large areas Source: Consortium

5. Environmental targets / thresholds surface water NO3 : 50 mg/l to 25 mg/l surface water Total Phosphorus: 0.25 mg/l surface water pH : 5.5 surface water Pesticides (drinking water): < 0.1 g/l (one substance) <0.5 g/l (all substances) <0.03 g/l (aldrine, eptachlore …) surface water sediments : no threshold value Soil loss : no threshold value

6. BMPs Definition • Any : • cropping method • fertiliser and pesticide application technique • landscape structural fixture • Which potentially reduces water pollutionfrom agriculture • Is proposed on a contractual basis to farmers

7. 30 BMPs tested • Nitrates • Optimisation of the inorganic mineralisation • Spreading of manure on grasslands rather than on corn • Local crop rotation with additional catch crops • Soil erosion and phosphorus • Mulching on maize fields • Herbs under hazelnut trees • Soil acidity • Controlled drainage • Lime filter drains • Pesticides • Mechanical / chemical measures, reduced herbicide rates and application time • Pesticide selection to use the least harmful pesticide for the environment

8. Expert-based definition of unit BMPs introduction of meadows modification of the irrigation practices maize meadow maize rye-grass maize maize alphapha changes in fertilising practices Introduction catch crops maize flood maize sprinkling Practical result : definition of BMPs Description of the watershed: Hydrological pathways, soils, land use, agricultural practices Source: IRSA

9. unit 1 unit 2 maize meadow maize alphapha unit 3 unit 4 maize flood maize sprinkling maize rye-grass maize BMP1 BMP2 BMP3 Practical result : definition of BMPs  BMP1 - applied to hydro geologic unit 1:maize to meadow - applied to hydro geologic unit 2: : maize to meadow - applied to hydro geologic unit 3: maize to alfalfa - applied to hydro geologic unit 4: maize to ryegrass-maize Source: IRSA

10. Critical areas The Natural science theoretical aim: “The minimum area, where feasible measures can be applied, needed to reach the desired quality standard of the considered pollutant at the receptor.” Welfare economic aim: “The set of areas where feasible measures can be applied to reach the desired quality standard of the considered pollutant at the receptor to the least social costs.”

11. Evaluation of P yields with GLEAMS Sensitivity analysis and building of regression models translocation capability Critical areas phosphorus • Distance from water pathways • Slope gradient and changes in slope gradient • Distance from the main water body Critical areas by matching phosphorus yield and translocation capability Result : delineation of critical areas Source: UTUV

12. Each BMP's efficiency is determined as the ratio between the initial state and the estimated state Environmental effectiveness • Panel of available models to deal with each specific problem: • SWAT, BMP1top, HAPSU, EUROSEM, • STOTRASIM, GLEAMS, POWER, EIQ

13. Environmental effectiveness:POWER • Planner Oriented Watershed modeling system for Environmental Responses • consists of a hydrological watershed modeling system • aimed at the simulation of integrated flow systems of stream and overland flow, soil water and solute movement (i.e., fertilizers and pesticides) in the unsaturated and saturated aquifer zones combined with plant root uptake. Source: LTHE

14. 0 - 1.6 1.6 - 17.4 17.4 - 44.7 44.7 - 66.8 66.8 - 114.1 Decrease of environmental risks optimized fertilisation; less intense practices; changes in land use optimizations of organic and inor fertilisations; winter crop Whithout Bmp optimization of inorganic fertilisations Effectiveness: Bmp1top model Nitrate losses (kg.ha-1) at the field scale the last year after 15 years St Léger; nitrates cattle breeding

15. [NO3] = 50 mg/l [NO3] = 25 mg/l Effectiveness Daily % of reduction of N concentrations (compared to the whithout bmp situation) 15 years of simulation Source: Cemagref

16. pH at pumping station (4th year average) pH degrees 5.00 4.95 (LFD) 4.90 (CD) (LFD+CD) 4.85 % of critical area with BMP target 4.80 4.75 0 20 40 60 80 100 Effectiveness BMPs implementation and acid sulphatesoil processes (HAPSU model) BMP1: Controlled drainage BMP2: Lime filter drains BMP3:Combined controlled drainage and lime filter drains Target: 5.5 degrees Source: SYKE

17. target objectives BMPs Critical areas Hydrology Economics Costs Effectiveness Second step framework: Describing the economics – diversity of farms, models, costs

18. Costestimations Three mains types of costs have been defined: - the amount beared by the regulator (subsidy), - the amount beared by the agricultural producers (farmers’ profit variation), - the amount beared by the rest of the economy (consumer surplus). Four methods have been developped:  - a computable general equilibrium model: indirect costs,  - a Principal-Agent model : direct costs,  - a linear-programming model : direct costs, - a cost budget balance: direct costs.

19. Direct costs per ha of BMP implemented BMP: change to extensive grassland Upscaling: from farm to watershed typology Direct costs assessment with Linear Programing method In optimal solution, levels of incentives are considered to represent direct costs for BMPs implementation: “loss in the objective function that the farmer would have suffered in adopting BMPs” Source: Cemagref

20. 700 costs (1000 euros) BMP 3 = BMP 1 + BMP 2 500 BMP 1: reasoned fertilisation 300 BMP 2: better use of manures 100 quota N + t 0 20 40 60 80 100 quota N -100 tax N -300 area of application Direct costs: assessment with Principal-Agent modelmethod Don; nitrates mixed crops, cattle breeding (%) Source : Cemagref, ParisX, INRA

21. subv. rate (%) welfare (Mio€) support (Mio€) multiplier 7.64 6.642 1.218 -8.088 Withdrawal of land 1.51 1.314 1.073 -1.410 Extensification 2.38 2.071 1.069 -2.214 Fertilizers quota Indirect costs: assessment with Multiregional Computable General Equilibrium model BMP tested : alternative activities for milk production on 50% of watershed area Don; nitrates mixed crops, cattle breeding Source: Cemagref

22. target objectives BMPs Critical areas Sociology Hydrology Acceptability Economics Costs Effectiveness Third step framework: Interviewing farmers to assess the acceptability of BMPs (policies)

23. Practical result : acceptability • Analyses the social conditions, which affect the acceptability of BMPs and agri-environmental policy at the farm and policy implementation level on a case study bases. • The method of the acceptability approach is divided into two: • An extensive approach focussed in analysing the implementation practices of the agri-environmental policy and the ways in which policy goals are translated into agri-environmental management practices at the farms • A simplified approach concentrated in elaborating the issues that affect on the “willingness to contract” Source: Syke

24. Practical result: how to improve acceptability ? • Willingness to contract a multidimensional phenomena: from • economic considerations • to social and cultural conditions • Ways in which farmers have possibilities to affect on how the environmental management is organised has direct impact on the way in which they assess the policy • Implementation practices matter! (cf. amount of contracts) = to find local applications of the most suitable agri-environmental management practices AND create functional co-operation between different parties. • Issue of scale crucial, i.e. the possibilities for farmers to use their "local knowledge" on farming practices and local ecological conditions. • Creation of intermediaries and the role of intermediators between farmers and environmental officials crucial. Source: SYKE

25. target objectives BMPs Critical areas Decision Support tool Last step framework: Building a selection grid Acceptability Hydrology Sociology Economics Costs Effectiveness

26. Selection graph for BMP’s to reduce groundwater loading with nitrogen - case study watershed GRUB 100 Effectiveness BMP A Effectiveness BMP B 90 Effectiveness BMP C Cost BMP A ) - Cost BMP B Cost BMP C 80 A: Local crop rotation with additional catch crops during winter period B: BMP A plus reduced nitrogen fertilisation (30%) C: Green fallow; permanent grassland without fertilisation and harvest, mulching one to three times a year 70 60 Nitrate Concentration (ppm NO3 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Participating area (%) Source: IKT

27. Environmental threshold Selection graph for BMP’s to reduce groundwater loading with nitrogen - case study watershed GRUB Source: IKT/Cemagref

28. Environmental threshold Actual participating area for BMP’S A, B and C Source: IKT/Cemagref

29. Grid guidelines

30. Implementation • - Due to heterogeneity in natural conditions, environmental questions, BMP's applied, national economic systems and models applied, the framework cannot be readily used for comparing BMPs on a European wide scale. • Produced grids are immediately usable for local land managers. • - Models are calibrated and validated; the framework can be readily used locally. • Including other BMPs in the modelling require new calibration process.

31. Thank you for your attention.